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Which 3 boards for Japan?

5K views 34 replies 14 participants last post by  buller_scott 
#1 ·
ok this thread is just for fun, our season has just ended and I won't be snowboarding again until late January where I have almost 3 weeks booked in Japan.

I'm going to take 3 boards with me but I keep going back and forth in my mind which 3 to take, that's where you guys come in.

This is my current quiver.



Left to right

K2 Manifest 159
Springbreak Twin 154
Amplid Pillowtalk 156
K2 Simple Pleasures 151
Burton Skipjack Surf 148
Arbor Terrapin 145
Endeavor Archetype 158


The Arbor Terrapin is 100% going with me as its useless to me in Aus, I bought it to ride in Japan and haven't been on it yet.

Which 2 of the other boards would you take?


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#2 ·
3 weeks. Is this in Hokkaido.

I had 1st 2 weeks in Feb this year and it was frigging epic, 10 to 15cm a day. Took 3 boards but mainly just rode fish >#}.
So you want a powder board a freeride board and maybe an all mountain...., but a cambered freeride board could safely cover that base for you as well.

So take 2 powder boards plus a freeride board......, that's what I'm doing this year: Fish, Surfer and Dump Truck. My son is taking Vapor, Stun-gun and Branch Manager.

Hopefully I'll only need just one.:wink:
 
#4 ·
Terrapin.. Archtype.. and one twin :)

I'm taking a Ride Alter Ego(freeride), K2 Party Platter(volume shift), and a Lib TRS(all mountain).. I don't have quite the quiver you do to pick from :(. All on one set of Now Pilot bindings with an apparently crappy kingpin toolless on each board :(

Doing 1 week in Hakuba, and 10 days in Hokkaido early - mid January.. Not expecting crazy snow in Hakuba early January so likely mostly ride the Ego and TRS there.. Hopefully by mid January Hokkaido side country is filled out and I can take the 150 PP into some low pitch pow tree riding through the gates :).
 
#18 ·
So I ended up taking the Terrapin, Archetype and Simple Pleasures.

The conditions this year were nothing like previous years, very little base and frequent warm weather. The night we arrived it was dumping though and the first day was like many I've had over there before, about knee deep light fluffy pow.
I took the SP out in the morning for first chairs but the resort was relatively empty so there was fresh tracks to be had all day. That was the deepest snow I had been on with the SP to date, more on that board later.

We were staying on snow so board swaps were super easy and after lunch I took the Terrapin out. There was still plenty of un-tracked powder and I had never ridden this board before as it had been hanging on my wall for over 10 months waiting for this trip.
I've never owned a rocker board before, this thing is super stiff and wide, possibly the worst combination ever for firm snow. Once I got it into the powder I could see its true potential, still a very loose feeling board, unique you might say. I'd imagine if you went heli-boarding or a week at Baldface this would certainly be a great board. For me the way it rode on the groomed snow and even just getting on and off the lift was a deal breaker, I did 3 -4 pow laps and didn't touch it again for the rest of the trip, it's currently for sale.

We didn't get any more fresh snow for another 10 days or so, I was mostly riding the SP, doing lots of carving and on the days it was hot and slushy I learnt to back 3 on this board off of some side hits. I can't say enough about this board, it's just so good and extremely versatile for what it is, I rode it about 80% of the trip.

After a week we moved from Hakuba to Madarao for a couple of days, the weather was so bad we didn't go out, ice, wind and rain. Then we had a week in Myoko and we got lucky with a two day storm dumping about a meter of snow. First day of the storm I took the Archetype out, I left a long review on how it did in the Archetype thread on here. To summarize though it didn't float well enough in the fresh deep Japow but was excellent later in the day for dipping in and out of stashes.

The second day of the storm we went to Lotte Arai for the first time, what a place! its basically this huge bowl of freeride terrain and they don't groom anything. I took the Simple Pleasures and it handled the deep snow with ease. I'm riding the 151 at 85kg or 187lbs. This was the best day of the trip for me, after lunch most people had gone home and then they pulled down the ropes on this zone that had been closed all day, I almost had the place to myself and just did lap after lap in thigh deep pow with the most amazing tree riding, pretty steep for Japan.

