newby 0 Posted March 5, 2002 Share Posted March 5, 2002 Read in a few places on this site and elsewhere about nightmare queues on the slopes here, like waiting an hour or so to get on a 300 meter lift and things like that. I have only been here since last season, been to really popular places and have never had to wait more than a few mins for a lift even on weekends. Whats the deal? Anyone been round long enough to experience the height of the ski boom and those dreadful queues.....how bad was it? Would be interesting to hear just how much it has changed. Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted March 5, 2002 Share Posted March 5, 2002 So different from what we have now. Hard to describe - very painful. How things change Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 Must've been a lot worse because nearly everybody was a skier back then. More sticks and planks to get in the way... And the clash of all the different colours of the ski suits must have been quite appalling to see... Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 6, 2002 Share Posted March 6, 2002 Well, Ocean really is a riot isn't he? Very very busy. Nothing to do with skiers or snowboarders, although the half-arsed way boarders have to "walk" in a lift line and then sit at the top of the slope and then about 5 times on the way down because they've "fallen over" does nothing for the queues. Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne H 0 Posted March 7, 2002 Share Posted March 7, 2002 Sounds like it was a nightmare. Much prefer empty runs - less dangerous for me being a beginner and fallin over all the time. Link to post Share on other sites
OzOzOz 2 Posted March 9, 2002 Share Posted March 9, 2002 Looking at resorts now, it's almost impossible to visualise how bad it was. Good thing for us of course. Think of yourself as lucky if you are new to the scene here in Japan. Link to post Share on other sites
frannyo 2 Posted March 14, 2002 Share Posted March 14, 2002 Nothing to complain about these days. Let's just hope the resorts can survive the current conditions (economic, not snow). Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 17, 2002 Share Posted March 17, 2002 Dont know about that far back - only been here for 3 years - but there are less people on the hills now than there were just 3 years back. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 27, 2002 Share Posted March 27, 2002 I was here way back then. In a wierd kind of way, it is sad to see resorts now compared to what they were like back in the bubble/ski boom. Things have changed so much. Of course it's good for the skiers or boarders now who can enjoy emptier slopes, but I can't help feel that in some way it will not benefit the skier in the long run. Maybe with resorts closing down and going out of business or whatever. Rnjoy it while you can. Link to post Share on other sites
Wizz 11 Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 By all accounts it was a completely different story to what we have now. I am not complaining. Link to post Share on other sites
seamus 0 Posted April 9, 2002 Share Posted April 9, 2002 I can remember it well. Things were wild back then with huge queues for even the smallest lift at any of the popular places. I was in Gunma at the time, so I did most of my skiing there and in the Yuzawa area. Places like Naeba were just ridiculously busy, and not worth even contemplating on a weekend or holiday. Things seem to be a bit different now though from all accounts. I have just come back to Japan after a 7 year absence and went to Kagura the other day and it was almost empty. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted April 10, 2002 Share Posted April 10, 2002 Is the decline because of the Japanese economy or because people are losing interest in winter sports? Maybe both... Link to post Share on other sites
JEZx 0 Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 I'm new to this website, but have been in Japan for about 14 years now. The Skiing Experience back then was mostly waiting for lifts and looking cool (highly debatable), it's nice to be able to ski without the huge crowds now. Although some of the excitement that was around then seems to have disappeared from the scene here. Link to post Share on other sites
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