MrSingh

Going Up! Riding Dow! Going Home! Best attempted when visibility is good. The views are way more awesome too, especially if you ride down (towards Goshiki Onsen) an hour or two before the sun goes down. It's a short trek back towards Annupuri. from Goshiki onsen (30 minutes max), hike up over the ridge and drop back into one of the bowls that will bring you back to the base of the Annupuri gondola.

Cordova Alaska, Points North Heli-Adventures Video from our trip in Feb. Too bad the snow that Alaska is known for didn't arrive until much later in the season. http://www.youtube.com/user/hawaron?feature=mhee#p/a/u/1/ebub3ml6U5s

The Arc'teryx Vertical or bust! http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Jackets/Vertical-Jacket

Rosso Rosso!

Is that with HPG? I went on a private tour with them a few years ago. I think it was worth the money. Anyone who can read a map and has half-decent direction sense could probably Asahidake side country without a guide though, but it doesn't hurt to have one!

Yes. Still safe. I'm still here.

Thanks for the kind comments folks. The footage came from various devices. 4:3 aspect ratio footage was taken from a friend's old school JVC DVD quality (720x480 progressive) DVCAM. 16:9 aspect ratio footage came from a 3 year old Canon IVIS AVCHD camera, most of the footage was recorded at 9Mbps 1080p 30fps, I should have recorded at 25Mbps!! The 1st person footage (they look kind of blurry due to the fixed focus nature of the lens) is 1080p 30fps footage from a Contour VHoldR 1080p head mounted cam. Software - Sony Vegas Pro 9. The non-pro $99 Vegas Movie Platinum works just

1. Snow tyres 2. 4WD 3. Drive slowly 4. Hit the brakes slowly 5. Snow tyres Did I mention snow tyres?

Need a new pair of gloves. Eyeing the Arcteryx Alpha SV gloves but $300 for a pair of gloves is too rich for my blood... (managed to pick up a really nice Arcteryx gore-tex performance shell jacket at half price on eBay last season though, 25% of the official distributor price in Japan!!!)

Thank you David. What would I do without you???? Thanks gnarly-dude!

Finally got around my lazy ass to edit 3 seasons of footage at Hakkoda. Oh well, that didn't seem to work. Here's the link: http://www.snowjapan...come_to_Hakkoda

Asahidake - dry and light enough to breathe, and lots of it!!

I've been using the Rider's Choice BTX 162 for the past 2 seasons. Works great in powder, but it's also a great all round board.

That's true.. problem is, the ride is over all too soon.

Unfortunately there are no "big mountains" in Japan. Other Fuji-san that is...

Daisetsuzan Niseko Kamui Ski Links Asahidake Hakkoda

Thanks SKI!

Susukino! d(^__~)b

Washlet and delicious food.

Spring conditions for a significant part of Feb. Just got back from Gulmarg. Spring-like conditions for the most part except for the huge dump on the last 2 days. That saved the trip. I was checking Snowjapan occasionally while I was there, and the snow reports were disheartening.

Originally Posted By: Black Mountain Mt. Fuji (I know it's not a resort but I look at it everyday all through the winter and dream about doing it. The only thing holding me back is finding a partner who is up to the challenge. Any takers?) The conditions will be terrible, and inclement weather will probably kills us, but I might like to check it out sometime. BTW Kamui is one of my favorite resorts in Japan. The liberal riding policy is beyond awesome. My own list: Fuji Yotei

Ryoma, thanks for all the info about Nozawa Onsen. Nozawa Onsen might not have the best snow (compared to Hokkaido), but overall, my friends and I unanimously agree that it's the best resort in all of Japan. Keep up the good work and we hope to keep supporting the local economy in the years to come. Let the ski patrol staff know that it's the forbidden areas that keep us coming back year after year.

I'd try not to board in heavy traffic areas. Beginning/intermediate slopes are full of beginners barreling out of control. How about getting equipment insurance?

How about Neversummer Premier? Great on powder and groomers, and virtually indestructible. Demoed the board once, and a couple of my friends have it. Unfortunately, it's not sold in Japan.

Mamabear, do a jump like that to help test the integrity of the Fastec bindings!