Miyagi ken... any good snow, hod do I get there?

[maximum3d 0]

hey everyone,

 

I'm moving to Sendai soon to work for the Mc english corporation aka Nova. I know I'm not as ideally located as a ski fanatic like myself should be but thats where they want me and theres not much I can do.

 

Still, there is snow there

 

any advice on resorts in and around the Sendai area and how I could get there from Sendai would be very much appreciated.

 

Arigato

 

Luke

[soubriquet 0]

Yes. Most Sendai people go to Jangle Jungle, just over the border in Yamagata. It's pretty much the closest place of any decent size. You can get there by bus, though you may have to change. I'm sure you could hitch up the mountain.

 

The other place to try is Onikobe (in Miyage). It's a bit further (NW of Sendai), but a ripping little place, and quite challenging. Dunno how you get there though.

 

Sendai's a very nice city with a much better climate than southern Japan. The NE coast of Miyagi is lovely. You've lucked into a great location.

[daver 0]

as soubs has said, jangle jungle is the best close option, but if you are willing to go a little bit further there are much better places.

 

there is a bus to getou kogen from sendai. easily the best option for pow pow in all tohoku(last year they had the most snow in all honshu). a little bit further north is appi kogen, which is big but not that interesting. if you like the back country there is a bus directly from morioka to hachimantai. it's small but if you know what your doing it's the best in tohoku. if you don't know what your doing, don't bother with the place. yamagata zao is good too, but unless you have a car and friends to split on toll fares it is a long bus trip and not worth the effort.

 

but once again, as soubs has said, you have lucked out, sendai is a great city to live in. if you surf there are some good breaks just north of town too.

[klingon 10]

Actually I like Appi. Anyway check out the reviews - link top - for the resorts to get an idea.

[maximum3d 0]

Thanks for the info guys

 

I'll check those places out online now

And you've all gotten me even extra excited about moving to Sendai

 

 

Niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

Luke

[Amos in Utsunomia 0]

Hi Maximum

 

I'm near Utsunimiya which is to the south of you but we will probably go to a few of the same places. I really enjoyed Zao - I like the small mountain onsen village feel and there are a few other decent places around that mountain range and then further north.

 

Agreed as well that Sendai is a good place to live... been a number of times as I have friends there and it is one of the better cities here if you ask me.

 

I'm sure we'll be in touch before and during season.

 

[SirJibAlot 0]

Geto is near by if I remmeber correctly - nice little mountain...

[BagOfCrisps 24]

Was it Captain Stag who really raved about that place? (Geto)

[SirJibAlot 0]

I rave about it every once and a while. I went there with some local J-friends and had a blast. I think I was the only gaijin on the mountain, perhaps the village. Zero nightlife, but that didn't matter cause we had a group of 8 of us.

[maximum3d 0]

sweet as

 

I arrive in 4 days and i can't wait, especially looking forward to the winter. I'm assuming that there will be a few decent shops in sendai too for me to pick up some ski's (and everything else)

 

We'll keep in touch indeed

 

[soubriquet 0]

Sendai is a big international city. You won't have any trouble buying what you want.

[Snow-Woman 0]

I went to Sendai to meet a friend a while back. It seemed like one of the better Japanese cities... perhaps a bit more organised and better looking than some of the messes I have seen. We went to an Irish bar (can't remember the name) and drank a lot, after that the memory fades a little.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

 Originally Posted By: Snow-Woman

I went to Sendai to meet a friend a while back. It seemed like one of the better Japanese cities... perhaps a bit more organised and better looking than some of the messes I have seen. We went to an Irish bar (can't remember the name) and drank a lot, after that the memory fades a little.

McConnell's?
O'Neil's?
O'Lafferty's?
O'Donnell's?

[samurai 0]

you said you're a ski fanatic. What kind of skiing do you like? what skis do you ride, or have you liked in the past?

 

gear- There is a sweet shop just up the road from the station.

 

I hold a pass at zao. If you don't like tree-tronning, bushwacking, and tarzanning for the goods, it sucks.

 

Jangle jungle is flat. Although the park rats love it.

[1 4]

Does that mean soubs is a "park rat"?

[samurai 0]

touche.

[soubriquet 0]

Samurai is right, Jangle Jungle is flat.

 

I bought passes last season because it's the closest biggish place and No2 son could ski free. I won't be going back this winter.

[samurai 0]

Hey Luke,

I just went to the ski shop in Sendai today that I like. ALL of last year's fat skis are still in stock, stuffed away in the corner, literally, behind all of the '08 race stock. All '07. They were all about 10-20% off. These prices may drop come october, if they restock on new stuff... however... they may not restock... I saw this batch of skis last year at this time. I honestly saw the exact same batch.

Gotama 183- 2 pair. 70,000 yen

Gun 188 - 2 pair

Snoop daddy, longish, mid 180ish 1 pair

Pimp daddy 194 50,000yen. (it's huge!- and a deal)

plus a few others that I can't remember any details about;

fujitive

work stinx

Thruster

AC4 (but short, around 164)

... and heeps of new boots. Their boot collection is huge in comparison to other japanese shops.

 

(my local shop in Yamagata orders one of a few things for stock, then you order what you want. Everything I bought last year was custom order for things that exist in the summer at this shop in Sendai.)

 

When it comes to Japan, there just isn't a market large enough for the shops to justify stocking up on gear. You can pretty much order anything you want, but you have to do that pre-fall, before the manufacturers overseas set their quotas. Last year, I ordered a pair of Jet Fuels (186, 124-86-112) in September to accompany my gotamas. There were 3 pair in Japan for the year. That's how tight upper-level gear can be. The AC4 in my length (184) was sold out- 2 pair exist in Japan. Volkl Japan only imported 2 pair... in July.

 

Race stock is different. If you want race stock.. it's fricking everywhere. But if you want pow, jibbing or carving tools, they're tight. At least... they are up here in northern Honshu where the hard core skier is either a club member or a racer or a demo rat. Pow? Park? Arcing cord for fun? WTf is that?

[egglesby 1]

Where up there will you be going this winter soubriquet?

[soubriquet 0]

Daily I will be skiing at Akakura Onsen. It's a tiny no-where place, but close. When conditions are right I'll be going to Onikobe.

 

No boys this winter. I've given up the fight, so I'll be free.

[rach 1]

Don't give up! Fai-tto!

[bushpig 0]

Mr Miyagi's first name was Ken?

[SirJibAlot 0]

Kenichi actually, but his friends just call him Ken.

[thursday 1]

 Originally Posted By: samurai

When it comes to Japan, there just isn't a market large enough for the shops to justify stocking up on gear. You can pretty much order anything you want, but you have to do that pre-fall, before the manufacturers overseas set their quotas. Last year, I ordered a pair of Jet Fuels (186, 124-86-112) in September to accompany my gotamas. There were 3 pair in Japan for the year. That's how tight upper-level gear can be. The AC4 in my length (184) was sold out- 2 pair exist in Japan. Volkl Japan only imported 2 pair... in July.

I once rented AC4s for a week. When I returned them I said to the guy they were great skis. He said they were only 2 seasons old, which for a hire shop is almost new.

[1 4]

It depends of course on the hire shop. Many hire shops, especially ones based at resorts, get new models in each year.

 

You might expect the old rental stands on the side of the road that cost half the normal price to be older gear.