Proper Gear for the Season?

[Tachypsychia 13]

Hello All!

 

I'm moving to Aomori this August with my wife to live in Japan for a years under the JET program. While she pursues her passion as a language teacher, I'd like to do the same, one being snowboarding. I've lived in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina for several years during college and enjoyed the moderate snow seasons and decent ski mountains. While there were a few venues within a 30 mile radius, there wasn't much but park made snow, and groomed slopes. Each run maybe lasted 2-3 minutes tops even the few black diamonds we had and there was no off-piste or backcountry to speak of. Because of that, I only have the basic snowboard gear. Board, bindings, boots, jacket pants, gloves.

 

Ever since we got assigned to Aomori, I've been doing research on the region, and one of the first (and probably most exciting) things I discovered was the multitude of slopes in Aomori alone, not to mention Hokkaido nearby.

 

Hakkoda-san has taken my interest for a few reasons. One, its going to be the closest one to me and two (three, four...) the amazing slopes! The more footage, videos and reviews I read about the place the more astounded I am and stoked to go there. Of course, the problem is that I have no gear for backcountry boarding, and have no idea what is required. I consider myself a mid-intermediate to advanced boarder, but I have no off groomed slopes experience. I want to be sure to take things slow this season.

 

I've climbed a few 14k ft mountains in Colorado before, and know about the proper ava-gear for that, but what should I start investing in if I plan to make Hakkoda-san my second home this winter?

 

I don't think my old board is going to cut it anymore but should I go for the split tail, or can I get by with another all-mountain?

 

Any advice from someone in the area or who does back-country boarding on the regular would be much appreciated!

[seemore 66]

Don't live anywhere near there but any board can be used all mountain just find something that suits yourself with a bit of nose would be my advice when it's deep it's good to keep the nose up.

[ippy 66]

Avi beacon

Shovel

Probe

Backpack

 

are probably the top 4. That being said, if you aint with other people... i dunno... maybe an airbags a better investment. Then again, not everyone is as antisocial as me and assuming you can actually make friends, no one who knows their stuff is going to take someone without those bits of kit. Youll also need to practice with it. After that, or before it, whatever way round you plan on doing it so long as its all around teh same time, then pick up your avi safety course. It doesnt make you skilled enough to start picking your lines or anything, but it does give you the background so that if youre in a group you might not be the weakest link in any potential situation. Not really a comfort to you, but maybe to someone youre with.

 

Standard stuff really. That being said im pretty sure those Aomori mountains are much less hand holdy stuff than down Nagano way. So friends. Take a few tours if you can on key areas because a wrong turn on one of those resorts may screw up your day.

 

Thats gonna cost you a heap in truth. Most people i know pick up their BC stuff only in one season because its proper break the bank stuff. Maybe if youre feeling less ready to dive in just get a feel for the area in that first season. Have a wee play on the resorts and see which ones youre happiest with. Then next year start collecting some gears.

 

That also being said, its off season, and if youre in the states, you should be able to get yourself a decent beacon for cheap(ish). Go for a three antenna one since theyre MUCH simpler for beginners to use. The pieps DSP seemed pretty effortless. i was always impressed with how efficient the dudes carrying it were on my course (i had the BCA tracker 1 which is blindingly good in the fine search, but takes a bit of getting used to in the initial search). If i was buying another beacon, id probably go with that one. Pick that up in the states on a sale and youll save a fortune compared to how much itll cost you in Japan. Id probably pick up the beacon and shovel here though just because they aint that much more expensive and it saves you packing space when you move here. Id pick up yoru pack in the states.

 

As for boards and bindings... i honest to god wouldnt bother with that at the moment unless youre thinking of buying a new set up anyways. Again, its off season. Splits should be popping down in price until august time. Japan prices are WAY higher than US, so you pick up what you think you can carry over here. Plenty of brand premade splits out there nowadays so you wont be too starved for choice. BUT DONT GET TOO CARRIED AWAY. If you aint got the people to ride with youve got a nice board, but damn, its gonna make you risk stupid hikes i reckons.

