Thundercat 60 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Wow what a great 1st day. Ended up staying in Nagano last night getting in around midnight thanks to Jetstar. Was going to do a day trip from there but couldnt be assed getting up at 6am so slept in and getting out to Myoko around 9am. After all the posts about crowds etc I thought it was going to a typical Niseko day. I guess its all relative. If you surf every day at an unknown wave, 5 guys in the water is a crowd but if you surf Superbank its empty. Hoenstly the longest lift line I was in today was 7 minutes and the Kanko Gondy under 10. LOTS of pow to be had although it was a little wet. Took a few runs to get back into it and I'll never be Travis Rice but lots of good tree runs and little stashes. Ippy hope you had a great time too. Discovered a 350 yen all the beer you can drink with lunch deal to but didnt take advantage of that, will wait for a slow day. Totally awesome 1st day! With people telling me more pow going forward. "Lucky Pete" strikes again It totally is all relative Pete. I often think of those heady days 7-8 years ago when all the lifts were running at Myoko and the longest line there (even on a long weekend) was 0-1 mins. Anyway, my wife is bugging me to get out there tomorrow so it looks like we might be heading out. Fingers crossed I can wake up for early am driving. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Didn't go skiing today had a lot of things to do but had some glances over at Maiko, Ishiuchi and Joetsu Kokusai. They didn't seem that busy at all. Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 So long as you lap the nagasaka gondola, nozawa aint really that busy. It gets messy on the top lift at yamabiko, and higake gondola gets rough, but you can absolutely skip crowds if you either a) always lap the nagasaka gondola (theres a queue, but it goes quick),or b ) sit in the middle line in mizunashi. I swear no ones EVER there. As for tomorrow, im thinking tangram/madarao. All the weekenders will be up there already and shouldnt be coming back until monday afternoon. So im thinking Ill put the middle line theory to the test and see if no ones using that top tangram lift. If not, ill lap it, and if they are, ill have a colossally shit time Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Nozawa on a long weekend is an absolute nightmare. Especially that top bit. Link to post Share on other sites
nagoid 4 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 You'd wonder why people go. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Probably because that is the only long weekend in February (that most people have), when the snow is meant to be the best. There could be other reasons of course... Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Sudden development, looking like a day out may be in the cards tomorrow. Destination: by kiddy demand, back to home ground, Grandeco. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Xn-DWHuuM Cheese loaded in preparation. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Will be off skiing tomorrow, ski gear is in the car, pack lunch done as well, off to bed, ready for a days skiing tomorrow, with my daughter. Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Cunning plan implementation for the day. Waiting to lunch then doing a 1/2 day in the hope it starts snowing and everyone is eating. Process could be driven by being smart or a tad over indulgent in an izakaya last night Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Tcha, day one you sleep in, day two you sleep in. You suck! Get the hell out there! I know a dude who lives in his ****ing CAR and makes it up to the resort every damn day without fail. In his CAR! As for me, the cunning plan was also thwarted by epic bus queues. Goddamned Saturday working days. You kinda forget that Sunday is the family day... made it though, and into the second rather empty bus all turned out nice! Let's see if the tan gram plan pays off when I get there. Bet it doesn't. Let's see madarao in a cluster**** Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Speaking of cluster****... any avi reports in iiyama area. I have a feeling its going to be pretty high. Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Its cool Ippy, didnt sleep in just chilling as worked solid 13+ hour days for over two weeks prior to getting here so relaxing is part of my holiday and what I have chosen to do this morning. I have two weeks so no real rush and have just spent some quality time setting up my avie beacon etc. Time well spent as looking at doing a back country tour later in the week, maybe even the cat. Looking forward to reading your report from today as may pop over there during the week. Update: Crowds at Suginohara are massive. Hope all that have driven/bus/train out arent getting swamped. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 At Kiyosato stopped for lunch. The weather is great sunny blue sky and nice soft powder snow. Some of the best conditions ive experienced at this rresort in while. But rhe crouds are huge never seen Sun meadows so busy as I have today lucky though the expert course is empty so I am spending my time up there most of the time while the beginners suffer lack of skiing space. My daughter is taking a lesson today ready for her silver badge next time. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Interesting conditions now loads of chopped up pow creating a nice coble course at the top with some bumps about 50cm high or more very similar conditions to whenI I went to Myoko a couple of years back only with better weather. I am having so much fun today I love the bumpy courses makes for some great high speed shaep turning practice. My legs are telling me they have had a good work out. Back out for the final few runs before my legs totally give in on me. