Mantas 3 Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 I'm spending some time boarding around the Furano area next season and would like to know if anyone has been to Kurodake or Asihdake and let me know which place they think is better. Also would it be better to stay in Furano and do day trips or stay at Sounkyo. How far is it from Furano to Sounkyo anyway ?? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 why you so pissed off bout boarding around Furano mate? Asahidake has much better BC but thats just from what Ive read and seen in mags. Never been. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 buy avie gear for those places as they really are not patrolled Link to post Share on other sites
rezinate 0 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 hmmm, from memory arent they the same mountain? I did the one with the (brand new) big ropeway during goldenweek a few years back, when all the other resorts were shut due to lack of snow. It was quite surreal, as it felt like summer, and all the koosa (yellow sand) made the snow look like sanddunes (which they practically were!). A mate went once though during winter and almost died in an avalanche, so be very careful as fattwins said. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 2 different resorts with the same type of system Link to post Share on other sites
nikei 0 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Did 2 weeks at Asahidake last season. Great powder but you will need all the gear as stated by Fattwins. Quite cold as most days were between -25 to -20 during the day. Kurodake is hard to navigate if you don't know where to go, there is a great run though. Furano is too far from sounkyo I based myself at Asahikawa for one month or so and sounkyo is an hour and a half from there if you are going to kurodake or sounkyo it is better to stay there. Kamui is nice and you can get a bus/ski pass from Asahikawa fro 3000 yen. Furano is way to far for day trips. the Den in Asahikawa can help you with a local guide if you don't know the danger zones too well. Kurodake is especially dangerous if you don't know where you are going. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 Thank for all the info guys. Not sure what to do now. Not really set up for B.C. better invest in a guide me thinks. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 If you have that kind of money then its a good idea. Those places arent really ski resorts they are trams for hiking that stay open in the winter. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Do places like that have patrol and courses? (And curry rice?) Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 one or 2 courses then you are on your own Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 whats the terrain like? (serious question, not a niseko pancake piss take) Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 haven't been in 6 years, but check the Reviews Section spud, the "courses" are curving groomers but most people just charge straight down through the curves where the waist-high powder gives everyone snow-drooling face shots. some great natural terrain--at least two half pipes i knew off, a huge natural kicker the locals hit, and plenty of ridgeline after a 5-minute hike from atop the tram/ropeway. definitely reccomend having beacons if U go, mantas, or stay on the crusty groomers (boring) Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 Centainly getting some feed back on the dangers. I haven't done much backcountry without a guide before , have to look into getting set up. Surely you can go a little off the courses without worrying about becons and avalungs ect. How easy would it be to find a guide for the day once you get there. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 There is a big difference between off the course and out of bounds. I personally would never ski with a person with kit. Wouldnt do it at any place. id rather have it than not and its not that much money for a beacon probe and shovel. There will be safe places but can you even understand what is and isnt safe? Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 i recon i know whats safe and what's not. I've been snowboarding since 1991 without incident. I'm no hero and I don't take unnesserary risks. In april I went B.C. in B.C.(brittish columbia) with a guide. Theres no way I'd think of going there without a guide. Sometimes on a lifted hill I do go "off the course" usually following someone elses tracks. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Ive seen people do the following someone elses tracks and ive seen them also get lost. I real mountains give me 3 signs of what to look for Out of bounds ie its safe? Im not trying to be critical but I have known a ton of people that dont realize what is going on. There is no avie control work done none, almost none done though-out Japan including Niseko and the peak run. You have only yourself and friends to trust. That is why I choose to ride with a certain group of people that i hammer this point home to. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 even if you're going with a guide you should have a beacon (if it's not provided). After all, how can the guide find you when you're buried? btw it doesn't matter how long you've boarding. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 yes kumapix, i was wearing a beacon, something i leart during my 15 years of boarding, maybe it does matter how long! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 mantas, I am not picking on you, just highlighting some interesting comments: >> I haven't done much backcountry without a guide before , >> have to look into getting set up [avy gear] >> Surely you can go a little off the courses without worrying about becons and avalungs ect. then >> i recon i know whats safe and what's not. I've been snowboarding since 1991 without incident >> Sometimes on a lifted hill I do go "off the course" usually following someone elses tracks. then later on you said >> i was wearing a beacon, something i leart during my 15 years of boarding hmmmm. I have only been boarding for 4 seasons yet there is no way I would make half the statements you made. Considering the amount of snow, avalanche deaths in Japan are abnormally low compared to Europe and America. 