SamuiKitsune

I am traveling with my all my gear, plus the girlfriend's gear on the other arm, makes train transitions difficult. Taxi to Umeda/Osaka - 10 minutes Umeda/Osaka bus to Itami - 40 minutes Check-in baggage and flight - 2hr 10mins Transfer time and bus ride to Niseko - 3hr 30 minutes So, 6.5hrs. I think that beats the overnight bus. The train is an option, but not carrying all the gear. We could ship via Black Cat, but we prefer to travel with our gear. Driving to Hakuba is not an option, because we do not have a car and I do not have a valid license in Japan. The gi

Sheeee.....it, dawg! I am already stomping 1080s. HAHA! I wish, I saw the thread about 1080s and could not resist. I am working on my riding as often as I can. On, Jan. 11th will be my 11th or 12th full day out since my frist time ratcheting my bindings last month. I am shooting for 30 full days before season ends and being able to carve the really steep stuff, without worrying about which line is safer or easiest to turn or blitz through.

So which places in Japan get more Powder? I want to visit the weekend of Feb. 8th.

My back binding is set one back of center already. I will move it back another notch tonight. I probably do need more lessons, since I just started boarding last month. I have the turns down and I am an aggressive rider, but I am still working on all the proper body mechanics (i.e., no flailing arms or excessive upper body rotations).

I agree that it is a good resort, but it has a couple of big misses for me. 1) The top of the mountain is much too easy to access for the really, poor beginner level boarders/skiers; 2) The resort closes early, there is no night skiing. I think for a family it is an excellent resort and much better than Naeba for a family. As a family, you can enjoy the whole mountain and not worry about whether your kids or loved one can get through a tough patch of the slope (because the tough spots are short lived).

Heading back for my second trip since I started boarding last month (Dec. 2008), but I am living in Osaka, so it is easier to get there. I think it is actually more convenient to get to Niseko from Osaka than it is to get to Hakuba via the Overnight bus.

So, I ride a 162 Custom Wide with 28.5cm boot. It takes much energy to get it rocking from edge to edge, but I manage. I love the stability at high speed, I like the edge hold. In the open powder, including deep and steep, the Custom Wide is holding its own, but the nose dives often (I have to bounce up often to stay floating, but it floats). In the trees or moguls, forget about it -- I am better of finding the nearest exit. No way, can I turn the board fast enough. Oh yeah, the base on the Custom is crazy fast (or is it my excellent waxing job, =( ). So, I am looking for another bo

Originally Posted By: Indo sweet.. Thanx guys. Will order the custon 162 then. I wear a K2 T1 DB Boot that is 28.5CM. I have the Custom Wide 162 as my first board. It was so difficult to learn to turn that I switched to the Sapient Identity 157. If I had to do it all over I would get a board around 159/160cm with anything having a waist width 24.8 or higher. After some tweaking over this past weekend, my bindings are set at 15/-12 now (makes it much easier for me to ride switch than the 18/-9 setting which feels better, but not in switch mode).

I will let you know later. I just put in a request to the travel agent. Last time I stayed at Hotel Koropokkur in the Hirafu Village. I liked the location, but might want to give the Alpen a shot.

Originally Posted By: stillnoprogress 1) watch the sprocking cat in subjekt haakonsen...get inspiration. Terje is probably the best switch rider ever. (there is a rumor that he won the Baker Banked Slalom switch one year). 2) I had a buddy that used to set up his bindings opposite direction every other year b/c he thought that board sports wreaked havok on one side of your body and not the other. Not sure if he was right about that but he was excellent at riding switch. Going a whole season switch is a big ask, but a good idea if you know you'll be forced to ride w/ a slow group and rac

Oh sorry, I will be going to Hakuba in February. So, I will post again when I decide which hotel. Too many decisions on short notice.

So, I went to my local Beer Bistro tonight in Osaka and had a moment of clarity. F! Hakuba, we are heading back to Niseko for 5 days.

Originally Posted By: orinoco Why don't you, you know, just like, you know.... ASK THEM! I'm sure they will know where they are located. Because 1) I never believe anything a salesperson says about their establishment (they want the booking) 2) I wanted to increase my post count! Oh yeah, another +1 for me.

How is the White Horse Location for accessing Goryu / 47? How long does the shuttle ride take to get Goryu /47?

Sweet. I am looking forward to the information. Yeah, I was seeing the train lines, mountain location etc.

SJFORUMS I saw the map linky. I just get some green map now without names. Is this a problem on my end? Or am I to understand that you are in the process of making, but just a little too busy with things to do right now.???

Originally Posted By: Kraut_in_HongKong Please allow me that silly question: is Goryu and 47 the same? I mean, will the day pass allow me to use either lifts? Seems the fields are connected at the top. I have seen day pass offers for the two slopes. I have also seen other day pass options for just one slope. I saw the pricing somewhere. Let me see if I can find it again and hook you up with a linky.

I found a few onsens/resorts in Niseko that were not tattoo friendly. However, I also learned that those onsens/resorts generally suck, e.g., Prince Hotel chains. But, for Niseko one of the better tattoo friendly onsens is the one inside Niseko Alpen Hotel, right at the base of the Hirafu side.

PM me. Does it allow tattooed people?

I saw all those Places To Stay, but I could not find a decent map to show me which joints where in the center of things. I deciphered a Japanese map and it looks like Pension Little is in the middle. As for comparing Niseko to Hakuba, that is what this trip is for. I learned to ride in Niseko and this will be my first trip to Hakuba. I know they are in different leagues, but I still think Hakuba will be a great experience and much better than my experiences at Naeba/Niigata and Bandai/Fukushima.

I am planning a trip for Goryu / 47 this weekend. I will also try to visit Happo One, but I want to stay near Goryu or 47. Based on your past experience, I would like to have your recommendation as to where to stay. I want to be in the village, near the mountain base with easy walking access to restaurants and bars. I plan to be on the mountain nightly. I will be there for four days. P.S. If it helps, I really liked staying in the Hirafu Village in Niseko and had a wonderful experience walking to all the restaurants and bars at night. Please give me your advice. I was looking

I would avoid Grandeco Resort on a Sunday. Based on my limited experiences, it seems every Sunday is the busiest day at a snow resort in Japan. I have yet to experience a Saturday that was busier than a Sunday in Japan. Drove to Grandeco Resort from Murakami (it is near Niigata City). The drive was very diffucult because of a combination of rain/snow and freezing conditions. We arrived at Grandeco around 930am. It seems like the rest of the Japanese population had arrived shortly before us and continued to arrive for the next 45 minutes. Grandeco is too busy on Sunday, especia

Looks like we will be getting some fresh snow in a few hours. It is starting to get chilly here near Niigata. I suspect it is already snowing on Mt. Bandai. First trip to Grandeco. Sounds like a bunch of long, relatively flat runs. I guess it will be time to start learning to butter. =)

I am 190lbs (87kgs), 5ft 11in (not sure cm), 10.5 K2 Boot and ride natural. My gear for day 1: 162cm Custom Wide (08 Model), Burton Custom Bindings, K2 D.B. T1 Boot, Smith Venue Helmet and Oakley A-Frames. Started Day 1 at Naeba. First run, I went straight down the hill about 10m, made a heel-side turn, then went for a toe-side turn. I wiped out. Busted my knee a little, but keeping boarding the remainder of the day. Never figured out how to turn on my toe-side. Balance and straight line run, no problem. I felt the board was huge and it was overpowering me. One week rest f

Think I can do it on a 162 wide Burton Custom? Or get a softer board like the Lib Tech SB.