Ski Builders Forum

Just moved to Japan.
All my equipment is in Europe of course.

Anybody is making skis here?

Hi Davide,
I'm in Japan in Yuzawa/Niigata and interested in learning how to make snowboards. Just found this website and it is a fantastic resource.

-George

Sugoi, the right place for skiing.
It will not too difficult to find materials. Have you some experience in woodworking?
Send me PM.

hi davide, PM sent! I don't have that much experience, but am willing to start out step by step.

I lived in Aomori for a couple of years. If you ever get a chance I would strongly recommend Mt Hakkoda in Aomori for some snowboarding/skiing. The runs are long and ungroomed. There is always nice fresh snowfall and never many people.
Also Tazawako is not too bad either, and there are some good onsens and great food around within the area.
snowjapan.com is a handy site.

Hi Yuki_otoko,
Thanks for the info. I would love to visit Hakkoda one of these days, it sounds like a great area. I've never been to Tohoku, so maybe someday. As it is, Yuzawa has been my base for the past 4-5 years, mainly for backcountry snowboarding. Places like Kagura, Tanigawadake, Tairappyo, Makihatayama, etc.

I guess with food, you can't go wrong anywhere in Japan if you eat where the locals go. The sake is especially good here in Niigata!

Tazawako is on my list of places to visit. Together with Getou Kogen, Naeba, Furano, Tomamu, Seki Onsen, Zao Onsen....
In the past I went to Niseko, Nozawa Onsen, Myoko Kogen, Minakami, Iwappara, Charmat. and few other.
I learned the Snowjapan website by heart.


Ah, Gpd, as you are interested in backcountry snowboarding, would you like to build a splitboard?

Building a splitboard? That sounds like a fantastic project. I already have 2 splitboards, always interesting in adding to my collection. But, perhaps it would be easier to start first with a standard powder-board?

That's an impressive list of resorts for this season. If you are ever in the Yuzawa area and want to explore some mountains in the backcountry here, just let me know.

Do you like splitboards? A guy told me splitboards are less nice to ski than regular snowboards, so he wanted to build some short, very light folding skis for walking up. Snowshoes also are not the best.
What do you think?

We used Prior splitboards for a full season some years ago. They are great for long approaches or where you are carrying lots of luggage for an overnight trip, etc.

The downside is that they are simply heavier and simply heavier and somewhat less fun to ride, compared to my swallowtail powder boards. I've heard the newer splitboard-specific bindings from Spark create a better connection to the board, but haven't tried it yet.

These days I usually use MSR Lightening snowshoes. Also if you are hiking steep or technical terrain I prefer to be on foot anyways.

I rode with a boader last year who used short approach skis. It seemed heavy to me and a bit awkward to fit on the backback when riding down.

Here are some pics of the places we ride in Japan:
http://www.backcountryjapan.com/

those pics are so sweet! this is how we know japan from the movies.
did you take them? on how many days do you have such conditions? it simply can`t be all the time!

man... how i miss winter and getting faceshots of hip deep powder...

Yes, approach skis are not great, that is why I had in mind to make something lighter and foldable.

Pictures are from the area around Kagura while the last ones are around Iwappara, right?
If I have well understood, in Japan, most of the time, you need to take lifts before starting hiking. The forest in lower slopes is too thick.

You did also spring tour. I did not last season. It was a pity because I like spring snow a lot, and then it is much safer...

plywood, my wife and I took all the photos. it is also a hobby of ours. I checked our notes, and from Dec to March we usually get 6-7 sunny bluebird days. The rest are snowy or overcast. From April to May the big snowstorms stop, and we get alot more sunny days. It's good and bad - less deep powder, but more stable spring touring, like davide mentioned.

davide, the photos are from Niigata, Gunma and Nagano. We do alot of touring around Kagura, but also around the mountains in Yuzawa, such as Tairappyo, Makihatayama, etc. In that case you can avoid ski-areas and hike entirely from the bottom-up. Although, in deep powder days that can mean a 4-5 hour hike. Some of the other photos are from the Kamikochi National Park in Nagano, and the last photo is from the Shibutsu/Ozei area in Gunma.

By the way I will add more photos and upgrade that website later this week.

Hi, I had a look at your website. I saw you go to look "momigi" with a snowboard...

Regarding your snowboard building, hinoki would be a great wood probably.