2014-2015 Northern-Hemisphere Snow Season
I ride +15, -12. I tend to ride switch a fair bit. Even on a pow day on the out run to give my leg a rest.
I dont know exactly how wide my stance is but on my 162 Ride Machete i had it on max width (I'm 6'4 so its not that wide for me). The only problem i noticed was the outside of thighs got really stiff after a few days riding. Ive narrowed my stance a touch and its fine now. That width also happens to coincide with the max width of the new board i bought. a 158 Salomon Assasin.
zenagain wrote:Welly, i think we'd get on real well on the hill:)
Knee is pretty much back to normal now.
Definitely Zenmon, You could hold my hand and show me around.
I'll just follow and bow with respect ;)
Good to hear your knee is back in shape, let it rip champ as its not long to go.
I'm looking forward to another Japanese Yuki trip again, especially knowing that someone like yourself will take me on an awesome journey.
Peace and carves bro:)
Firstly about Zao, Not just Kurohime itself, but the whole right side of the mountain was pretty much deserted when I was there. Some of the more central parts were tracked out, but over there was untouched. Also, as I love skating transition (bowls/minramps etc) I found a lot of fun walls over that side. As Zao doesnt have much of a snowpark, I found some of the terrain there fun to play on. There were also some short and relatively safe little tree run shortcuts between the trails. Since you have it from a Monday, you should be sweet anywhere though. The place is huge and many people will go see the snow monsters, then just lap the slopes in front of the main base all day.
I don't know Shiki. I stayed at a ryoukan called Oomiya and it was aweseome, except the heaters were cranked day and night so we had to open the window to sleep. Zao Onsen, is a very quiet place. I went to Nozawa expecting it to be similar but found it to be really international and lively. It was really fun but I think at my age, Zao is more my style. Yamagata city itself is possibly the sleepiest prefectural capital I have ever visited... except maybe Morioka. Yamadera is an awesome place, day trippable from Yamagata, but closer to Sendai perhaps? Not sure how if it is snowed under in winter though. I was there in Summer.
I got away with no injuries from snowboarding, I messed myself up in a bowl at Planet Park Hachioji. I bruised my tail bone and limping around for a few days, walking weird and sitting weird, made a long term dud knee flare up to the point I could hardly walk. Anyway, I found a good physio and started treatment today. He said I could try skating again (for a short time) after a week, but a day in the snow is out of the question for a while.
Man, bummer about the injury. I'm going to try and keep going up till the last gasp this year. I missed so many goood days because of my gammy knee.
Cheers about the Zao info. I've been wanting to go there a long time. Bit disappointing that the Juyho illumination finishes the night before we arrive though.
I'm looking forward to freshies on Monday. Going to be up nice and early. Will post some pics if I get any good ones. I'm pretty hopeless though, tend to leave my phone in my pocket.
What are these Snow Monsters you talk of??
Basically, it is snow/ice that forms on/sticks to trees giving them spectral shapes. I think the scientific terms are hard rime and soft rime. There are a few places in Japan that have the right atmospheric conditions to make big monstrous ones, Zao is probably the most famous.
Unfortunately, not yetis or anything as spectacular as that.
https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E6%A8%B9%E6%B0%B7+%E8%94%B5%E7%8E%8B&...
I originally thought they were fat girls in overalls that lived in Aomori but Away san has got it covered.
Hey Craig, how was that little snow bunny drinking the beer 'eh? And I'm sure your little counter girl is counting the days until you return. God bless Japan.
Oh Zen, don't get me started, the beer girl was..... drop dead amazing! Love the Japanese, so small, petite, fit and hold their age well.
Settle down tiger:)
any of you guys have experience in making a DIY splitboard? Ive got a spare a spare board in the attic that I am keen to cut up so i can do some more hiking.
Ive seen some online blogs, guides etc. just curious if anyone here has any experience with it.
Crawling into the spring snow cycle where the temps are warming up and the snowstorms are fewer.
I headed up to Zao Onsen for 3 days and was rewarded with a great dump of snow for the first day with high winds and very low visibilty. Being a weekday the place was pretty empty and being solo, on more than one occasion I found myself in the middle of nowhere not knowing where I was or where I was going.
Day two was amazing and scored a beautiful bluebird day and calm winds which allowed the upper ropeways to be opened and I got to see the famous Juyho or 'Snow Monsters'. Quite spectacular. Also, I took Away sans advice and stuck to the Kurohime side this time. He was right, no crowds, big open runs, some pretty decent steeps and some nice bowly walls to bank off. Managed to get some nice leftover powder in and around the edges of the groomers too.
