Greenroome

Originally Posted By: thursday it coulda been Ezo Yeah, he crossed my mind. I think he lives around the northwest side. Bit far.

STOOGED! When I got there it had been tracked. One dude. With snowshoes. Lucky it was heavy and shallow or I woulda been real mad. I guess I got what I deserved, broadcasting it like that. Did get some photos. Will upload later. Beautiful up there.

Here I go. If I end up in the joint, it's been swell knowing you guys...

Just to clarify, I'm not planning on boarding through the cemetery. I got respect. So the consensus is 'do it'? A consensus of two is almost good enough for me.

I'm seeking opinions from Sapporo folk or those with an interest in powder-poaching ethics on the following point of order. I live a couple of minutes from 500 vertical metres of the finest looking fresh and I'm considering climbing up and having my way with it. The only problem is that it's under the Moiwayama Ropeway in Sapporo. My chances of getting up there without being spotted by the staff are pretty slim, although I could cut in and cut out fairly nicely as there are no fences and a getaway through a big cemetery at the end. Is it a fair poach? Or am I just being a pain in th

That's hot.

Originally Posted By: snowhunter We are staying at the Century Royal. Geez, I hate to be the bearer of bad news Snowhunter but I watched in horror today as the Century Royal burnt to the ground! Just kidding! However I did spend half an hour today marveling at what a swell time the military boys were having playing tractors in Odori Park with endless truckloads of snow. It was textbook sandpit action, but on a massive scale. If you are ever mad enough to join an army, make it the Hokkaido Yuki Matsuri Corps.

This is off-topic but while such a fine map is up and after extensive study on a much-loved issue, the best bread in Sapporo can be bought from the lobby of The Grand Hotel. A couple of fine ryes.

Hi 2angels. I hate to put a dampener on things but you might find that there are no available hotel rooms left in Sapporo for the Snow Festival. I've heard that you need to get in pretty early. So maybe just ring a few from Thursday's map to see if there's any chance. There are other members here who have lived here much longer than me and will have a clearer idea. I might be wrong. The answers to 2 and 3 are yes (apparently) and yes (most local parks have a sledding hill and snowman materials) Good luck

Many thanks for the info Mike. Much appreciated, as always. Knee-deep today in Sapporo too. Thigh-deep in some secret drift stashes.

Swell chart actually looks pretty nice for WA today. Still offshore at noon in Perth - a miracle! Well, sideshore at least... I do miss my summer sessions up at the Alkimos.

Banno, UNIQLO are everywhere in Sapporo. Not sure about Kutchan.

Not having much luck there either. So far I've missed 2 kingfish and a Jew. Man, that would make me furious. Some of the swearing I've done underwater whilst re-loading I reckon would have been audible from the moon had it been in the open air. It's a kind of good fury though. Makes the perfect shots more meaningful. Doesn't make dinner though. Yeah, it was wickedly cold at Zenibako but the dudes were fully covered in thick gear, pulling off fluid moves and staying out for ages. They 'seemed' warm enough. Check out the beach shack: Tough conditions stumbling out the d

Sorry to hear about the flat spells/onshores Mantas. I know that summer funk only too well. That's why I took up spearfishing. It was about 0 degrees, and my right hand was aching from being out of the glove to take the photos. Creeks flowing into the sea had a three inch ice top on them. Not sure of the ocean water temp. Where was I? I was wearing four layers and a jacket on the beach! I've got too much gear as it is. Wanna stay light. Plenty of pits for me back in WA.

Look at the pitch of the rock faces going into the water JB. Plenty of draw there.

Which snow forecast do you guys use in Niseko? Most forecasts seem to regularly under-forecast the amount of snow coming. Or is it impossible to call?

I took these pics at Zenibako, halfway between Sapporo and Otaru, on the 29th of December. It was the tail end of a healthy swell that accompanied SW Hokkaido's Boxing Day snowstorm. I've got acres of respect for these guys. I wish I could show these pics to all the people who used to call me crazy for surfing the south coast of WA in winter. This makes that look tropical... Nice long walling left and the occasional short right. Yellow card on this play. Generally very well-behaved. With men this tough it was no surprise that women appeared in numbe

Originally Posted By: RobBright Yes you were - I stayed and watched the Japanese comedians get slapped on the arse with air sticks. Yes, I saw some of that too. Air stick guys were wearing black vinyl pants and gimp masks. Very fruity.

Thanks Rob, and Happy New Year to you and everyone here too! Hope you have a great one. ps. Please someone tell me that me and the missus weren't the only SJ'ers who stayed home and watched this over the top J-Pop music extrava-megaganza on TV... please?

Top stuff. Felt like I was there! A bluebird day - just the thing when my local hill was closed for a blizzard today!

I'm not surprised. It's snowing sideways here in Sapporo.

Hi Courier and welcome. I'm not sure about ski groups but my experiences so far with the singles queue have been sensational. Straight on! It's only been busy enough for lines to form on one day so far, mind you.

Thanks for the info boys. In the meantime the Car Danchi crew are gonna be at Bankei tomorrow night for an expression session and then the movie. It's all free and starts at 5pm. Buses from Maruyama Station (Tozai Line). For more info (in Japanese mostly) search for 'Bankei Night Ride'.

Alright that's it! I'm gonna get some tomorrow. I've been trying to find a good choc here but I gave up after eating one called 'Crunky'. Pure rubbish it was. Does the best Royce one say 'nama-choco' in English?

Nice one Mike. Great pics and valuable info once again. I'm starting to get an idea of just how much difference 100km makes in Hokkaido, and what a micro-climate Niseko has. We often seem to get snow at completely different times here in Sapporo. In my home town (Perth, West Australia) 100km would usually mean nothing more than a difference of one or two degrees and five millimetres of rain when a cold front passes. Interesting stuff, this Hokkaido weather.