gurgle

I think it is difficult in certain places to ever be treated like a local and therefore feel like a local if you are in a racial minority. Aussie surfers are GENERALLY speaking, pretty narrow minded and quite racist. So I am not surprised at all that Jynxx never felt remotely like a local as he said, "living in a 100% White area". If he was white and had an aussie accent, which he does, it would have been a different story I suspect. Perhaps it also depends a little on the individual. My next door neighbour in Singapore is a born and bred white Singaporean. I am sure she is rarely treate

Originally Posted By: JA Originally Posted By: gurgle The problem with young men in Aust is the fighting and violence that goes with it. I think as long as the "getting pisssed" thing is accepted, you are going to have the angry young men getting out of order. Not sure that the violence and fighting always happens. With 61 years experience, I - like MB - can count the number of times I've been truly "pissed" on the fingers of one hand. Yes, I know there are some for whom it is a nightly occurrence, but that is not the most usual. From where I sit, the biggest problem is the youngster

Hard to see somewhere like Happo close, but I find that resort a mess of lifts. Then someone told me they were all seperately owned and it made a lot of sense why things had not been improved. Note, this has all been heard from others.

Good news MB! SerreChe's dig was way out of order. At the end of the day , barely any of us really know each other, so personal digs on forums are often way off the mark and just a bit pointless IMO. Fairly well proven in this thread I think. I am guessing the point was probably that the "getting pissed" culture in Australia is just way too accepted as "part of the culture" and "all a bit of fun", etc. The fact is, there are piles of functioning alcoholics in countries where we have drinking cultures, like Australia. Surely this is not a good thing, but arguably it is a better pressu

Maybe it is something to do with the ownership structure ? I do not know but have heard things like some resorts having different owners for different lifts, so there is no real concerted effort to make things work. Not to mention vested interests to keep things as they are at ceratin resorts too. So if you owned a few lifts that made no money, of course you would stop operating them. Also, if you owned a lift that makes a lot of money, you would be against any further development of the resort. That's the mentality at some resorts I believe. Besides that of course the number of skiers in

If in-bounds just a bottle of water and maybe a snack of some sort in a pocket. If going real out of bounds, backpack with shovel, probe, water, some bigger snacks an extra warm layer because I hate being cold.

Nice one...... where is that exactly ?

Perhaps now they can get into some real competition.....

Does anyone know if there are any statistics available for lift closures due to the weather for any of the resorts in Japan ? Someone once told me that is why the lifts rarely go to the top of the mountains in Japan, because of the high winds (esp at the big N).

Originally Posted By: Mamabear I think this is very sad. If it is being reported accurately. I know a number of people who would be gullible and so easily led that they would have done the same under the circumstances. These are the weak in our society who need our support, rather than our disregard. While I support integration and having people with special needs 'reach their full potential', this new world order in disabilities has led to numerous people falling through the cracks. The world was a safer and more friendly place for them when there were institutions, care facilities,

Hi BeeBeeDee, There is now a new direct bus service from Narita Airport to Hakuba. It depends when your flight arrives though as it only leave once a day. I have never taken this bus, I think it only started this year. My wife and I always take the NEX (Narita Express) from Narita Airport to Tokyo station and the take the shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano. From there we take the bus to Hakuba station. It is all pretty easy to do, but give yourself plenty of time between trains at Tokyo station if it is your first time there. You can check train schedules at http://www.hyperdia.com/en/

Hey Campa, There are a couple of back country guide operators in Hakuba, well worth going out with them. Give us a report on the Happo BC when you are back....enjoy.

Originally Posted By: tripler Hakuba needs to build a new lift to use the 1000 meters of vertical above the top lift. And have some hotels halfway up the mountain. I wonder if it is viable, due to the number of high wind days ? Anyone have a clue ? Anyway, I would rather just walk up there on the nice days......

Originally Posted By: Mantas Bon Scott was the man! (prolly an arsehole in real life) but definitly made the band what it is today. AC/DC "He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and spent a short time in Fremantle Prison's assessment centre and nine months at the Riverbank Juvenile Institution relating to charges of giving a false name and address to the police, having escaped legal custody, having unlawful carnal knowledge and stealing twelve gallons of petrol.[1] He attempted to join the Australian Army but was rejected for being deemed as "socially maladjusted." A Rockstar

Originally Posted By: ger Originally Posted By: gurgle I used to think I was too highbrow for ACDC, but now I reckon it would be a laugh...... I used to think I was too highbrow for ACDC, but tne I realized I was missing the point. for ACDC. Spot on

He's a spritely 54 and still wears the school uniform get up..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaZmY52gHM

Originally Posted By: thursday I'm sure there'd be lots of {mis-guided}people going I used to think I was too highbrow for ACDC, but now I reckon it would be a laugh......

Is anyone going ? Any idea if these are sold out yet ?

Originally Posted By: stemik i guess you wont need to act too much Hilarious!!!.........and spot on.

Checking the all important indicator the "Beer Index", a beer in Japan has gone from a high of $AUD 9.07 to now $AUD 5.88. The phone should be rining off the hook! (*Assuming a beer costs 500 yen)

Spook - Are there plenty of waves in the off-season too ? Is a trip worthwhile in either feb-apr or sep-nov ? I would be happy to give up a bit of wave quality to avoid the circus.....tks

Thanks Spook. That sums it all up very well. If you have limited time, it sounds like it is worth every cent. I will be leaving the non-surfers at home which is not a problem. I took mr Mrs along to the Maldives back in 93'. I was lucky that she became My Mrs after that trip. She could not believe how much it cost for what she was doing, which was basically hanging around in a very run down resort while I went surfing. Like you say, the costs were all about running boats, etc. Anyway, thanks for the information. Might see you out there next year.

Thanks for the feedback. You are right, it is expensive. One can still stay in a Warung in Bali for less than $10 (I did a couple of weeks back), but as long as I still have a job and the time constraints that come with it, I am willing to pay too much for no crowds and nice waves. Maybe I am dreaming on the "no crowds". Anyway, I will probably try and do a mix of Ments and Telos on this trip. Thanks again.

Howdy, Can anyone give me a no b/s assessment of the Telos Islands ? I normally just hit Bali these days with the Mrs in tow (not planning to take her to the Telos though), but the crowds are getting insane these days. I don't mind a bit of a challenge, but I don't want to go to the Ments and be stuck with a bunch of guys looking to get the meanest barrels of their lives day in and day out. 3-5 foot reefbreaks would suit me fine. Is the Telos the answer, or is it it a little too small and inconsistent ? Thanks,

Originally Posted By: stemik Backcountry on the other hand I would say describes the area that is not in-bounds in the resort and not patrolled And then there's "slackcountry" that I hear from time to time.... Is it fair to say that "Backcountry" (and "slackcountry") is anywhere outside the resort(s) boundaries or jurisdiction ? "Slackcountry" is basically the same thing, although the conotations are that you didn't do much/any climbing to get to the "backcountry" ? I am no expert, but everytime I have been on a guided "backcountry tour", we took a lift or two to get to the to