Hotaka Scott

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Originally Posted By: snowjunky it's a big workout for me but burns the calories allowing for mor good food & wine intake............"Life is too short for cheap wine & sandwiches" There are plenty of easier courses with less vertical, plenty of flat track options also. a sandwich doesn't have to be crap just because its cheap.....I've had some stellar sandwiches that I'd rather eat than expensive cuisine!! Sandwich making is a real artform! Ditto for wine - most of the wine I've had/ am currently having comes in a box and is pretty

This thread is making me thinks I need to be looking for new pair of skis - it's been a couple of years. Originally Posted By: snowjunky TGR Wow just checked it out, thanks CB for introducing me to whole new world. snowjunky - the padded room is also a great place to pass the summer months

New photo uploader got me looking at some of the pics again. And the nomination goes to ...

,as always.

^^^ Luckily no driving involved, but that hangover the next day was something special. Simply making it through the day felt like an accomplishment.

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy dark side there are guys who tele on em supposedly if you read tgr any. Lurk there quite a bit but hadn't heard about anyone using them on tele gear ... interesting. snowjunky - think they're based out of Nevada (USA) http://www.pmgear.com/

^^^ Thanks CB As a mere meadow-skipping tele-er, I'm not sure if I'm worthy, but I'd definately take you up on the offer if we meet up some time next season. My only other concern is that I'd fall in love with them and switch to the "dark side" (AT).

Originally Posted By: Creek Boy .... but got a better deal on pmgear's lhasas You a lucky man to be riding them CB .... and I am jealous.

Have a look at the "Jobs Available" section here on SJ to get a start, but in most cases you'll probably find you need some qualifications (ski instructor, wilderness first aid, etc) to get a proper sponsored working visa. There is some under the table work, but you'll have to get here first to start looking. If you're coming in on a tourist visa, you'll only be allowed 90 days so be sure to time it right - too soon and you won't be able to finish out the season, too late and all the jobs will be gone.

^^^ There's actually 2 huts in the area. The one at the top of the course is Karasawa Goya . The one near the bottom is Karasawa Hutte , which is where dinner and drinks took place.

Any luck with the gear search GN? I've found a few places on the net that claim to have dynafit TLT in stock, but none in Hokkaido. The places are scattered around Honshu. If you want, I'll PM you with the shops. There's a couple of places I may ask at next time I stop in, but these would be in Toyama or Matsumoto. Might have better luck up north as the ski season approaches.

Thanks guys. The group was mostly a bunch of people who work in the area, about half from the Kamikochi area. The walk in from there to Karasawa is about 6 hrs, but luckily I was starting out a bit closer and had a leisurely 20 min ski down; the hike back up the next day however was a different story. O-wa-ri for the TR but hopefully a couple more days of skiing is still to be had.

Part II .. a few tele-ers (myself included).. .. a couple of sledders, and even a "runner".. And a good time was had by all, despite skiing hungover in the rain. O-wa-ri

What: Dai 29 kai Karasawa Yamagoya Jyugyoin Ski Taikai , a.k.a. "The 29th Annual Get-Drunk-and-Ski-the-Next-Day Ski Competition Where: Karasawa Area (Nagano) When: June 17th and 18th, 2009 Unfortunately I wasn't able to take one of these home... ... but I did succeed in drinking - a lot . The festivities were held in the Karasawa Area, located in the Northern Alps.... The "competition" itself was held on the morning of the 18th, but the main event took place on the evening of the 17th.... (Photos taken after this point not suitable

Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver you are just too old.... let me translate for you... " It is indeed the truth, and it doth make one look a dapper lad if thou are able to fathom the event after all the imbibing of alcolholic beverages! The wine from the rice grain is free flowing like a spring river, and the dawning of thy new year is as excitable as a new born lamb. Thou heavenly crystals that float forth from the sky, fall heavy and true on every New Years night, and if thou are strong in the morn after, thou can enjoy uninterrupted runs through the thickly settled flakes until the s

I'll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open in this neck of the woods and see if any gear turns up. Will let you know if it does. If all else fails, I'd go with the tele. I've given my stuff quite a bit of abuse and haven't had any major problems. Of course, it is a little on the heavy side.

^^^ Opps, just realized you were asking about boots, not bindings. Definately want to try 'em on before buying.

Not too familiar with AT gear, but is it the TLT (?) / TNT (?) you're looking for? The guy at my local ski/mountaineering shop said he had trouble stocking it as well. The shop is in Toyama but perhaps some bigger shops in Tokyo/Osaka would have it. May be worth looking into getting it shipped from overseas though.

"Unparallelled" is good stuff but it is solely tele (just to forewarn those who may be anti free heelin) Originally Posted By: Mada definitely would like to see more of these north american production companies shoot more in japan.. i guess the production cost becomes an issue for these companies.. why shoot all the way in japan when you have some of the best terrain in the world in north america.. I could see things getting a bit expensive over here. The little stuff tends to add up. If any crews want to save a little cash, I've got a pretty decent sofa you can cra

Snickers - just gotta make sure they don't get rock hard and chip a tooth.

Sounds like a good battle plan. Don't think you'd regret extending the trip - a few non ski days of sightseeing may keep Mrs happy. Haven't tested the " riding the bike" hypothesis for tele but reckon you'll get it back after a few turns. Lookin forward to the pics

^^^ "Hunting Yeti"? If so, had a look at a few of the webisodes today - the one where the guy dislocates his shoulder and they reduce it in the field was interesting. Can't remeber what other movies were mentioned in the original thread, but 3 that come to mind are the 2nd season of "Unparallelled", an upcoming one by "Sweetgrass Productions" , and the "Icon" series. Pretty sure the "Unparallelled" was filmed partly in the Myoko area.

Had 2 down days due to the lifts being shut but otherwise all was good down there. Am pretty jealous of miteyak's trip actually - wouldn't mind hearing what his plans are.

Originally Posted By: ger Hey, what ever happened to the mogul chick who had a fit after bouncers interupted her in the midst of a romantic interlude in a roppongi bar? Since that incident haven't heard much about her. Tae Satoya was her name I believe; won a medal in the '98 Olympics in Nagano. Not sure if she's still single though...

Searched and searched but couldn't find the thread about ski movies filmed in Japan. Anyway, was going to add to the list one by Nimbus Independent films that was filmed in Hokkaido. Don't think the actual DVD is out yet but you can get a preview on their web site http://www.nimbusindependent.com/videos/webisodes.html#top . It's about a 20 min long preview, and there's also others from Austria and the US(?). This may help those suffering from snow withdrawal and/or the heat and humidity of the summer ps - the podcasts from Freeskier Magazine are pretty good too (though not