2005-2006 has seen a big jump in Australian visitors to Japan, all powder hungry. My prediction: from 2007-2009 the avalanche death rate in Japan will increase quite a bit. They will mainly be Australians (just like English backpackers drowning at Bondi Beach). Dizzy - thanks for the terrain info. (but next time, leave out the info about the park ) Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Ok Ok Let me clear this up. I apprieciate your concerns ,and they are well founded. We have plenty of people die here in Aust. too from avalanches. I have been boarding for 15 years. in Autralia, New Zealand, USA Canada, (east and west) Scotland and Japan. Almost all of it on groomed runs and some off piste. The little bit of " Back country ' I have done has been with professional guides , group avalanche training and becons attached. As I said. I'm no hero and never take risks. I would not dream of going anywhere that I didn't know the way out or what was down there. Not every Australian that goes to Japan is going to hurl himself off a cliff or disppear into oblivion. Hence my inquiries on this forum about Asahidake.( the start of the topic ) Would i be asking you guys these questions if I already knew it all already ????? I apprieciate the feedback and advice. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Mantas, I wasn't trying to imply that you suck. Nor is Spud or Fat Twins. We just realize the dangers of the bc and even the little ob, and want to make sure that you get a dose of realism with all the promises of endless powder stashes. I have been snowboarding 9 years (that's 30 to 50 day seasons, with a couple of 150 day seasons thrown in) so I've done my share of riding...but I didn't learn about the dangers proper until last year when I bought the gear and took a course. I think I can say that I've got more 'onboard' experience than Spud (with his 4 seasons) but his bc experience dwarfs mine. So, 4 years vs 9, but I will take to heart any advice he gives about bc. I think back to when I was 'bc ignorant' and while it wasn't often there were a couple of days when my ignorance led me to make stupid and dangerous decisions without even realizing it! Nowadays, even if I was to get a guide I would still make sure that I knew the route, the danger spots, the weather, the snow patterns etc, because while your guide is experienced, he isn't infallible and predicting avalanches isn't 100%. but welcome to the boards and we all hope to hear your Hokkaido pow stories in the winter Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Mantas, a fair response. Thanks for not coming back at me as though you were under attack (which you weren’t). Separate to your points above, I personally I think one has the right to enter the back country as under prepared as they wish, so long as they are fully aware of the risks and what natural and human events alter the level of risk and so long as their BC partners share the same outlook. The three main aspects of my life: work life in a company, my private small business and my weekend recreational snow activities are all 100% risk based. I enjoy risk and actively seek contact with it. But when I enter the ring, so to speak, I do so with the philosophy that “the name of the game is staying in the game”. That means making sure that my friends and I can always play again tomorrow. For me that implies a certain level of preparedness which may be more, or it may be less, than is seen appropriate by others. Kuma – although it involves a pretty satisfying array of meaningful terrain, my BC experience is pretty minor, I just talk a lot. There are other regular BC players on the forum that I wish would speak up more than me as they have a ton more experience. Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 mantas, highly suggested you take a guide if you can find one. maybe ring the visitors centre, word 'round the camp fire is that there is/was english-speaking staff there. it's not to knock you, only to give you a reality check, but it's the Quote: Originally posted by Mantas: Surely you can go a little off the courses without worrying about becons and avalungs ect. --kind of attitude that can get people in avi trouble. especially at a place like asahidake (google the course map), where if someone goes even a bit off of the (groomed) course they can trigger a slide and then the avie could slide onto skiers/riders on groomers, what they think is safe... stuff like this happens and i had never thought about it before until it was pointed out to me. the course is a series of "S" curves, but some people just go straight down like a "$". i can understand you trying to figure out info 4 some random resort for a (short) trip. check "the Den" 4 guides as nikei suggested; it's a local bar in Asahikawa. get a guide if you're gonna do what you want to do. spud-no worries, but the mt. has tons of terrain to choose from, including chutes, ridge line, terrain park-like items--watch out for the sulfur fuming from the top, it smells like s#it! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Quote: spud-no worries, but the mt. has tons of terrain to choose from, including chutes, ridge line, terrain park-like items Well that kind of terrain park stuff is on. I thought you meant rails, half pipe, jumps.... baggy f ucking pants Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy 0 Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 no no no, it's one ariel tram (ropeway) and then the whole mt./"dormant" volcano above and below. like terje said in First Descent it's about how well you can "play" with the natural terrain Link to post Share on other sites
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