I'm already planning next years Japan adventure. I've decided 3 boards is too much so I'm going to take a directional powder board, probably my Burton Skipjack Surf which I have taken before on two previous trips. The second board will be my all mountain twin I just picked up on sale this week, its a Capita Outerspace Living.
 
#19 ·
So I ended up taking the Terrapin, Archetype and Simple Pleasures.

The conditions this year were nothing like previous years, very little base and frequent warm weather. The night we arrived it was dumping though and the first day was like many I've had over there before, about knee deep light fluffy pow.
I took the SP out in the morning for first chairs but the resort was relatively empty so there was fresh tracks to be had all day. That was the deepest snow I had been on with the SP to date, more on that board later.

We were staying on snow so board swaps were super easy and after lunch I took the Terrapin out. There was still plenty of un-tracked powder and I had never ridden this board before as it had been hanging on my wall for over 10 months waiting for this trip.
I've never owned a rocker board before, this thing is super stiff and wide, possibly the worst combination ever for firm snow. Once I got it into the powder I could see its true potential, still a very loose feeling board, unique you might say. I'd imagine if you went heli-boarding or a week at Baldface this would certainly be a great board. For me the way it rode on the groomed snow and even just getting on and off the lift was a deal breaker, I did 3 -4 pow laps and didn't touch it again for the rest of the trip, it's currently for sale.

We didn't get any more fresh snow for another 10 days or so, I was mostly riding the SP, doing lots of carving and on the days it was hot and slushy I learnt to back 3 on this board off of some side hits. I can't say enough about this board, it's just so good and extremely versatile for what it is, I rode it about 80% of the trip.

After a week we moved from Hakuba to Madarao for a couple of days, the weather was so bad we didn't go out, ice, wind and rain. Then we had a week in Myoko and we got lucky with a two day storm dumping about a meter of snow. First day of the storm I took the Archetype out, I left a long review on how it did in the Archetype thread on here. To summarize though it didn't float well enough in the fresh deep Japow but was excellent later in the day for dipping in and out of stashes.

The second day of the storm we went to Lotte Arai for the first time, what a place! its basically this huge bowl of freeride terrain and they don't groom anything. I took the Simple Pleasures and it handled the deep snow with ease. I'm riding the 151 at 85kg or 187lbs. This was the best day of the trip for me, after lunch most people had gone home and then they pulled down the ropes on this zone that had been closed all day, I almost had the place to myself and just did lap after lap in thigh deep pow with the most amazing tree riding, pretty steep for Japan.

I'm already planning next years Japan adventure. I've decided 3 boards is too much so I'm going to take a directional powder board, probably my Burton Skipjack Surf which I have taken before on two previous trips. The second board will be my all mountain twin I just picked up on sale this week, its a Capita Outerspace Living.

Ahhh I feel your pain.. went through this early January, brought 3 boards.. Lib TRS, ride Alter Ego and a K2 Party platter and rode the lib tech TRS twin 80% of the time :cry:. Really shitty first trip out to Japan for us, had two knee deep pow days one in Hakuba and one in Kiroro but 2/10 is not the Japan I was hoping for. The one really light fluffy pow day we had in Kiroro made me realize why people pick boards specific for Japow.. the 162 ride alter ego just sunk right down and I always found this board floated great on deep days just that snow is so damn light you really need a short fat or a massive pow missile. I can imagine the Archetype would be lacking in that kind of snow since the float is similar to the AE.

Hate to rant about the poor snow conditions but 7 days in niseko with 0cm of fresh snow really makes you realize what an average resort that place is, could not wait to get out of there honestly. We did some great back country stuff in the area but the inbounds terrain in Hokkaido definitely leaves lot to be desired without that famous japow.
 
#20 ·
Honestly I still had a great time, the conditions were not the usual but still good if not better than what I normally ride in Australia. This was my fifth year in a row and for the other four trips we scored some amazing amounts of snow so i can't complain, Myoko 2018 was just crazy! this is the tourist info sign as you enter town 2020 vs 2018.

152853

152854
 
#21 ·
Same here....., been to Hokkaido 8 years in a row now and this was the worst year we've been. They've said it was the worst on record since they started recording conditions. Last year was epic the best ever.