 

So my advice is spend season 1 networking. If you CAN afford it, pick up a beacon in the states over the next few months. They aint cheap, but itll save you maybe a couple hundred bucks. And if you have a long term interest in the sport and a desire for bc/slack riding, youre going to end up buying one anyways. Plus even if you dont you should be able to sell a three antenna beacon without losing much or any cash (youll probably even make a profit) here if needs be. Unless youre really experienced i wouldnt pick up a splitboard. Id save the hikes until youre with a group of people you can trust with enough experience to pull you up with them. If you do pick up the beacon in summer, it means that avi safety course wont feel like an optional extra. So you should get on one of those as soon as they start running. Theyll cost you around 200-300 dollars for a 2 day course.

[gozaimaas 61]

First up I am no hakkoda expert but I have dome some study on the place.

There are a few "guides" operating at hakkoda, you probably should team up with them to get a feel for the place as it has some nasty sections and is often a complete white out. I believe the main advantage to the "guides" is that you can drop off the back of the mountain and get picked up by a car.

As for avy gear, if you are riding alone which it sounds like you will be the gear is useless (but you should carry it anyway), the best thing you can do is take an avalanche course as this will teach you how to avoid avalanche and dangerous terrain, this is seriously important when riding BC alone. Also take safety gear so you can survive a night out (I know a guy who almost did)

 

This pic give you a good idea of the lay of the land, use google earth to get a topo of the back side

 

For hakkoda I wouldnt worry with a split board, snowshoes will be faster and easier IMO. Swallowtails rock but the nose rocker profile is more important than anything else on a powder board.

[Tachypsychia 13]

Awesome advice guys! Thanks for taking the time. I figured I'd get everything I needed here off season, but didn't think things would be more expensive in country. Good to know.

It'll probably take a few months to build enough rapport with the townies to go out on the slopes.

 

ippy, when you're talking about the avi course, you mean where they bury a beacon in the snow and you have to find it and use your poles to poke in right? I did one back in 2010, dont know if the training would be any different 3 years from then. We studied the pack, talked about how to walk on the ridge, caused a mini-avalanche and the like...Is it a required course with a license or something before you can get out on some mountains? Or if I felt that I was adequately trained I could forgo it?

 

I guess I don't know enough about split tails and when they're used (thought it was for deep powder in backcountry) but just about all the videos I see of riders on Hakkoda have them. Figured if it was the norm, there was a reason for it. If it's cheaper to pick up one here, than I'll definitely do that.

 

I think I'm confusing split tails with swallow tails.

 

I'd want one of these for off piste Hakkoda yes?

 

Not this.. A split tail.

 

Don't want to seem lost in the sauce, but all my snowboarding exposure has been restricted to the resorts where everything is pristine and you rarely see anything but a freestyle board.

 

The wife is going out a few weeks before me to get everything setup, so I have a great opportunity to purchase things here in the states and send it to our address there.

 

Thanks again.

[Besniwod 6]

I consider myself a mid-intermediate to advanced boarder, but I have no off groomed slopes experience. I want to be sure to take things slow this season.

 

I've climbed a few 14k ft mountains in Colorado before, and know about the proper ava-gear for that

 

Did you climb those mountains in winter? Do you have any experience of travelling safely through avalanche terrain? Do you have any avalanche training?

 

As gozaimas mentioned, you should get warm clothing in case you need to spend a night outside in an emergency. I would recommend a synthetic puff jacket (down loses its insulation properties when it gets wet). You can also get emergency blankets or bivvys made from a thin reflective sheet. They don’t work very well unless you are already warm, however, as they only reflect body heat. They don’t insulate.

 

You shouldn’t go into the backcountry by yourself. If you get lost, injured, fall into a tree well or trigger an avi your chance of survival is considerably lower.

 

Getting an airbag won’t make you safe. They don’t magically lift you out of dangerous situations. They only make it less likely that you will be buried deeply by an avalanche (if they deploy). They don’t prevent trees or rocks smashing your body up when an avi takes you for a ride and it will still bury you deeply if you fall into a terrain trap. Even if you are on the surface or partially buried after the avi, you will most likely still need to be rescued. You may have broken limbs, be unconscious or be experiencing hyperthermia and your gear may have been ripped off you and buried.

 

There are lots of flat areas at Hakkoda so it is better for boarders to have collapsible trekking poles to get through those areas and then put them on their pack when riding.

 

If you are going with JET you should meet lots of other foreigners who live in the area. Try and find some who like to ski or board and know the area. I think you are right to take things slowly this season.

