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Ok ill make my points here and get it over with.

 

Dont rush take your time learning a few things about Sking where there is zero control. you have to rely on you and your friends alone.

 

Dont rush onto a slope without having an understanding of what that slope might due. Learn some basics about where the slide might go and where certain safe zones could be.

 

Get some gear a saw, a shovel, a probe and a nice digital beacon thats easy to use.

 

Listen to people that know more than you. grab the book sking in avalanche terrain or the same book snowboarding in avalacnhe terrain, great reads and quick. It will arm you with some knowledge that will hopefully get you thinking right.

 

Last take a course at evergreen outdoor center its 20000 yen the best moeny youll ever spend.

 

I dont want to die but i also want to push the limits. There is a difference between taking risks and been smart about it, or just taking risks without even knowing what the risks are. Avalanches are just one part of the problem when you are out of the resort safe zone.

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Originally posted by tsondaboy:
Are you planing to start hitting the BC regurarly SJA?
I don't know if I'll hit it regularly, but all the talk on here and the recent trip report has inspired me to try it out and see if it's my thang. I suck at riding pow (that's years of boarding on California Concrete snow) so it's a new and interesting challenge.

However, i'm a little lazy, not sure if i'm willing to earn my turns by hiking it up - but i'll try anything once! Thanks for the book tip, i'll read it in the eve's up at the mountain cabin next week.
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Originally posted by SirJibAlot:
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Originally posted by tsondaboy:
Are you planing to start hitting the BC regurarly SJA?
I suck at riding pow (that's years of boarding on California Concrete snow) so it's a new and interesting challenge.
when it dumps, hit the resort pow, there's plenty of it to be found. yesterday we witnessed what appeared to be a guided group of people learning to ride pow in the backcountry... it's not the place to do it, especially on a day like yesterday. you don't need to earn your turns to ride powder in japan. OR if you really want to go hiking, go on a tour in the spring, when it's more safe, the weather is more pleasant, most of what will slide has slid and you won't be struggling trying to ride deep powder in unchartered territory.
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Originally posted by tsondaboy:
Were are you heading next week?
I'm heading here:
http://www.sierrasummit.com/

If you check the lower right part of that page, there is a nice little video that shows off thier terrain park, they have just about every jib imaginable and usually have a massive kicker in the center that's suitable for pulling rodeos, 7's, whatever...

It's not a huge mountain, it's got just under 1,700 verticle feet and it's not so crowded. I grew up learning on this mountain...my family has a house up there just 20 min from the lifts - so we head up every year around this time.
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Originally posted by eskimobasecamp:
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Originally posted by SirJibAlot:
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Originally posted by tsondaboy:
Are you planing to start hitting the BC regurarly SJA?
I suck at riding pow (that's years of boarding on California Concrete snow) so it's a new and interesting challenge.
when it dumps, hit the resort pow, there's plenty of it to be found. yesterday we witnessed what appeared to be a guided group of people learning to ride pow in the backcountry... it's not the place to do it, especially on a day like yesterday. you don't need to earn your turns to ride powder in japan. OR if you really want to go hiking, go on a tour in the spring, when it's more safe, the weather is more pleasant, most of what will slide has slid and you won't be struggling trying to ride deep powder in unchartered territory.
I agree, it's not that I have NEVER ridden in Pow, it's just that the number of days comparitively has been probably 10-1 and the pow gets pretty tracked out and torn up so it's like riding moguls by half day. I've only been in purely untracked stuff 2 or 3 days, but it's difficult to get more experience on piste in untracked stuff. Maybe one day you'll have to show me your 'secret spots' so I can work on progressin my pow skills. ;\)
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""Thanks for the advice, but I think I will rush it."" seems like a pretty natural response to some of the more-than-a-little-condesending-but-still-good advice that FT has posted. If you don't like it, then go with EBC's advice. I think she's just saying the same thing basically anyway but without the attitude. It seems like Yellow Snow, and probably a lot of people want to have good fun in the powder and are asking advice and being told: "No! Don't do that. It's too dangerous. You need to spend hundreds of dollars on avi stuff and then learn how to use it, take a guided tour, take an avi course. etc etc." But most people on this forum who ride powder learned it by doing a little exploring and bush-wacking, not by taking courses and paying guides. You don't have to trek through avi country for four days to get a line. It's not all-or-nothing. There's often powder on piste and there's lots of it just-off-piste in the trees next to the courses. Try it! (paying due respect to ski patrol of course) If there's an accessible safe hike-in area and there are others doing it (like the summit of Niseko for example), then DO IT! Earn a few turns. They're even better. Hang out at the same resort a number of times... get to know the area, talk to people... and you'll find kick-ass, relatively safe powder stashes.

