bad memory! first time was at Buller!

or if nothing else, an opportunity to acquire different injuries...

Approximately negative 3 months.

My first ever time to the snow, let alone snowboarding will be on Feb the 21st 2009 in Hakuba.

I'm pretty excited by it as it's a long way to go for your first trip to the snow (I've never been to Japan either) and as an avid board sports fanatic (I skateboard and windsurf and have dabbled in Surfing) snowboarding looks like a lot a damn fun!

3 Months is too far away mind you...

4 years now. When I first came here. But I'm pretty decent skier now I reckon if I say so myself.

I have only boarded (never tried skiing)in Japan. I will be hitting up Whistler and Tahoe this coming January.

First went skiing for a week in Austria in 2000, then went for a couple of days in the French Pyrenees a couple of months later. Didnt ski again until I moved to Japan in 2004. I manage to get about 10 days skiing each year. I'd say Im a pretty good intermediate level now, but whenever I start in the morning, I just cant quite get it - feels a bit awkward, but then I'll really get into it mid afternoon, and will be blasting through powder, no problems, and it feels so easy! Reckon I could do with a proper lesson, to show me exactly what Im doing wrong in the mornings! I tried snowboarding too, just for one day - could get down alright linking turns by the end of the day, but cos I can pretty much ski anywhere on piste (apart from deep, steep moguls) it seems a bit of a waste stuck on the baby slopes learning snowboarding, when I could be all over the place on skis!

Totally like 6 years

In terms of actual days, not long at all. In terms of years much more!