 

You will have to be extra cautious at Hakkoda as there isn’t an avalanche forecast like there is in Niseko. You will need some avalanche training (and google translate if you need it) to understand the reports. So as the others said, if you want to go into the backcountry, get some avalanche safety training but then you must practice safe travel habits (like not travelling alone).

 

I have never been to Hakkoda but would very much like to go. You are really lucky to have been placed there. Good luck with your new life in Japan and enjoy the ridiculous amounts of snow you will be getting.

[Tachypsychia 13]

We climbed in April. No real nasty weather to speak of, but about two feet of soft pack snow from the season. Looks I definitely want to refresh my training.

 

To be sure, I definitely don't want to do any boarding out there alone. It's also more fun out there with people who share the passion.

 

I found a guy who lives out in Misawa that does guided tours on the cheap (used to work for Burton I think?) So I'm definitely going to hit him up this winter.

 

I did a little more research into the boards. Without any other input, it seems like I want to get a Burton Fish. From what I can find, it's a great powder board, but doesn't give up a lot on groomed slopes, which I'll have to go to from time to time, as my wife does like to snowboard too.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Black Mountain rides a Fish (IIRC), he should be able to give you the lowdown on the board. FWIW it looks a great board to ride

[pie-eater 207]

Here's Black Mountain in action!

 

 

[Tubby Beaver 209]

naked riding.....carve that pow-pow up BM!!

[pie-eater 207]

Tres gnarly hey.

 

[ippy 66]

My word!

 

And Tachypsychia, course is AST stage 1. Summary from the caa website is:

 

The Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 Course will provide an entry-level decision-making framework that is based on the most advanced knowledge available. It is suitable for use by people with basic training and little experience.

In addition, the course will:

• Provide the prerequisite knowledge required for further avalanche training.
  
• Introduce and promote the Avalanche Skills Training Level 2 Course as the logical next step for gaining intermediate-level decision-making skills.
  

Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Understand the basics of avalanche formation and release.
  
• Identify avalanche terrain.
  
• Know the steps required to plan and carry out a trip.
  
• Use the Avaluator™ as a decision-making tool in areas where trips are rated using the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and where Avalanche Danger Ratings and Avalanche Bulletins are available.
  
• Find resources for obtaining ATES terrain ratings if their trip is not rated.
  
• Find resources for obtaining Avalanche Danger Ratings and Avalanche Bulletins if these are not available.
  
• Use appropriate travel techniques in avalanche terrain.
  
• Carry out a companion rescue.
  
• Understand the limits of their training.
  

Minimum Classroom Time Requirement

A minimum of seven hours classroom time is required.

Minimum Field Time Requirement

 

A minimum of one day in the field is required.

 

It sounds similar, so if thats what youre talking about then you can decide for yourself on your avi-adequatchalance.

 

I would love to tell you about boards, but there are people in a better place to tell you about their own ride.

[seemore 66]

I reckon I would have a go on a Barracuda $320US as opposed to the Fish (I loved my fish but wouldn't mind trying something different) in some shops

[Tachypsychia 13]

I don't want to shell out full price on a fish if I don't need to, but I'm a big guy with a big foot, so I need a 162cm wide I think. Any ideas on a good place to get a used board? I notice that this forum doesn't have a market place...

 

Thanks for that ava class info. Sounds like a good refresher.

[ippy 66]

Are you honestly buying over here? All youll end up doing is ordering it from the US anyways Even with shipping and duties (very small), its still way cheaper. Big problem though that youll face is brand import restrictions which means youll have to find a brand that exports outside the US. To my knowledge thats Nitro, Signal, Bataleon, Elan, Palmer, stepchild, technine and thrive. Not an outstanding selection. MSRP in Japan is at least 30% on top of US MSRP. Pre season (july/august) you can get stuff at an incredible 30-50% off japan MSRP (which puts the price somewhere between slightly above NON SALE US price and slightly below it). In the second hand market you can score boards on stuff like craigslist, yahoo auction and rakuten. If you head to either of those sites and use google translate for the pages you can get a sense of the market prices here. As we get closer to the season, the 'discount' on MSRP in retail drops to around 10% (from september to december) and then january it heads back to the 30% mark.

