Yes, that day had to come, but last Monday was officially my last snowboarding day of the ‘03-‘04 after 3 great days in Niseko Annupuri. Sunday especially was great - and believe me when I say that the Niseko snowfields after a huge amount of snowfall is a wonderful place to be - steep, deep powder runs ending in great tree/powder runs, and a real great nighter slope. I’ve got some new pics here.

So, I need make sure there’s no rust on the rim, put a fat amount of summer wax on my board and stick it in the B1F trunk room for the Summer.

It’s also time to think if I need to buy any gear for next year in the end-of-season sales. I think all I need are some new gloves, and unfortunately a new jacket; after 5 years, it’s wearing a little thin, and getting a little wet. I’ll make sure it gets a decent send off.

But what about the equipment I bought for this season? The Flow bindings worked out very well after an initial period of adjustment, and I really would recommend them to all-mountain boarders. They are faster to get into, but I think their best assets are the repeatability of the fit (as the settings are always the same), and the ride comfort - the load is spread out over your whole foot.

Just waiting for December…unless of course I can make it to New Zealand again this summer, for a bit of their winter.

2004 Niseko Trip