modern_messiah 0 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Howdy all. Myself and 4 mates will be in Hakuba from the 21st of Feb to the 8th of March Next year. Only 2 of us have seen snow and snowboarded before, with the rest of us (myself included) been genuine beach bum/skaters who have known nothing but hot Queensland weather our entire lives (and Africa for 5 years - but that sort of furthers my point a little lol). On saturday after we paid for our trip we went to our local SkiScene and had a look around at gear as even though we have board and boot hire sorted we realised that the hire for jackets and pants for the 2 weeks was approaching the cost of buying outright in some cases. We also realised that we can afford to do this every year so we may as well buy up. Question is - what to wear? Should we buy a full blown jacket for $400+, or can we skimp out, just buy the shell for $150 and then wear our own jumper/jumpers under neath for the warmth? I've never been to the snow so I'm not sure what to factor in when thinking this through!? We will be buying goggles, thermals, beanies, neck warmers etc, but what can people recommend in regards to the jacket? Im paying for my brother's entire trip ($3600!!!!) so any money I can save else where would be awesome. Very noob question I know, but any advice no matter what would be greatly appreciated. Regards, - Matt. Link to post Share on other sites
alexeiw123 2 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 mattaus, i'm no expert but I would imagine that if you were to just buy a shell, and then wear a jumper underneath the jumper would not breathe well and would get very sweaty, and could potentially get very wet. wearing somethign that holds moisture in the snow is a bad idea, as once you stop moving that moisture is going to get COLD. I just bought all new gear form snowbiz in gold coast (and online from the brisbane store) and they were more than helpful, alot of discounted stuff now aswell. I'd suggest buying a proper jacket, breathability is important, maybe talk to friends, i've never had a problem borrowing a jacket from friends/friends of friends in the past. just felt the need to own my own gear this time around. Link to post Share on other sites
deanrobi 2 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Personnally i would be looking at getting the best that you could afford. In my early years of snowboarding I did get away with having only a shell jacket and wearing a few layers of fleece garmets underneath and that worked fine for the Australian snow fields but with your trip to Japan you would need to look at getting a proper high end jacket,pants & gloves. Try looking at some of the on-line stores as there are some great buys around (although affected by the lower exchange rate). Also some members on here may be able to advise you if itis cheaper to pick up clothing in Tokyo on your way over, I have heard good reports about being able to get last seasons gear at reduced rates. Also get yourself a set of Merino wool thermals, they work wonders. At the end of the day its all about layers, more layers are required in Japan and lest in Aust. Good luck and remember theres nothing worst that being cold on a day when theres heaps of powder and you have to head back to the lodge to warm up. Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 HI Mattus My advice is same as others buy a decent jacket spend a little more because there is nothing worse than being cold. I spent more than I wanted on my jacket but didn't regret it when I didn't get cold at all in Japan this year. The other REALLY important thing with your jacket make sure it has a powder skirt. Merino wool thermals are the BEST and don't forget good quality socks. If you are skiing get Mittens not gloves. Take a trip down to Snowbiz in Southport Mall they are the best PM me for the guys name who is really good (we only deal with him). We went to Snowbiz in Bris last week but they really aren't as good as the gold coast store. Link to post Share on other sites
modern_messiah 0 Posted November 24, 2008 Author Share Posted November 24, 2008 Yeah we talked to a girl at snowbiz here in Brisbane who was really nice and helpful. They have a 30% off selected items sale at the moment and she also informed me that you can claim duty free on items if you go and get them sighted at a special booth at the airport. So a potential 40% (very rough lol) off. Seems the full gear is worth the extra cost, may as well go that way then. Apparently we can get 2 for $50 thermals at the moment as well. Also seems the Gold Coast store is a better bet than the Brisbane store. Might buy the basics from up here and make my way down the coast for the Jacket, pants, gloves and goggles. Thanks for the advice! EDIT: Are there any brands people can suggest to go for or avoid? Even though we are going budget we would like some gear that would last the distance over a few seasons at least. Link to post Share on other sites
alexeiw123 2 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 how'd you go with that gear? end up buying it? Link to post Share on other sites
