Pretty cool to see all the different cool backcountry mountains you can snowboard at. Definitely makes me interested in doing the same.

splitboarding definitely opens your mind to whats possible.
during this trip i discovered that there is a 7000m+ mountain in the region called lenin peak. we discussed the very real possibility of snowboarding it. it would take 3+ weeks to summit and ride it.
i think my next trip will be either georgia or lyngen.

have you done a TR anywhere about your time in Iceland ? looking to do that w a friend or 2 this June, any suggestions are appreciated !

awesome vids btw (and stories)

i did post a bit about it ITT. i made a bunch of videos on my youtube channel on iceland.
what would you like to know? theres so much terrain, troll peninsula being the main zone.
June is very late, pretty much heli options only id say.

http://www.air-style.com/en/watch-live

live big air comp rn if anyones interested

Guys, what do you think about this peak? Is it worth? Pobeda Peak

awesome, go climb it and report back!

Just returned from a week at Vail. Fantastic mountain, first time I've been there. The back side of the mountain was where I spent 80% of my time, with a nice mix of bowls, tree runs and good side-country.

The mountain itself is massive, probably the biggest place I've been to outside of Whistler in terms of ski-able terrain. The snow was decent, though we didn't get hit with too much fresh stuff.

I skied on the K2 Shreditors, some nice twin-tip skis that are a bit fatter than what I'm used to, but had great control and handled well in groomers and powder.

This was also the first time a few of our group had GoPros, which was a lot of fun. I took a few runs through the trees with the GP and got some great footage. Unfortunately, I don't have a helmet mount, so I was stuck holding my poles in one hand and holding the GoPro in the other hand when I was filming. Not ideal, but got some fun stuff (No Candide though...)

If anyone has an upcoming trip to Vail or any questions, it's fresh in my mind, so let me know!

lol vail.
did you enjoy being raped for those $160 per day lift tickets?
im sure you had a fun time but **** that.

Vail is great for season pass holders and ballers. For anyone else it's not really worth the premium.

I skied for free actually. My buddy lives there and his parents had guest season passes...so yeah, it was a pretty fun time

Went to Revelstoke Monday, for a place that has had 750cm of snow this year, it was pretty bad. Bald on a lot of the bottom and black runs. The top groomers were ok in the afternoon once the sun hit it for a bit. For March that's pretty bad.

All of western North America has been bad this year.

http://www.summitpost.org/muztagh-ata/151886



considering doing this

any recommendations in Big Sky (skiing, food, nightlife) out there for the next couple days....skiing conditions are about as bad as they've ever been this time of year

That may be an overgeneralization. Lake Louise and Sunshine Village were both fine. Every run is open, and hardly any spots that had exposed rock. I'd compare them to opening week, when there are some rocky spots. Revy though was comparable to late May conditions.

I don't know if this is an anomaly or just an unlucky winter. Though I've spoken with locals in Vancouver who claim the snow in Whistler keeps getting worse every year.

A handful of resorts having below average but not terrible winters still makes the statement perfectly valid. The west has been really spotty in the last decade or so, the jet stream pushing in from the Pacific Ocean used to be really consistent but it's more erratic in the last ten years. That's not to say there haven't been some really fantastic seasons because there have but you can't take it to the bank like you used to be able to.

when i see my whistler buddies riding mountain bikes all winter instead of snowboarding i think thats pretty bad.

Was this 50 days total or 50 days of riding over a longer period?

happy to see that prices in AUS are like ~30% more than USD... but still feels out of my price range to do something like this.

Would getting an apartment close to a resort for ~3 months be do-able for cheaper in Japan? Finally made it to asia and am thinking I'll stay until snowboard season. Why no riding any resorts as well? I am an admitted park whore nowadays but grew up riding mammoth and tahoe and love tree runs... but backcountry or splitboarding isn't something I'm used to or looking for atm. A huge mountain like mammoth would be ideal/easy...or even something like tahoe with clusters of closeby resorts would be awesome (sounds like this is more similar to what I'll find)

So, ~3 months rental apartment close to a good resort with varied terrain, season pass, etc etc...doable on 2k/month? Is a car super necessary or are there other transport options?

I'm thinking Niseko would be best for me, just trying to figure out budget. Over 3k/month and it doesn't really work for me, I just feel weird spending that much no matter my income, especially if I won't be working much.

There are seven ski areas, which are connected and may be skied on one ski pass. Niseko receives one of the highest snowfalls in Japan each year, with the average snowfall of over 17 metres. Niseko has a very active après scene, and a vast choice of accommodation options.

Internet grindable in Niseko?

The last 3 seasons I have rode one single day at big bear, I'm fiending

Your statement said ALL. And it's not ALL. How is it valid? If I say NO planets have intelligent life on it, and you counter that the earth does, how would my statement still be valid?

50 days total.

japan really doesnt do the apartment thing. only in places like niseko and then its high end luxury apartments.

you're missing the point of skiing in japan if you want to ride park. if you're a park rider i dont see the point in spending money traveling to far away destinations as parks will essentially be the same as home.

i dont ski resorts anymore as ive progressed past them. the lines i want to ride arent located near resorts.

japan doesnt have huge mountains. tahoe = hakuba.

niseko meh. it caters to a specific crowd. its 4 resorts connected together and the terrain is pretty lame. drinking, fights, bogan behaviour, that definitely is a huge drawcard for aussies going there.

imo cars are 100% necessary to do cool **** but most people are perfectly happy staying in one area. i think its extremely limiting to your japan experience.

internet is fast everywhere in japan.

your best bet is finding a hostel that does long term accommodation.

awesome, ty so much for the replies and all the help and advice throughout this thread.

As I get older I can't stay in the park all day... 10 years ago I would but not these days...def looking for more powder days, tree lines, and some good steeps

Niseko sounds horrid when you put it like that as well. I'll keep looking into things and maybe look for a partner for the season so the car rental and backcountry stuff would be easier

I didn't find Niseko as bad as MT makes it out to be, but I did like the more local vibe of Rusutsu. I'm more the type to get up early, ride all day, onsen, watch a movie or something and go to sleep at 9pm though.

and thats how i like to experience japan too. add a proper home cooked japanese meal from the family pension you're sleeping in and repeat.

unfortunately it usually goes like the last time i was there 3 years ago.
my first morning in my hostel, group of like 10 bogans still drinking heavily from night before, one with ice pack on his black eye. turns out him and his mate decided to have a fight.
its full of cashed up bogans from bum**** australia who fly jetstar and buy packaged holidays to niseko.
clueless idiots who ski out of bounds without any gear and have no respect for any japanese customs. drinking in onsens, being loud and obnoxious etc etc.
dont get me wrong, the scandos, russians and chinese have also invaded the place.

its not just my experience either. you will find dozens of threads on aussie ski forums discussing this exact phenomenon.

I think you're right about the parks. If you've been to one park, you've been to them all.