And if "rushing it" means getting up early, having a good breakfast and getting the lift as soon as it opens, then DO IT!!!!!

 

Hey, check this out too if you haven't already:

http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/5/133.html

Pretty freaky.

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I think there is need for some disambiguation.

FT is talking about someone that is hiking up the top, not about early powder runs inbounds or in the trees.

 

I also learned to ride powder inbounds, early in the morning, but I ve never gone hiking without at least a beacon and a shovel in my backpack. Yes, the gear is expensive, but you don’t have to go for new staff from the first day hiking. My first gear was a beacon, a shovel and a backpack. My first 2-3 times I was hiking up with snowshoes that a friend lent me. Then I got a second hand snowshoes for 5000 yen and sold them for the price I got them after I bought my own new set.

If you have at least a beacon/probe/shovel I will be happy to show you around to a nice line up the top. No gear, that’s not a problem, meet me at the first lift and I will show you 2-3 nice runs inbounds.

But, don’t ask me to take you up with me without having any gear with you.

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ger, yeah I like a bit of fun. I wonder about all the guided tours especially after I have seen the avie threads in the back country section. Also this is my first year out of college so I can't afford everything straight away, equipment and going to the mountain sucked up enough.

 

 

But I am not so reckless, if there is anybody around, I will ask if they want to ride together, so at least if anybody runs into trouble then we can get assistance. But because I am new to poaching, I end up on my ass a bit more than I like. So that is why I was looking for tips.

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Originally posted by ger:
"No! Don't do that. It's too dangerous. You need to spend hundreds of dollars on avi stuff and then learn how to use it, take a guided tour, take an avi course. etc etc." But most people on this forum who ride powder learned it by doing a little exploring and bush-wacking, not by taking courses and paying guides.
confused.gif hmmmm
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Originally posted by eskimobasecamp:
yesterday we witnessed what appeared to be a guided group of people learning to ride pow in the backcountry... it's not the place to do it, especially on a day like yesterday.
Actually, that's probably the way most obedient Japanese people see it because going off course is strictly prohibited by the resorts and the patrols will take your lift pass. "Why?" is a question often not asked here, but of course with the lack of avalanche control in Japanese resorts, it can be dangerous to stray off course (depending on terrain and conditions). It's incredible the number of condescending forum nazis on Japanese language boards who are oblivious about why there is such a rule/law (often for the benefit of a specific party and not for the betterment of the whole), but then again it's the other side of the same coin for a country where trains run on time, along with general lack of social chaos. Of course, you can get away with lots of things when you're gaijin (though there's a very strong minority of Japanese pow poachers too).
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some of the posts in this thread are ridiculous.

basically, YELLOW SNOW, just take an avy course and then you'll understand just how dangerous the backcountry is. Skiing trees in bounds/out of bounds is very dangerous too. Taking an avy course will give you the skills to distinguish between a dangerous line and a fun line.

Yellow snow, you mention poaching. poaching is just hitting powder stashes just out of bounds. That's fine. do it with a buddy til you know the area and it's dangers.

if you want to do real bc then take a course and buy the equipment. Yeah, it's expensive but it's life and death. Not only your own but other people's who you could endanger. For those who call us condenscending or forum nazis or whatever, you obviously have no concept of the bc and I would be very wary of having you in a bc area close to me. Notice that all the people telling you to get equipment and training are the people who regularly hit the bc and have the equipment and training?????hmmmmm, must be a coincidence

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Fattwins, Good suggestions,

Nozawa was the first place I went to this year, there were a few places that were closed off, but some places that people just didn't ride because it wasnt groomed, the entrance was choppy and a bit flat but after that there was a huge run of trackless pow that crossed one of the telemark runs.(they were a bit pissed I guess)

 

I have tried in Kagura but I dont know if they really allow you.

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a huge run of trackless pow that crossed one of the telemark runs.(they were a bit pissed I guess)
Dam now there are runs that are just for telemarkers. I want to know where this is so I can go?
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In nozawa? Well its in the trees it exits near the second largest gondola. (Cant make out the name from the) there is a long beginners course beside it.

 

Its more of a nordic/alpine run where people practice their gliding etc, but fun on a snowboard.

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Originally posted by journey_man:
I just hit Hakuba and it's snowing!!! Yay!!! anyone wanna show me around? \:\)

I'd love to see the BC here, but it will have to be in bounds unless I can rent some gear...
No such thing as inbounds BC :p

As for Nozawa The trees at the top are generally pretty safe
Much too flat for my liking but safe to learn. I wouldn't venture into any other trees at that resort with more experience and the right gear
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