jasonbvr

686 makes the tool belt which has flathead and philips for the prongs or whatever you would call it, but there is only one store I have found that sells 686. It is near Ochanomizu in Tokyo.

The boarders I have met so far all go to Naeba, but I am not so keen about loads of people. The season pass is because I am trying to do like thirty days on the mountain which means if I just pick a good resort and stick with it I will save some money. The cheapest lift price I have seen of 3000 would end up adding up to like 90000 at the end of the season.

Thanks for the advice, I am heading out for the day. The way it looks now is that Nozawa will be my home away from home soon enough. Thnx again.

that is the way I was leaning but the trail maps for Naeba make it seem like they had more to ride. The pictures however make it look really bland and a little, well, flat.

it is two hours for both I believe

the travel time is the same only a thousand yen more for Nozawa, I may buy a car soon too

I've already estimated costs

Ota is in Gunma, you take the shinkansen from Takasaki to Nagano then the local line to Togari Nozawa Onsen eki

I am new to Japan and looking to buy a season pass this year since I will be frequently hitting the hills. Right now it is Naeba vs. Nozawa. I would like opinions ranging from which is more crowded, better runs, better atmosphere and so on.