HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 LOL @ Muika - especially if the scary Giajin are getting on!! @Mummyskier... I have seen it. But I have not gone on it. Loading is via travelator, and I stress loading via one of those when it is a 2 (one of the upper lifts at Higashiyama or Annupuri) or a 4 (one of the lifts at Falls Creek) - an 8....on a snowboard....with loading via a travelator ...with the possibility of being taken out by any one of SEVEN other people - not for me! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Originally Posted By: muikabochi I almost always prefer high speed lifts to gondolas and ropeways. All that faffing about taking off the skis and stuff, don't like it. I hate FULL ropeways as well when they stuff so many people in on a busy day. That is the worst part of Hakkai-san for sure. I actually didn't mind the ones at Zermatt. Yes you had to unclip and carry, but it took you so far up, so quickly it was well worth the sardine like experience. Some we took over there had a capacity of 120ppl. HUGE! I also liked the combo lift after the funicular rail at Sunnegga. One was a 4 person chair, the next was a 4 person Gondie, and so on. Loading for the Gondie was straight from the funicular exit (so no need to clip in if you were going all the way up from funicular to gondie to ropeway), but if you were lapping the Blauherd to Sunnegga then you could stay clipped in and enter from the other side onto the lift. The Swiss think of everything! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 The one in Yuzawa Kogen holds 166 people. That's big! I think Ryuoo Ski Park in Nagano is basically the same ropeway. Yes I suppose if they take you up a mega distance, they are good. I just don't like being packed in. Unfortunately at Hakkai-san if you want to do the whole resort you don't have any choice but the Ropeway. There is a pair for the top bit but nothing else to get up to that point. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Ooopppssss!!! My memory was not the best. Seems the Sunnegga-Blauherd lift (Rothorn Paradise) was actually a SIX PACK! I don't remember 6 people ever loading together though (and being a family of 6...). Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 the Matterhorn! Nice! Link to post Share on other sites
SantaCruz 0 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Ahhh 8 person Gondola, that makes more sense. I forget it's a 4 person or so right now? I've actually never been on a large Gondola. Whistler is probably the biggest I've been on, which is about 10 people max. It goes up quite a ways, probably 30 mins bottom to top. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver the Matterhorn! Nice! The views are spectacular. Just making my booking for January now - to go back. I am getting rather keen - and I think my riding has sufficiently improved as to really take advantage this time. I found it hard to get enough speed to make it UP the inclines in places last time. And I was spooked by "Black-Advanced Skiers ONLY" signs, whereas now I wont think twice - lots more terrain to discover. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Those little 4 people gondolas are freaky. The one at Higashitateyama at Shiga Kogen comes to mind. The carriages look like an egg and are very cramped even with 4 people Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I would LOVE to go skiing in Zermatt. I might not get much skiing done though, it'd be all camera! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Originally Posted By: muikabochi I would LOVE to go skiing in Zermatt. I might not get much skiing done though, it'd be all camera! Now that we have more than a point and shoot it will be pic central for us too! We did get a lovely family shot with the Matterhorn in the background laying next to one of those mountain dogs, touristy fab, blown up, framed and hanging on the lounge room wall. Something a bit less generic might be nice this time around though... Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I hope it snows more frequently this year in Europe. Haven´t been to the Swiss Alps yet, although I have been looking forward to it since 3 years ago. I don´t know if it will happen for us in the near future, and so many places I´d like to visit/re-visit. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver the Matterhorn! Nice! The views are spectacular. Just making my booking for January now - to go back. I am getting rather keen - and I think my riding has sufficiently improved as to really take advantage this time. I found it hard to get enough speed to make it UP the inclines in places last time. And I was spooked by "Black-Advanced Skiers ONLY" signs, whereas now I wont think twice - lots more terrain to discover. yeah i remember tackling one of those runs in Meribel. My level was way lower than it is now, but after riding for 4 days solid my confidence was sky high and I started to bomb down. That soon changed to a VERY slow falling leaf scenario as I looked down and found very little mountain actually under my board!! I'm sure the gradient isn't as bad as I remember it but in my head it was almost straight down with my board biting in at 90 degrees to the face!! Very shakey legs and browned pants were the result of my braveness! Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Originally Posted By: Mamabear Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver the Matterhorn! Nice! The views are spectacular. Just making my booking for January now - to go back. I am getting rather keen - and I think my riding has sufficiently improved as to really take advantage this time. I found it hard to get enough speed to make it UP the inclines in places last time. And I was spooked by "Black-Advanced Skiers ONLY" signs, whereas now I wont think twice - lots more terrain to discover. yeah i remember tackling one of those runs in Meribel. My level was way lower than it is now, but after riding for 4 days solid my confidence was sky high and I started to bomb down. That soon changed to a VERY slow falling leaf scenario as I looked down and found very little mountain actually under my board!! I'm sure the gradient isn't as bad as I remember it but in my head it was almost straight down with my board biting in at 90 degrees to the face!! Very shakey legs and browned pants were the result of my braveness! I am laughing really hard because Papa convinced me to go down one also, rather than take the intermediate long way around.... Similar experience - but very solid hard pack - trying to be a poser and still do turns all the way down rather than resort to falling leaf I slid out and landed on my butt. And gained momentum. And could not get the board to bight enough to slow down without throwing me over the top... So instead I SLID down the entire thing, on my arse, with a shower of ice shavings flying up from my board edge backwards all over me. Thankfully there was no one in my way. I had to buy new snowboard pants for the next trip - they were quite threadbare on the tooshy. I shall ride down that run with confidence this trip - if it is the last thing I do! Link to post Share on other sites
tokabochi 9 Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Happened to a friend of mine. But even worse. Pants got split and their botty ended up sore enough for a hospital visit to be necessary. Ouch! Link to post Share on other sites
JellyBelly 1 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Tokabochi, you actually live in Tokamachi? Friend of mine will be coming to Japan and be living there I hear. Link to post Share on other sites
tokabochi 9 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Tokamachi is a fairly big area around the city but yes. Give me a shout if you(r friend) needs help at all.. Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Is Matsunoyama part of Tokamachi now, tokabochi? Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Well I hope this is an indication that Japan is still going to be busy next year. We just tried to book our regular accomodation in Furano and it is already booked out!!! Yes we are now trying some of the others recommended by SnowJapan. I will let you know how we go. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 That sounds almost totally unbelievable. Sure it's not just blocked off or something? Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Originally Posted By: grungy-gonads That sounds almost totally unbelievable. Sure it's not just blocked off or something? BLOCKED OFF????? we tried to book 14 nights but they couldn't accomodate us?? Maybe it had something to do with the Japarty we went to this year where Mr Snowhunter got stuck into the Sake Link to post Share on other sites
masher of moguls 0 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Probably meant blocked off generally, rather than for just you snowhuntress! Link to post Share on other sites
ll-ll 0 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I'm going to be there. Not booked yet and won't be for a while, but no doubt about it! Link to post Share on other sites
spiritlight 0 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Originally Posted By: ll-ll I'm going to be there. Not booked yet and won't be for a while, but no doubt about it! Same here. I plan to get to Japan next February. Enjoying reading up about it now. Great to find this site. Link to post Share on other sites
cheeseman 1 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 More cheese facilities would help encourage Cheesefans from around the world to visit Japan. Right now, Japan is still sadly lacking in this respect. Link to post Share on other sites
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