HelperElfMissy

Originally Posted By: Fattwins Mamabear Hakuba did about the same number of overseas vistors last season. The difference is in size and scale. Hakuba would prefer to control the next wave a bit better than the last time it boomed and blew up. The apartments wont be sold here right now and buying a house next to the lifts is very hard. I get that FT - but as you say size and scale...Hakuba could be doing a LOT more... Yes the proximity to the lifts is one issue, probably common in more Alpine scenario's, but there is still a lot on offer at prices that are way below the Niseko asking pric

Congratulations! Another snow lover enters the world!!

Personally love Niseko, but my guess is that Hakuba is next. As the prices become top heavy in Niseko the average punter is not able to get in - so will be looking elsewhere....my bet - Hakuba! Buying in now would see you getting in before the prices go stupid - not a bad move. Only prob's for us international investors is we need the ready cash in the bank in it's entirity as our local banks don't like to lend money based on international property, and the international banks wont lend to us because our income and assets are not in thier country... A few in Niseko are beginning to

Ohh YUK! That is just shocking!! I know intellectually that women like that exist, but I find it very hard to see the living proof written down like that. I married my man before he had achieved anything more than finishing High School and riding his pushbike across the Nullabor...he wasa diamond in the rough - but I knew he was a diamond, and I worked hard to polish him up! 18 years later and he is shiny shiny shiny. That is the way it is supposed to be. Loving someone for who they are not what they have in thier bank account!!

Break the tradition of 'stuff'. We all feel like we are bound to the unwritten rules of gift giving - you know ... once you give someone a gift for Christmas you have to give them one EVERY year until they die.. NOT TRUE! Neither do all families exchange gifts with each other. You have options. You can change things. TALK to your people and work out other options. You can draw a name from a hat and each person buys ONE gift, you can have a Yankee Swap/Dirty Santa lucky dip style gift thing with gag gifts or serious little treasures, you can buy just for kids, or you can

Hee hee... I have 2 Helmet Covers - one is a RASTA wig with dreadies, and the other is a sparkly red DEVIL one. My Yr11 used the red devil on his school trip to NZ, but he had to pack it away after 2 days - it drew too much attention from skiers who decided he was needing to be dropped in on and cut off at every opportunity! I have also stuck the devil on the 8yr old cub and the Rasta on the 10 yr old cub so we can track them on the runs (maybe a flouro jacket would have worked also...) But I thought I might bring them to Niseko for a daily 'wind-up' amongst the families.

Originally Posted By: Indo Bobby, you never know. And even if you did, when is a child going to listen anyway! I am certainly not saying I see a need for them in my life...but with four sons - I am sure one of them has to make a serious life choice guided by his "less intellegent and lower placed brain" rather than his God given academically gifted brain!! At this stage we, personally, are geared to USE UP our slowly aquiring assests living the life of snow-bums in 5 star accomodations - there will be nix to leave them!! LOL But I do see the sense in using pre-nups where the '

Originally Posted By: Ewok 2 go domo go! Ohhh THat is TOO cute!! Domo got a skid lid!!! Domokun you are making the best move mate!!

Originally Posted By: samurai "You make me wanna be a better person." who said it? which movie? Jack Nicholson said it to Helen Hunt in "As Good as it Get's" He was playing an Obsesive Compulsive who fell for her - and she made him want to be a better person, he started taking his meds for her. Awww! No we had not pre-nup. We also had no assets. neither of us. We were young and in love. The fabulous thing is that here we are 18 years later, still happily married, living a great life with considerably more assets than we began the journey with - and NO_ONE could ever a

Great advice Oyuki! One member of a couple teaching the other is never a really solid foundation - short fuses and frustration come into play. Instructors are paid to be patient with you, and have learnt ALL the tricks of the trade to get you riding fast. We ALWAYS get privates. And will keep doing so. Our boys get a private small group lesson and head straight to the park nowdays - but they STILL get lessons! You want your girlfriend meeting up with you and saying "WOW! Honey - you are picking this up so fast!!!" rather than spending the whole day with you and saying "why

Never ski or snowboard alone. (check) Maintain and check ski and snowboard equipment. (check) Exercise and stretch before each day of skiing or snowboarding.(why??) This one I can answer! Warming up the body - getting the muscles and thier attachments moving prevents injury early on. You might get enough warming up walking from your car to the slopes, or from your hotel room to the slopes - but this old overweight and unfit chook doesnt! I stretched out at night before bed and also every morning before getting geared up on the last trip, and the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) th

So far there is no law to make it mandatory - unlike pushbike riding in Australia (which I also have difficulty with accepting) - so you and others like you are quite within rights to ride without one Tubby. One of the men in our party is very experienced and he chooses to ride with a free head...that is all well and good - but it meant we DID get complaints from HIS son, and our older son's about having the wear one. He let his son go without a helmet, and that then had our older ones screaming foul even louder. We stood firm. We will continue to stand firm. And there are