modern_messiah 0 Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 not yet lol. Sadly as much as I can afford to go out and get the goods right this second, I'm waiting until I can confirm whether or not we are able to get the goods duty free at the customs booth here at Brisbane Airport. If so I have to wait till the 21st of January before I can purchase it all. It's a pain in the bum to save a little under 10% of the goods but then again on $1000 worth of gear its $100 or so. At the end of the day I might leave my camera gear for duty free and just get my snow gear now. At least that way the wait will seem less painful! Theres no pint in rushing it but that said Snowbiz are having a big sale at the moment.... I promise the day I get it all I'll let ya know. I'll want to tell somebody lol. Link to post Share on other sites
alexeiw123 2 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 haha yeah i had no idea about duty free on snow gear, so i just got it, then bought a new camera on tuesday, simply because the price was good enough for me to not worry about the 10%, and get a months worth of decent photos before i go. oh if you need excitment i'd happily tell you about the gear i bought from snowbiz gc haha. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mattaus Very noob question I know, but any advice no matter what would be greatly appreciated. Must say, I got a little chuckle. Seems like a lot of Aussies have given you advice too. It sounds like winter gear is insanely expensive in Oz!!! If I were you I'd go to a big sports store in Japan and check out the stuff over here. Much cheaper that way. You probably DON'T need the best gear and I really don't think you need to go with 'down', which is more expensive and also sucks if it gets wet. It's just not that cold in Japan. I'd get a basic jacket with thinsulate or some other kind of synthetic insulation. If you want to spend a little more money, then get gortex or something comparable instead of getting the best duck-down insulation. While it's not that cold hear, it can be very wet (snowy). Contrary to what you might have heard, you shouldn't have to pay big money for gortex. 2-ply gortex - the kind you see on the lower-end of 'northface' stuff is really cheap now. This is not the 1980's anymore. Anyway, get the jacket, then maybe another layer - a fleece or maybe a wool sweater, which you can pick up for as little as 15 - 20 dollars at a store like 'Uniqlo' in Japan. Hats, gloves, goggles and a neckwarmer can be bought relatively cheaply over hear too. (Don't forget the neck-warmer.) Best, Ger Oh, btw, yea, I live on Shikoku at the moment but I grew up in the snow and on skihills in Canada and have done lots in Japan too. Link to post Share on other sites
PWL 0 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 My friends told me to get what I could afford and thats what I&ve done - first time for me too. Going to wrap up a lot though one thing I don&t like it being cold. Really looking forward to it though I cant wait to try it all out. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Skiing is not cold. It's a sport. You don't actually need to wear that much BUT you WILL get cold if you get WET. Don't get a big silly bubble-down jacket. Just get something waterproof/breathable with synthetic insulation (unless you're a little more hard-core in which place you might go with a good shell and layers). And get a hat/googles/neckwarmer/glooves. Oh yeah, you'll need something for your lower half too... Anyway, if at all possible I would get winter gear in a country that has propper winters. Have you heard of Winnipeg? It's a very cold inland Canadian City. Not a good place to buy surf-boards. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: ger Skiing is not cold. It's a sport. Riding a chairlift at -10 with a windchill factor of another -10 is not a sport Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I say wear denim bluejeans and jacket! Steeze baby!! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I have a very nice jacket. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Maybe this thread should be augmented with pics. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: ger Maybe this thread should be augmented with pics. I am going to go sumo style in hokkaido this winter! Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 The top pic is a good look but I wouldn't recommend Elan skis. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 her's a gay one of mine: Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Here's a pretty intense down jacket. Link to post Share on other sites
Red Dog 0 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Darth Vader is ALIVE! Link to post Share on other sites
boardbaka 3 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 you said you can afford to come every year = nice - what kind of business you guys in - something out of Africa buy chance ? Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 If you are used to Aus conditions, you will feel the cold! Temps will be lower than you would expect to get in Oz. Prepare for it. Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I agree JA. People forget that when us Aussies come over we are leaving behind summer temperatures of 30oC. Also for us spoilt ones here on the Gold Coast we find 10oC in winter here FREEZING. There is nothing worse than being cold whilst you are skiing. It can ruin the day. I have cozy warm ski gear and recommend YUMMY Hot Chocolate at lunchtime. Oh yeah and I stuff every possible space with foot and hand warmers. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 so what you gonna wear? Link to post Share on other sites
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