Go Native 70 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I really don't know what the hell is going on with Hirafu official snowdepths but they are reporting snowdepths less than those reported a week ago. This just after the storm system that dumped 70+cm over the weekend. At the base they are reporting 145cm, yet down in Kutchan we have over 190cm. Sure the winds scoured some areas and buried others but 145cm is just ridiculous. They must be trying to find the most packed, scoured spot to take their depth reading! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Same with Kagura and probably lots of other places. There has been probably well over 1.5m since it last increased, but it has held steady at 320 for ages. The questio is - WHY?? Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Why would resorts do that? You'd think they would want to exaggerate, and if I remember they did just that last year when the numbers were looking rather weak. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 that's just silly. Look at eh webcams, there's a lot more both upper and lower. Link to post Share on other sites
OkemoLoon 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Its amazing how poorly these mountains are marketed and even managed for that matter. I don't want to see places like Hakuba, Nozawa, or Niseko get over commercialized but it would be really refreshing to have Interwest or Vail Associates come to town and run a mountain properly. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Okemo I've been arguing that for some time now for Hirafu. If we truly want this place to become an ongoing successful international resort we need managers who actually know how to run a successful international resort. The Japanese managers of this place have shown conclusively that they haven't got a bloody clue how to do this...they still seem somewhat shocked and bemused by the foreign prescence here! Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Wasn't intrawest gonna team up with that Aussie company to develop Hanazono before it got sold to that Chinese fella. -or something like that? Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 I'd like to see what they do with the mountain but I kind of like the haphazard village scene in Hirafu the way it is. Link to post Share on other sites
OkemoLoon 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Its a simple fact, many (not all) of the resorts in Japan are very poorly laid out and run. There are some nice advantages to that though. We have killer BC that could be somewhat jeperdized (can't spell) if some of the mountains were laid out by someone who had a clue. And ticket prices here are insanely cheap, that would not continue if our resorts were run by big business. It would be a breath of fresh air if someone came to town and kicked some ass to weed out some of the 1 lift resorts. Until then I am more than content with what I get to do every season. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Official data is taken in the best spot that doesnt get wind. When that wind can penetrate the forest, you get minus numbers usually. Official numbers need to be accurate so that forecasters can calculate the snow risk. That is why you have a resort report and a different official report many times. Link to post Share on other sites
OkemoLoon 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Originally Posted By: ger I'd like to see what they do with the mountain but I kind of like the haphazard village scene in Hirafu the way it is. The village scene in Hirafu has already been raped as far as I can tell. you don't even realize your in Japan half the places you go to. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Originally Posted By: OkemoLoon The village scene in Hirafu has already been raped as far as I can tell. you don't even realize your in Japan half the places you go to. If intrawest took over the village, I reckon you'd think you were in Japan at least. They'd probably turn it into some sort of Disney/Epcot-Japan-meets-North-American-ski-village thing. Lots of teppanyaki restaurants, alluminum 'Japanese' tiles on the roofs, some naked taiko guys doing a nightly 9:00 show with pyrotechnics... The Aussie and Chinese tourists would love it! It'd be more convenient and seamless too. Link to post Share on other sites
OkemoLoon 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 arn't japanese roofs made from copper? Link to post Share on other sites
quattro 1 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 cheep lift tickets, good snow, I'll deal with the minor inconvenience's Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Originally Posted By: OkemoLoon arn't japanese roofs made from copper? Guess so, Definitely not alluminum. Wouldn't matter much. Anyway, Japanese lift systems are definitely bizarre. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Originally Posted By: OkemoLoon arn't japanese roofs made from copper? Steel. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Sometimes I think my roof is made of tin foil. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Ceramic tiles alternatively, but the last thing you want here is a heavy roof. No-one uses tiles in this part of Yamagata. Link to post Share on other sites
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