OK...I find this hysterical! I am a Moderator on one and a site owner of another - CHRISTMAS preparation website...I come HERE to talk SNOW...next thing you know they will be crossing boundaries and talking SNOWBOARDS and BINDINGS on there!!! LOL!! HO HO HO!!! Here's the scoop people. *Prepare all year long. *It truly is the thought that counts *Know your recipient. *Don't go and get "stuff" just so they know you appreciate them - take them a home baked casserole, or give them a gift certificate for a night out - and TELL them you appreciate them! Top gift idea's fr

I just replied to the other thread but I will add my comments here too <coz I can!> First trip: No helmet for me, although the cubs and Papabear all had them (I was not going to be ski-ing or boarding you see...LOL!). I DID smack my head pretty hard at one time - the gog's and beanie ending up over 1 meter away... Second Trip; just the Papa and me...still no helmet. I was gaining confidence on a board and didn't like the idea of cramming an uncomfortable helmet on the noggin! Third Trip: Took the bear cubs again and it was all about setting an example - so I bought one.

I am a HELMET TRUE BELIEVER! We made our kids use a helmet, and Dad used a helmet -but the Mamabear was initially going with the family as the hot chocolate maker...so I had no gear when I arrived on trip one. I got some lessons without a helmet. Trip two - still no helmet...although I was getting the evil eye from the Papabear. Trip 3 we took the cubs again - so I relented and bought the helmet...I was concerned as I HATE stuff around my head/face. But half way down the first run with the helmet I thought - whew! I will never ride without it again!! Talk about a heat preservat

Boots make a massive difference to a beginner. You can't do much learning when you can't feel your feet!! And I found that there was massive variation in all the pairs that I tried on - and not necessarily better as the $$ went upwards either...all depends on what suits YOUR foot. I hired a board first trip - stiff stiff stiff - I didn't know any better, and tried my best, but really felt out of control. Second trip I hired a performance board - had more flex and I could actually FEEL the mountain under my feet...made a HUGE difference to the learning curve. The board I bought als

Gotta love the Engrish. I think my son has an entire book of them that one of my friends gave him when he went on student exchange to Japan. Quite a crack up. My favourites are oldies: "No friends on a Powder day" "My worst day on a snowboard is better than my best day at work" and "When hell freezes over I'll snowboard there too!" But I LOVE the snorkel hoodie - where can I get one? LOL!

Friend is there now - will be home on the weekend and will ask how the fingerprinting went.

We have a range here - depends on personal comfort and what your use is I suppose! His Injuredness is a Cartel junkie. BearCub#3 found Nirvana in Flows. And I am a girly girl with some white sparkly Charm's - easy to use and comfortably fit with my Van's Boa's (heaven on my feet!)

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver But why are some insults acceptable over others? Why is it more of an offence to call someone something that is to do with their skin colour or ethnicity than it is to call someone fat, or bald or Ginger? AMEN to that! And why does it seem OK for one kid to call a kid slow or useless at sport, and not OK for another kid to call a kid slow or useless at Math? Why is it that parents pacing the sidelines of sporting fields barracking for thier kids are applauded for getting involved in thier kids interests, and the parent who spends the weekend

We were discussing this at a party last night - there were 6 families all at the same party ALL heading to Niseko this Dec or January or both... Some said BUY on-line now, do not hire - for the same money as hire you can buy from the US... Others said hire. The reasons varied. If the flight weight, inconvenience of carrying etc are big issues for you, and you need new gear anyhow - then hiring or at least demo-ing in Japan before buying, - might be a good option for you. Personally we are carrying not only our clothing and personal needs but 6 snowboards and bindings, 6pr bo

First response....the metro boy.. But upon reflection I married a real blokes bloke! However I did date 3 boys who turned out to be gay in my youth...I think I was attracted to SAFE boys who really were nothing more than friends.... or did I turn them! LOL

YAY!! My friends husband is there in business RIGHT NOW - and he took his board - of course! Grr...I am as GREEN as green with envy as one can be!! Ohh well - counting down the days...

Ok .. I just re read my own post. I sound like I have a split personality. Ohhh they are wrong...but ohhh she is wrong... LOL! Hope you get my point in this...while I do NOT agree with thier actions - I do understand that "when in Rome..."

It is off the wall to us - yes! I think it is completely BIZARRE! However as a teacher in that country she should have known about what she was going into...I can not tell you how many times I checked my bubblegum fanatic kids backpacks for the the offending article before we landed in Singapore - there is NO WAY we were going to inadvertently do soemthing wrong because of our cultural ignorance. I would think a more rational response would be to ask the teacher to stop, change the name of the bear, and apologise to the offended for her ignorance...if she persisted - sure punish he