Really pretty drive on the way up too.
Wow, incredible things those Snow Monsters, sounds like a good place to hit when I'm over again Zen!
One of my mates is looking to head over at the start of April, to score surf and snow. Is this getting too late, but in any case where would be the areas to go to maximise what ever snow is left. Is it restricted to Hokkaido?
Pretty much everywhere still at the start of April Craig, but if he's got wheels he can head deep into Tohoku and get to the spring skiing areas. The second shot above, the mountain you see in the distance is called Gassan and it doesn't open until april and sometimes they're skiing there till June. Or he could try Tengendai where I'm going next week on the border of Fukushima/Yamagata or Hakkoda in Aomori.
At the beginning of April, he'll be right still plenty around and lots of nice sunny days. Just no fluffy powder days. For ease of getting around and the best conditions still, you'd have to say Hokkaido is still the go.
Yep, we'll hit Zao next time you're here and maybe work our way back to Fukushima and maybe head into Gunma and scope that area out. I'll put something together for you. Might even try and get you into the surf too next time.
Yew!
Rad pictures Zen. I saw the blizzard report, I think it was Monday and wondered how you were going up there.
Blizzard to bluebird.... sounds like a perfect trip to me. See the mountain and feel the flow so differently.
"The second shot above, the mountain you see in the distance is called Gassan and it doesn't open until april and sometimes they're skiing there till June."
Don't open till April Zen......? Why?
The "Tree Ghosts" look awesome Zen;) Not sure where the "Snow Monsters" come into it ..? Maybe a Japanese thing! Tree Ghosts are pretty much what they are called in Canada and USA.
Did you jump in between the "Tree Monster Snow Ghosts" for a couple of turns Zen or are they out of bounds, they don't look steep but loads of fun riding in between them;)
Here's the Snow Monsters Zen and I had to deal with, oh the humanity! :D
Plenty of lines in between those ones Craig, nice photo.
Big real Hugh "Snow Monsters"
Snow Monsters every where.
zenagain wrote:Crawling into the spring snow cycle where the temps are warming up and the snowstorms are fewer.
I headed up to Zao Onsen for 3 days and was rewarded with a great dump of snow for the first day with high winds and very low visibilty. Being a weekday the place was pretty empty and being solo, on more than one occasion I found myself in the middle of nowhere not knowing where I was or where I was going.
Day two was amazing and scored a beautiful bluebird day and calm winds which allowed the upper ropeways to be opened and I got to see the famous Juyho or 'Snow Monsters'. Quite spectacular. Also, I took Away sans advice and stuck to the Kurohime side this time. He was right, no crowds, big open runs, some pretty decent steeps and some nice bowly walls to bank off. Managed to get some nice leftover powder in and around the edges of the groomers too.
Really pretty drive on the way up too.
Out of bounds ;)...?
Technically out of bounds Welly and as I was solo I didn't want to break my own rule of always riding with a buddy off piste. I did pop in and around the corners here and there but nobody else was doing it so not sure what the go was.
I saw a few people hiking further up the peak from the ropeway but they had snow-shoes and were a fair way from me. There seemed to be a nice open bowl but below that I couldn't see where it went. It would be cool to hook up with someone with a bit of local knowledge.
Craig is the adventurer. He had a little taste of tree heroin last time and now he's hooked. You can't keep him out of there. I'm going to research and see what we can come up with next season.
Regards Gassan opening in April, purely and simply there's so much snow there they have to wait until they can open the road up to get in there. There's just too much snow.
I'm back up locally this weekend then next week going to a place that supposedly has really good spring skiing. The resort was made before the Japanese government capped the upper limit of where they could build resorts no higher than 1600 metres. Japan has many mountains with a high altitude, but very few that you can ski/board on higher than that. Dunno why, wasted resource if you ask me. I'll get some more pics.
Between you and me Zen, when it comes to ducking under ..........!!!!! and irukandji at TOS wink wink eh;)
Well, the snow is falling and I got the OK from the physio to enjoy a last blast of winter. Woooohooooo!
Awful conditions on Sunday. Slushy, warm. My Jacket and gloves were soaking wet.
The place I'm going on Monday next week has got 2 metres + forecast to fall from yesterday to Saturday. Hope the cold temps can stick around till Monday.
Away san, where are you headed?
