samurai

self-catering lodges are at every club-field. otherwise, just hostels in town.

for way-too-indepth ski reviews, see epicski.com. It's an american-forum website for skiers/boarders and they review the piss out of pretty much anything you want to ride. Do a search for the Public Enemy and you'll see hundreds of threads regarding it. warning, it's addictive and very PSIA. some wankers, some pros. everybody at that site pays attention. Way more core than here.

pissing rain here in yamagata too. went to the hill, half a meter at the base already. blizzarding... can't believe my wife's birthday is tomorrow and we're going yada-yadaing. oh well--- it's just skiing right? right? right?

sirjib... to each his own, mate. I think i understand what you mean by scraping, but leaving that minute film for longevity. I used to do the same actually. excuse the rant, but some people don't know... the following is for those readers who wonder what all the fuss is about. Imagine racing an indy car wtih slick tires on a rainy day. You dumb ass!!! I learned about toko base-prep this season. It's really a nice conditioner/pre-wax that REALLY helps with longevity. (only use it once or twice a season) my wax jobs last twice as long now and I have yet to spot any white fibers a

why are you protecting your base from jibs? I mean, I think the very small scratches from pebble rocks, etc have far less drag-effects than excess wax. I understand the desire for abrasion protection, but those small scratches can be stone-ground out, assuming they get that excessive in the first place. (stone grinds don't get done enough imo) Now big gouges, no wax will prevent a core shot. It seems ollying is easier for me on a fast base that doesn't stick to the snow. (yes skiers olly and jib tree stumps too.) I'm not trying to sound like a smart-a$$- it's just that riding i

SSOOO happy to hear you invested in the base-prep! I'll never start a season without it after this season. Absolutely love it!

I use that set up on my skis. The red is a colder wax (this is a warm storm) but will defend against the sharp (new) crystals better. Save the yellow for older/warmer snow. (spring) on a side note: I love toko. SCRAPE IT all off. a nylon brush, or a nylon kitchen scouring pad work great for a structure/polish. GET THAT WAX OFF! (perhaps you know, but I see way too many snowboards wtih gobs of wax on them. No scrape/polish = no wax job.) actually those gobs of wax produce vacuums of empty space and grab your base like claws. Some may also comment on how a structure doesn't ma

Quote: Originally posted by moloney: Well I will be going with some friends who will be complete beginners. I am also fairly fresh to the skiing scene so hopefully this winter in Japan I can improve enough. Basically I would like some beginner and medium slopes, and judging from the threads, ones with good lift access. It should be fun for beginners so they can learn without too much pain and also for the others with a little more experience to enjoy more challenging slopes. It seems like treble cone is the one to go for!! If you are beginners and intermediates- just check out both wana

i've only been to hakuba once, for a week. Saw a fight then too, aussies. Actually, they were just drunk. Aussie has nothing to do with it. before the fight, they were the most hilarious group i have ever partied with. Had me in tears. Anyone know Mr. Supersize Testi? Can't remember his name. Probably better that way. (Actually- he was the one showing it off.)

another plus to club fields is the magic button. No lifty, no hours of operation. Just daily tickets. If you want to ski at 11pm- you can. Just press the magic yellow button to start the rope. Tool, Beer, Blowing/falling snow. One spotlight at the peak, one light at the bottom. Heaven really...

yeah, gondolas are different. I'm not a fan of gondolas in japan. steam rooms.

Quote: Originally posted by ger: Quote: Also, many of the people at the resorts are not in a hurry or even have the ability to move efficiently with all their gear on. for many (perhaps most) skiing is purely a social thing. (the winter golf) A pushy lifty making sure all chairs are full would be viewed as mildly rude in Japan, imo. Personally, I think the lifties in Japan have more manners than any liftie in any other country I have skied. (us, canada, nz)They don't know how to bump chairs, but I know how to do it myself. Sounds like you're citing cultural differences... "not good

we had standard alpine harnesses on. I think it was just rear-leg pain for my mate. It may not have been TB either. We also visited Cragieburn, Olympia, Broken River and another as well. They are all very different, but all have terrain as well. I can't remember which field it was that had us hanging as the rope ripped its way up a 45 degree chute with rock walls on both sides. That place also had ropes interlink and overlap each other. You would have to release your nutcracker, ski under the zipping rope and catch another without losing your speed. Chaos really. Loved it!!! I think it was the

