Kingofmyrrh

So according to that story nobody is yet sure what has happened to them...

It's nuts... snow seems to have been almost continuous in Hakuba since we left... good stuff.

Originally Posted By: Ewok 2 My first uploaded photo. "Welcome back to the mountains Risa!" I won't forget your injury 2 years ago and those dan's words. Great photo!

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy my payday is on the 5th Drinks are on you if by some miracle you can make it for the long weekend then!

well yes. I really want to get back to Hakuba soon after meeting such a nice bunch of people. I also quite want to hike up the ridge again if the weather is nice. I don't even mind too much about whether I can ski down or just walk back down. really enjoyed my little stroll the other week.

I have missed my long holiday booking... could be troublesome.

I hardly ever go with people who snowboard, and so this weekend doing a couple of runs with ianbc (I am presuming from his real name that this is who it was) was quite an eyeopener. It wasn't extreme terrain or anything but it was great to see such smooth controlled riding. I am definitely a skier but I started to like boarding a lot more after seeing that!

haha, yes everyone says it looks nothing like me...

I got pretty confused, but then again I was half-dead. TJ thanks for letting me snooze all over your sofa.

Looks like the lid is back on the can.

I fell asleep on the sofa like a prize loser... but not before I had tucked into a nice sweet cake!

I'm going to keep the jacket for comedy resort days. Could have taken some awesome pics (for me) this weekend but too busy getting covered in snow head to foot!

Originally Posted By: Jyves If you're going to Hokkaido, I don't see much reason to go to Hakuba as the mountains are smaller and more crowded. I absolutely loved the time I spent in Hokkaido, don't get me wrong. I will be back there again this year hopefully. But you must be smoking crack if you think it has big mountains compared to Nagano. The hills around Niseko (awesome fun as they are) are not even in the same league as the stuff in Nagano when it comes to size. Other stuff in Hokkaido is larger, but once again, small compared to Nagano. At the moment I just look up in awe, but one

Looks great! Where are these places... I really need to branch out beyond just Happo.

Originally Posted By: Stuntcok I think most probes and shovels have shelf lives longer than a week. If so, you can use them next week if you dont' this week. You know as well as I do that payday is 25th! Well, maybe 24th for some. That means some of this month's drinking money could have been employed as intended on the streets of Roppongi. But yes, I imagine it'll still be good to go next week. It's just that I don't normally ski with people who would have an interest in BC stuff, so this weekend might have been my chance to make a nuisance of myself on someone's daytrip.

Did I splash out on the probe and shovel all for naught? Ah well, needed them anyway.

Ah, just the two day course for the time being... sadly mountains and investment banking are not always happy bedfellows...

Thanks guys. Yes, I think I am beginning to lose the fearlessness of youth at an ever accelerating rate. I am going to do the Evergreen course at the start of March, should be helpful. I think this thread: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Main/5707/Number/100997#Post100997 has been a good guide for as to the good things and the bad things that can happen in the big mountains. The terrain looks gorgeous, but brings its risks.

Originally Posted By: tsondaboy Nice going Kin! Did you end up dropping somewhere? I wanted to, but I didn't. The visibility was great and I couldn't see what might have gone wrong, but I've read enough stuff here and elsewhere to let caution win over, especially considering that I am inexperienced and was alone. I hadn't even checked any avy forecasts that morning. I'm basically "all the gear but no idea", although I am super keen to get more experience under my belt. It was so refreshing just to go for a short hike in the open - although my heart was hammering on the steep sections,

Originally Posted By: Stuntcok I don't see any reason to appologise for the jacket either. Not until FT appologises for his purple getup he wears this year at least. The trousers are quite... eyecatching. Still, I think he can back up the style with his skiing a little better than I can!

Hey, I like the photo geeks! Makes you realise what's possible.

I picked up some new skins at Rappie's on saturday evening. As all my friends were busy snowboarding on the baby slopes and the pistes were pretty icy on Sunday, I decided to give them a test run with a light hike up from the Grat quad to the first peak along the ridge. No skiing and no long distances as I was all on my lonesome. I was pretty glad that I had selected shaped skins. Previously I had only skinned on powder, which was very easy going. On the pitted crust that was coating the ridgeline, grip was occasionally a little trickier. I even slipped over one time and started sliding d

I will be coming as well, please.

I know this is not exactly helpful to you, but if he is available, I would recommend Andrew at BD. He was knowledgable and a really nice guy.

I wish I could take photos like that! "Tee Pee Town Chutes" one is sweet.