You are making the big trip to Aomori right? Be careful up there. If it is the place you mentioned earlier, I have heard it is an intense place where conditions change very quickly. Cold till Monday.... Hmmm... Niigata is expecting rain but hopefully, at the higher latitude and altitude you will be at, things should be fine. 2 metres of snow... that is immense. Perhaps lucky you aren't going till Monday. After the warmer weather that could be an avalanche risk I guess. Are you heading out with locals, or at least taking some mates?
I am going to Gala Yuzawa. Since I am still in rehabilitation and it is only my third day on a snowboard I am keeping it mellow. Forecast is looking good for tomorrow. I just hope my knee holds up long enough for me to learn how to put some graceful lines together.
No, no not this time to Aomori. The place you're thinking of is Hakkoda. I've wanted to go there for a long time and will probably make that my big trip next season.
I'm going to Tengendai Kogen just over the border from Fukushima in Yamagata. It's near Yonezawa town. Very quiet place, off the radar as it's not real easy to get to. If you look to your left as you drive north on the Tohoku expressway it's those really high peaks you can see in the distance. I'm going with a really experienced skier. He's skiied over a hundred different resorts in Japan and reckons Tengendai has the best quality snow on Honshu and really good spring skiing.
If I get any good pics I'll put them up and you have fun at Gala.
Had our second to last go-out at Tengendaikogen Yamagata yesterday and scored a beautiful bluebird day. Spring skiing/boarding at it's best.
Due to the high elevation and proximity of the resort (far from both coasts) the snow was nice and dry. Very much a locals mountain due to the difficulty in getting there with a 4 hour drive one way. Views were awesome and we could see Gassan in the distance and even further away Yamagata Zao where I went with the wifey a couple of weeks ago.
Tengendai is pretty small with only a ropeway and three pairs lifts and once again we were limited to getting off piste but there was enough stuff in and around the sides to keep us entertained and the groomers were so nice. Was a great feeling going flat out on the corduroy with no real danger of catching an edge.
Pics are low res sorry and the bloke that is with me is actually Canadian but he looks like a Jap. Shit hot snowboarder too and all round good guy. You can see how crowded it was from the shot taken at the base. No waits for the lifts at all. Next week will be the final trip up the mountain for me this season and then I'll put everything away and count down the days to next season.
Away san, how'd you go in Yuzawa and Mundies, how was Nagano?
Yeah Zen, cheers for the picks. That Looks inviting.
Well, Gala Yuzawa is mindblowingly convenient... I have to give it that. The shinkansen station is in the same building as the Gondola. I walked out my door in suburban Tokyo at 5:00am and after two train rides and a gondola was sitting on a chair lift at just after 8:30. It is always amazing too, to come out of the clear and warm Kanto weather, go through a tunnel and come out to into moderate snow and subzero temps.
First thing was great at Gala Yuzawa. The knee was cooperating, their was some fresh stuff on the groomers and I could see. I lapped the lower green and red slopes till lunch time, still getting the feel for riding snow from a sideways perspective. By then the snow had been scraped away and wasnt falling hard enough to replenish itself, the place was crowded and the clouds had come down, giving about 15 metres visibility at max. Also, the gimpy knee was starting to play up. I had a few more runs after lunch but wasnt having much fun, with full slopes full of sloppy riders, hard packed snow, zero vis and knee pain. So I pulled the pin at 14:30, got the 3:04 train back to Tokyo and was walking back down the street to my house, on a warmish and sunny Tokyo afternoon at 17:30. Kind of surreal.
It was a great day all up really. I think the season is over for me too. I am going to give my leg some time to heal probably, do some internet ordering and have myself a full set up, boots/bindings/board/good leg by next season hopefully.
Hey Zen, just about to hop in an onsen. But hang on, gotta finish my Asahi first... Got here last Friday & we had great powder. By all accounts we arsed the timing of our trip. One website was even claiming best day of the season albeit taking into account minimal crowds. But far out it was pretty good, face shots, steep & deep. Today has transitioned back to spring. Great fun but not epic. That'll be the story for the last few days of my trip. Fast groomers early, and before it gets too sticky still some heavier fresh lines in the trees. BTW I'm at Nozawa Onsen not Nagano. Sorry. Gotta go soak my bits like a snow monkey.
Awesome guys. Away san, glad to know you know when to quit while you're ahead. I'm sure once you get into boarding you'll realise how addictive it is. Coming from a skating background, I think you'll get good pretty quickly.
Mundies, for sure you lucked in this late. After last weeks slush fest that system came over and some places got over 2 metres in 4 days. Crazy. Sorry, had it in my mind you were in Hakuba. I have to confess, never been to Niigata but there's a few places there that are on my bucket list.
Glad you're enjoying.