 

As someone trying to shift a few boards this season and struggling, there are bargains to be scored at the close of season. I had to sell my charlie slasher for 23,000 i think it was, my bataleon riot for 12,000, a brand new space metal fantasy for 12,000, and my sierrascope (indoor fk - definite beater) for 10,000. I couldnt shift them anywhere near what youd expect them to go for. I was easy losing around 10,000 yen on each board (except maybe the scope). I think Tubbys had a spot of bother shifting one of his as well. Even with access to the entire japanese second hand market on yahoo auctions its still a bit of a freaking effort getting rid of stuff any time after maybe November. So theres some planning for you. If i was still in japan i would have just held onto them all until the run up to the season and listed them up again, but i left the country and didnt want to have to carry them all over the place.

 

What i mean to say is this: go to yahoo auctions and rakuten. Rakuten will give you more brand new discounted options direct from shops, whilst yahoo auctions give you smaller scale sellers and the occasional second hand stuff (think of it like ebay, its not quite the second hand trading place we all first anticipated it might be - its more retail stuff with same bid/buyout price). You can score a bargain quickly after the end of the season. You can score a decent discount on 2014 brand new season stuff july and augus, (max - 30% though unless you know the dudes in the shop). Craigslist is usually filled with nothing but shit but you can always have a look at whats around.

 

My honest advice though is just buy it in the states and bring it over if you can. It might be a pain in the ass getting it to your airport, but once youre in Japan you can get it sent by courier door to door for about $20. Plus if you have a nice big snowboard bag, you dont need any more luggage.

 

 

Ooooh! one more thing... i know what youre thinking about brand restrictions: youll just mail it to your folks and theyll send it over. But be warned, anything over 155cm (i believe) wont be shipped by USPS so youre left with couriers, and shipping a board alone by courier can cost you anywhere from 150 to 250 US. This leaves you the option of mail forwarding services. Theyre pretty good (usually around $120-130 mark for me), but companies like Burton were putting a lot of pressure on retailers to clamp down on thsi loophole. Maybe this season youll start to see it happening across the board (so far most retailers will send to a mail forwarding address but it been a bit of a trend to clamp down on international sales from the US).

 

ETA 2: Maybe Gozaimaas will sell you one of his boards once he starts production

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Buy from home before u travel.

 

I regularly buy from the US but use a forwarder.....even factoring in the extra forwarding costs it's still miles cheaper.

 

I quite fancy the Nitro Slash, have done for a few years, and In eyeing up a 171. Big dudes ride big boards

[Besniwod 6]

We climbed in April. No real nasty weather to speak of, but about two feet of soft pack snow from the season. Looks I definitely want to refresh my training.

 

To be sure, I definitely don't want to do any boarding out there alone. It's also more fun out there with people who share the passion.

 

I found a guy who lives out in Misawa that does guided tours on the cheap (used to work for Burton I think?) So I'm definitely going to hit him up this winter.

 

Glad to hear you won't be heading out there on your own. You can take the AST level 1 course in Hakuba and Niseko. I don't know if there is anywhere else that offers courses in English.

 

Be careful with guides in Japan. Many of them don't have proper qualifications to be considered guides like in the States/Canada/Europe. Always ask what qualifications they have.

 

I would also recommend buying gear in the States before you come. It will be so much cheaper.

[lin 0]

Buy from home before u travel.

 

I regularly buy from the US but use a forwarder.....even factoring in the extra forwarding costs it's still miles cheaper.

 

I quite fancy the Nitro Slash, have done for a few years, and In eyeing up a 171. Big dudes ride big boards

 

totally agree

[iiyamadude 6]

I would definitely buy overseas myself.

 

 

[iiyamadude 6]

....enjoy your time in Japan using it!

[frannyo 2]

Unless perhaps the yen gets considerably weaker still, then it might make things interesting.

 

or do the prices adjust?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

no they don't adjust, but even now the yen is strong enough to make buying abroad better than local. In fact, the yen has flexed and shrunk against foreign currency quite a lot in the 6-7 years I've been here but the prices in the local shops haven't changed

[zebedee 1]

Yeah they hardly change here.

 

But aren't most manufactured overseas?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

its not about where they are manufactured, its to do with the licensing agreements that the big makers hold over the shops.....stores in Japan can only buy from the licenced dealer in Japan and therefore run by a price scale thats different to the US. Thats why you need to use freight forwarding companies for certain brands if yo want to enjoy the vastly cheaper prices of the US

[r45 4]

there's some serious ripping off going on isn't there due to this setup?