I'd recommend if you have no prob's with luggage weights to take 3 boards to Japan to cover all bases ie all mountain, freeride and powder. Freeride can probably cover all mountain anyway to a certain degree. I took Fish, Dump Truck and Surfer this year. Rode the Surfer for 70% of the time just because it was new but was glad to jump back on the brilliant freeride certainty that the DT gives.

Anyway nice post JD(y)
 
#24 ·
I'd recommend if you have no prob's with luggage weights to take 3 boards to Japan to cover all bases ie all mountain, freeride and powder. Freeride can probably cover all mountain anyway to a certain degree. I took Fish, Dump Truck and Surfer this year. Rode the Surfer for 70% of the time just because it was new but was glad to jump back on the brilliant freeride certainty that the DT gives.

Anyway nice post JD(y)
Cheers mate, do you take 3 sets of bindings too? I struggled with 3 boards and 2 sets of bindings with the weight limit but I only carry a 27L backpack as my main bag and load up my board bag until it hits 23kg. We moved 3 times this season too so I don't want to be hustling through Tokyo station at peak hour with too much luggage, the backpack makes it easier.


Agree with this. I always just take a pow surfer/carver and a freestyle board. The terrain isnt steep enough to warrant an all mountain board imo.
Didn't get to have a long trip this year only about a month, definitely the worst conditions for a few years for me. Rode my Rome National almost every day and probably could have just rode it on the pow days also.
From your quiver I'd go the spring break and the SP for example.
I've taken the spring break twin over twice before but didn't end up riding it a lot as it doesn't really float that well, I would have used it a lot this year though!
The Outerspace Living I just bought should float much better than the spring break and its still a board I can progress my freestlye on both in and out of the park. Should be a good board for the Aussie season too.
 
#27 ·
Well as I said the board bag is 23kg but still plenty of room in it for more stuff but that's the weight limit with JAL. My backpack never weighs more than 8kg. I have a small carry on too with my helmet and goggles in it, my helmet is full carbon and very $$$ so there is no way I'm checking that in.

In 2018 I took 3 boards and one set of bindings but found it a hassle as you had to choose your board the night before and a couple of times I made the wrong choice. This year I had 3 boards and 2 sets of bindings but after I stopped riding the Terrapin on the first day I effectively had 2 boards set up with bindings ready to go all the time and that was so much better.

I think we want to go back up to Hokkaido next year, would you recommend Cathay Pacific? did you have to have a stopover in Singapore or somewhere?
 
#28 ·
Cathay Pacific was pretty good but they're based/fly into Hong Kong for stop overs (3.5hrs for us). They were $Au1270 return (Syd to New Chitose) for us for 1st to 3rd week of Jan (booked early April 19).
Their planes were always full except Hong Kong to New Chitose.

ANA were $2250 for same flight but their flight schedules are really good ie overnight and arrive dawn next day. ANA were $1250 in early Feb for 2 weeks return. I'd recommend 1st weeks of Feb as it's outside Aussie/other Countries School Holidays. Unfortunately my wife's a Teacher so we kind of go in the Jan' Holidays. Every few years I get her to use some of her long service for a Feb trip.
 
#33 ·
Haha! I've been MIA for a while - been watching Angry's stuff (even managed to participate in a whole day's worth livestreams, despite the time difference!!!).

I've been getting into "longboarding" a bit, recently, and I'm a convert. I'm interested to see if it's had a positive effect on my snowboarding, next time I strap in (didn't go to Japan this year, as I'm intending to put in a solid number of days in Aus, instead).
 
#35 ·
My man, you just KNOW it's gotta be both! Work is a bit of a question mark at the moment (I work remotely, company in the midst of change), but if things pan out like I hope they will, I'm looking to move to Myrtleford or Tawonga or something like that, this year.

LOVE Falls - great variety and their cat-tracks are super fun. And I haven't seen too much of Hotham (had a bad back last year), but that Summit run - SO wide, so well groomed and all crowds (ski schools) seem to be organised VERY well by staff... never thought I'd hear myself say "that beginner run is fcking amazing!"

And of course, Perisher. It'll be a humbling drive up, but this year marks the 10th anniversary of me and my dad, driving from Melbourne up over the Range. The bushfire damage will most likely have us in tears, but it'll be a solid reminder as to why people and memories are so damn important.
 
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