Did you know Japanese snow monkeys wash their sweet potatoes before eating them?
No I did not know that. There are outdoor onsens up here that are hot enough to cook in so it's wise to check the temp before jumping in... Maybe the monkeys are blanching the sweet potatoes a bit too. Smart little primates.
One of the typical foods here is the Onsen egg - half cooked runny egg, great with rice & fish. There's a Nozawa green veggie that is actually the mascot of the resort. Fucking disgusting, it's like pickled bok choy.
I am pretty sure Nozawa Onsen is in Nagano prefecture. It is close to Niigata though, just over the hill is Myoko on the Niigata side of the border.
I was really impressed by Nozawa when I went there this year. I was picturing a sleepy little onsen ski town but found a full on international standard resort. It still looks like a small onsen but the streets are full of people speaking different languages, albeit about 50% Australians. I was really impressed by the Japanese there though, open to the change, making English menus and working really hard to speak English to the guests... reaping the financial benefits of internationalisation. I guess Niseko is even more internationalised but Nozawa is the first mountain I have been to like that in Japan. I will probably try Hokkaido next season.
The awesome snow conditions definitely helped to give me a positive impression of Nozawa. I was used to the wetter snow closer to the coast.
I hope the snowboarding comes along... some things seem a lot easier like doing airs and grabs and stuff. It still pisses me off having to strap in and out before each run though... I haven`t got enough style to do it without having to flop down onto my arse yet. Also I feel that, icey, scraped out parts are a lot harder to get to get an edge on a board. Still, I am amping for next season. I just hope I can get through the next 8 months or so of skating and inevitable injuries without messing myself up too bad.
Zen, Away, Mundies, Nomad, Craig etc.
Check this hour long vid from Quicksilver, this guy Candid lays down the meanest fastest lines I've ever seen.
Awesome pillow lines amazing big airs, geez the gut is a step up.
Good to see how the snowboarders got a mention in the late 90's, which IMO opinion is so true with technique and ski design.
Great viewing to end the season;)
Enjoy
http://www.quiksilver.com.au/blog/few-words?utm_source=Quiksilver+Custom...
Not quite the end Welly. I'm up tomorrow mild temps though and a cold blast coming over from the west with a decent dump of snow Monday night, so up again on Tuesday. I'm really milking the end of this season having missed December and January.
Away san, consider step-in bindings. I've been using them for years. No sitting down for me and you can also lock them in on the move.
http://www.flow.com/Products/mens-binding/nx2-hybrid/FI14M2NX2HBLK
I've got these ones with the hybrid strap so you can step in or if stuck in powder you can put them on the conventional way. Also you can tweak the tightness here and there. Super comfy and worth the extra coin.
Yep, I always used to confuse Nozawa with Yuzawa, Nozawa Nagano, Yuzawa Niigata.
Cheers Welly, will sit and watch whan I've got some quiet time.
Haha Zenmon was gonna say after your wrap about step ins, that you never watched the movie;)
Step ins are like a Sarong, flippy floppy, gay and for people that can't rub snow of their boot quickly with the edge of the board whilst standing up, then stomping hard back and clicking in solid;)
Hope you get some time out to watch this movie, lines on real mountains this guys smashes them for sure.
Hard boots for a hard man Welly. I'm soft as a marshmallow, step ins suit me just fine.
Will watch tomorrow as I have to be up at a sparrows. Looking forward to it.
Zenagain, my wife has flow bindings and whilst they are a few seasons old now the problems she has with them are that they pop open landing airs with firm landings, and they also can pop open at high speed e.g. fast groomers. She'll upgrade before next season and doesn't want this style again. I've never used them and whilst they are quick to get in I like being securely strapped in, and being able to cinch up as tight as required.
Anyhoo.... current report from Nozawa Onsen is 50cm plus over last couple of days, damn would have loved to have put the kids on ice and stay a few more days. But we got the previous run of pow plus a handful of good warmer days. Gonna head back there next season, had a chance to scope the mountain out and there is some great backcountry that doesn't require trudging to enter or exit. Think I'll invest in some avalanche gear though, definite potential to get in the shit out there. I snapped a board on a tree on a sketchy section that had already sloughed off and I couldn't get an edge in. Saw it coming with time to spare so sacrificed my board rather than my body. Fortunately I could still ride it out (gently..) as the base folded but didn't rip, otherwise it would have been a 4km+ walk out. Good excuse to get a new board though ($300 brand new on the mountain, pretty happy with that - exact same model and size just newer version).