That's not just hakuba. and perhaps not just japan. Nonetheless, I've learned to caress the outside of the line and just go in. Nobody ever says anything. I have no problem cutting in line when chairs start getting skipped, or loaded half-full on busy days. If you get asked to stop cutting, simply point at the empty seats. Also, many of the people at the resorts are not in a hurry or even have the ability to move efficiently with all their gear on. for many (perhaps most) skiing is purely a social thing. (the winter golf) A pushy lifty making sure all chairs are full would be viewed as m

Ok. won't argue about the terrain variety. I just remember snowboarders (who must ride the rope sidways hanging from a harness) who weren't expert riders really getting frustrated wtih the nutcrackers. A buddy of mine, who is an expert rider, even left our group due to the pain of riding one of the ropes. He was the only boarder in our group. It'll whip you into shape, but perhaps more laps will be doable at TC. I just don't see much of a benefit for beg/int riders, aside from aesthetic/atmosphere. Just a thought. I hope to go for my third time this august. You kiwis have got the clu

Treble Cone and Temple Basin are two completely different 'types' of resorts. TC is a chair/T-bar resort. Great chair-accessed terrain. TB is a club field. Ropes and hiking along with privacy among much sicker terrain than TC. TB has accommodation, TC does not. That article commented on Windle training there. Windle is considered one of the world's best freeskiers, he's in another league. If you're not up for the challenge, there's little point in going. If you go to NZ and are an efficient rider, go to the club fields. DO NOT MISS THE CLUB FIELDS! If you are not comfortable hanging

would love to go check it out. will play by ear. kaze ma kase. If I do go, hopefully I won't see the prick Josh Loubek who's apparently now the head judge. (head judge really fits his personality)

You want pics? I'm not pulling my camera out in that environment. If you are curious as to what the first major storm-day was like, stick your face up to your wall and stare at the whtie texture. Now imagine it moving, swirling, blowing and following no particular order. Now look for your feet. Can't feel 'em? That's becuase you're floating, like ice-cubes do in fizzy drinks. Don't touch your face, your nose might fall off. It's amazing that you've been doing this for all your life, yet you still haven't learned how to dress for it. dumbass. I hope your office was more comfortable than the

the fritschis are light. I have them on my gotamas that have been my pow ski for a few seasons. With very occasional releases. In pow, they're sweet. But I really dislike them on groomers or charging at resorts. They are not very stable with the floating heel. The binding seems to wobble inside itself. It's not worn out or anything, just the design of the heel being made for easy touring really takes its toll on performance. (but in pow, who cares. it's all about floating anyway.) If this is primarily a bc/pow ski, go for lightness. But if you will be skiing these at resorts as well, you

Quote: Originally posted by white-void: I wonder if this guy chose his line before starting

tomorrow starts my 2 week holiday. skiing regardless. old snow/non-deep is EXACTLY why I bought some carving skis this year. Resort-friendly tools are required here in japan too.

BTW, my telling you to get off your ass and watch some ski porn and start dreaming was completely sarcastic. I find it very strange that lines constantly pop out at me. i was poking fun at my own idiosyncracies, not giving you lip for not having them. You're the normal one, even on a ski forum. And, it's completely fine if you can't relate. In fact, I would suspect that the vast majority of humans don't relate.

true that. but I remember two years ago it started at christmas time and kept fricking snowing until feb. my two winters thus far show me the first one to two months of snow season in japan kinds of steadily drops flakes. Not puking west-coast style, but steady/cold snow.

I like small and ungroomed. quaint powder.

I'd say open is any chair running. early season is just that, early... on thin snow. If a chair is turning, the resort is open. imo. open doesn't = good. But I don't have any records of late-openings, I only remember seasons of not skiing before christmas break. I bet I have more than 10 seasons in my life where MY ski season didn't start until after the holidays. this winter is not strange to me.