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Good job guys! The queue for the Annupuri gondola was crazy this morning so KD and I kept using the much less busy covered quad instead - shorter runs but still lots of fresh lines to be had in the trees! Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Honestly today pretty much blew for me. It blew so much that tangram is now officially added to my personal shit list alongside akakura onsen and tsugaike. Really shitty icy conditions. The middle line was so tracked they should change the name to trackedouticewallpieceofshitmogulwave. Tangram was ice all the way down. Come here for sure, but only when the report lists 60cms plus. After three brilliant days madarao totally shits on the stoke. The last hour and a half were alright. I spent it lapping the super quad, and last run followed a certain someones advice into a really fun line. Pity I then had to walk from the car park all the way back up to the hotel to catch the bus. It couldn't make up though for how pissed off the first few hours made me. Back to nozzie tomorrow I reckon. Snow quality blows, so off to yamabiko and lapping that top lift unless we get some snow tonight. Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Geared up and went out at mid day. Wanted to get used to ridng with my pack etc. Ended up having a really nice lunch with a young Japanese couple which was cool. Ridimg itself was really average, at one stage vis went to about 15m. Sitting in the hotel now and there is a group of Aussies that just arrived this arvo and went out and hiked, riding in the BC with one group even getting stuck. No avie gear at all. A lot of young Japanese hiking the peak with no gear too. Link to post Share on other sites
surfarthur 22 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Good job guys! The queue for the Annupuri gondola was crazy this morning so KD and I kept using the much less busy covered quad instead - shorter runs but still lots of fresh lines to be had in the trees! So now that you have had a bit more time on it, whats the verdict on the new board? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 Tcha, day one you sleep in, day two you sleep in. You suck! Get the hell out there! I know a dude who lives in his ****ing CAR and makes it up to the resort every damn day without fail. In his CAR! As for me, the cunning plan was also thwarted by epic bus queues. Goddamned Saturday working days. You kinda forget that Sunday is the family day... made it though, and into the second rather empty bus all turned out nice! Let's see if the tan gram plan pays off when I get there. Bet it doesn't. Let's see madarao in a cluster**** Dude......you miss the train EVERY time you go snowboarding......and you live in Nagano!! Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Shut up! Im british! it cant be helped. AS IM SURE YOU REALISE we have a notion of punctuality wherein one arrives on time. Neither early, nor late (though of course we have a five minute window before we're actually "late"). Im completely on time for the damn thing. Its just i never ever learn that i need to leave 5 minutes early because the train heading to ueda pulls into the station about three minutes before my train, and they lock down the barriers before it actually bloody stops at the station (let alone after its about to pull away). So theres like 3 miniutes of that nonsense, then a minute gap while we wait for my train to run past me. Then i go home. And then they open up the barriers. Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 <cough> around 1.40ish at the heidi hi restaurant or whatever its called. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Yikes! Looks busy. We headed to Norikura today. No traffic jams anywhere, got there for first lifts, 3-5cms of freshies, snowed all day (until we were getting ready to leave), and most importantly, no crowds at all! The longest line we had to wait in was the lunch line, which was damn good! Not really sure how I feel about the resort on the whole though... I need to sleep on it to help make up my mind... and by sleep, I mean drink. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 I was at Happo-one today. Skied Skyline for most of the day and the crowds were't all that bad. Snowed all day here too...not hard mind you but it's nice to have something fresh on top. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 So now that you have had a bit more time on it, whats the verdict on the new board? Love it! I'm incapable of doing an ippy-esque review so won't try, but it's by far the best board I've ridden in powder plus I'm still experimenting with settings, so have yet to move the bindings right back!! It really turns in well, much better than my Machete and has a surfy-style to it, which I like. So far, so good! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 So now that you have had a bit more time on it, whats the verdict on the new board? Love it! I'm incapable of doing an ippy-esque review so won't try, but it's by far the best board I've ridden in powder plus I'm still experimenting with settings, so have yet to move the bindings right back!! It really turns in well, much better than my Machete and has a surfy-style to it, which I like. So far, so good! What board do u have? Link to post Share on other sites
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