Anyway here's a little bit of footage of some runs first couple of days when I was just starting to explore...
Sweet Mundies, love the tree runs!!
So many lines hidden in the trees. Those ridges in that photo at the start are where all those subsequent runs were. Gotta love the tree runs, its a bit like seeking the shade in the barrel...
Sweet man! Looks crowded too:)
Craig has turned in to quite the tree hound now.
I've had regular bindings and am on to my 3rd pair of step-ins (K2's and 2 pair of Flows) and never had a problem. The ones I have now you can crank 'em as tight as you want plus get into them by either stepping in or strapping in- best of both worlds. But, I'm not trying to sell you them just personal preference.
On Tuesday a mate and I scored that 50cm and it was crazy. We were going to make the Sunday our last of the season and almost cooked. It was a slush-fest and hardly worth the petrol and tolls to get there. But Tuesday we scored an almost deserted local ski-jo and laid down fresh tracks all day. Great way to finish the season.
This might be a bit wanky but I took some screen shots using my mobile of some of the vid I took. They don't do it justice but you'll get the idea of what we scored. I still haven't got the vid together of when Craig was here but will try and do so in time for next years Northern Hemi forum:)
Anyway, steep and deep all day. Should have brought a snorkel.
yeeew! Thats full snorkel conditions! You just about need scuba gear....
We didn't get it that deep unfortunately but will have another crack at it next year.....
I hadn`t checked this forum in a while... with the cherry blossoms in full bloom here in Tokyo and work starting to get busy again, snow has been out of my mind.
Firstly, thanks for the information about step in bindings, Zen. I will do some research and look into it. I had no idea such things existed.
Mundies, that was a rad video! You were in some tight spots there, especially just before the 3 minute mark. When is your edit coming out Zen?
Wellymon, that Candide fellow is a charming and graceful lunatic.
Is anyone still getting any snow? If everyone has dried out their boots for the season, I would love to here some best day/trip stories. I will write mine up in a few days when I have some time.
Away san, gotta get off my oshiri and get some proper video editing software. Been meaning to for ages because I've got tons of good vid from this season.
No more snow for me, changed the wheels back to the summer tyres and packed my stuff away. Working out where I want to go next season already. More than likely Hokkaido and thinking of Hakkoda in Aomori and some of the lesser known places around Fukushima/Gunma.
Sakuramatsuri here this weekend but looks like they'll be a week early as the cherry blossoms are just starting to get going. Looking forward to the 2015/16 season.
Wow Zen, those photos of the TV look amazing;)
"am on to my 3rd pair of step-ins (K2's and 2 pair of Flows) and never had a problem"- In how many years?
"Hard boots for a hard man Welly" -No hard boots in 1986 basketball ball boots with x3 Norsewear socks wrapped in a plastic bag;) Old school hard man Welly.
It was amazing Welly, especially for spring. I'm definitely looking my best with my face fully covered:)
10 years, 3 years K2, 6 years first Flows, first season on my second Flows.
And mate, that is core. I can picture it too, Converse All-stars, blue with white soles and toe caps with tops just poking out of the Safeway bags:)
Yew!!
"10 years, 3 years K2, 6 years first Flows, first season on my second Flows."
Yeah thats unreal Zen, I was only giving a little dig about the stepin's ;)
I'm sure they have come along way champ, nice one
Wow wow wow that day above being end of March, I would give my left Testicle for something like that at the mo;) It's all good too as I have the snip.
They were Converse high tops as well, haha The fashion back then eh!
Anyways Zen will be contacting SN for your details when I come over next.
Cheers Bro
And I'll have a beer waiting for you:)
Not downhill powder but some tricksters having fun
Yawgoons 15 : on vimeo.
Sweet Udo and set to a cool track too. Cheers.
This is insane!!
Spinner;)
Wow
Zen, and Tateyama is open, amazing. Zen says this only opens in Spring because it gets too much snow! https://www.facebook.com/hakuba1?fref=photo
It is that time of year again. We had a good snow related thread going on last season so I thought I would start it up for this year.
In Japan, some of the Honshu snow areas like Nagano, Niigata and Yamagata have had the first real winter storms of the season, some big dumps and barren looking ski hills turned white over night on the webcams I check while I should be working.
I have moved from Niigata where I had a few hills close by to Tokyo where I can only carve concrete. Now, hitting the mountains requires a lot more expenditure of effort, time and money. Hopefully talking shit about snow on here with other swellnetters will help me get some stoke and motivate me to get on those early morning buses and trains to head to the hills. I am hoping to get my first lines in about 2 weeks.