Have a good one and stay safe on your way home
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Happy Australia Day to all from down under
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Surviving an Avalanche by Jimmy Chin
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Surviving an Avalanche - ‘There is Clarity I Need to Remember…’
The following is an entry taken directly from my journal. It is rough. It is raw. It is a personal recounting of the avalanche on April 1, 2011 in the Tetons that nearly took my life. I share it in part to inform, but also to keep the memory fresh, for selfish reasons. You’ll understand why as you read on…
I watch Jeremy (Jones) carve effortless turns. He cuts left onto the steep wall onto a small safe zone. I make sure he is clear. He looks back. I see Jeremy’s line and drop in just right. I make my first two turns and lay into the third. It feels heavy but so good to carve. The feeling of weightlessness as I come out of the turn is like no other. I am happy.
Then the world shifts, something feels unfamiliar and I hear someone yell. I look up over my shoulder to the right and see the whole mountain moving. At first it looks like slow motion footage, then, snap! My eyes widen and suddenly everything moves into fast forward as I watch the mountain begin to fall apart into huge slabs. The cracks grow and the speed of reality pitches me off balance. I try carry my speed, to get out to the side but there is notside. It’s an ocean of snow and I am being pulled downward. Faster and faster. I am part of something too big to comprehend.
I see trees ahead of me. They bend and snap as I head towards them with the massive waterfall of snow. I see Jeremy. He is yelling. I brace myself hoping it will only go a short distance and I will be ok. But the accelerating speed, the forces tell me differently. I kick and swim to stay on top, then feel weightlessness and acceleration. I know I’m pouring over the first rollover and my heart sinks. I have one last glimpse of where I am going as I get drawn into the darkness.
Hope fades and fear rises. It is a dark time. I feel speed, velocity, power, forces unnatural for a body to experience. Then comes the weight. It pushes down. It compresses. It is more and more and more and more…..It is unbearable. I hear myself roar from a place I knew a long time ago. It is primal. It comes from my stomach and into my chest. I hold on to my body. Bracing, bracing, tightening for impact. The impact never comes, but the weight gives me no release and I feel my chest compressed and crushed. No chance to breathe. No chance to expand my lungs. It is dark and it is dark.
I think about fighting, but there is nothing to fight. I can’t tell which way is up or down. I am completely overpowered and overwhelmed with the weight. I don’t have a breath and I know there is no out. Sometime in this moment I become only my consciousness. I don’t leave my body per se, but I am no longer a part of it. The roar of the avalanche diminishes and I am only a thought “I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know….I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know….I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know.” Then it became “If I’m thinking, then I must be alive, if I am alive, if I am alive, I should fight.” The conversation is strangely unattached or emotional. It feels like it could have gone either way. It seemed merely a second thought that I wasn’t ready to leave yet…but it becomes a decision.
The roar returns. It sounds like a wave crashing. I am held under. I know I must let go and let the wave take me for now. It is too powerful to fight, but I can tell I am moving back up the snowpack. The weight is lessening. I hope the avalanche does not stop, because I know I am still too deep and if it stops now, I will not survive. I still have no air. I relax, submit. There is a glimpse of hope.
I finally feel the weight subside and I punch for the top and gasp for my first breathe of air. The sun is blinding and my lungs fill. I roll onto my back. As I turn to look around me, the fear stops for a moment as I look in awe at what I am a part of, an ocean of snow, a whole mountainside undulating around me, flying down, down, down. The sheer magnitude of size and power is incomprehensible. I am a part of something utterly chaotic yet beautiful, devastating and unstoppable and for the moment, I am riding it like a dragon.
I look down and see the valley below. The trees look tiny and I know I am going all the way. I see the next roll over. I feel the presence of my mother. No joke. She is looking on from above, from around me. She is only present, not wishing anything. She is not judging, she is not worried, she is only watching. I feel sadness. This time I know what’s going to happen and I brace as I pour over the top of another cliffband and disappear back into the darkness. Repeat. The weight, the roar. I laugh at the thought of creating an airspace, at the thought of any semblence of control.
I submit to the forces, but I do not give up. I think of being held under a heavy wave while surfing. I try and save my breath, my strength for the right moment. There is snow pushing into my eyes, down my throat, its crushing my face. I hope there will be another moment. It is black and I feel true fear, panic rising. I push aside the thought of death and focus on what I will do when the moment is right. Let there be another moment. Let there be another moment. I feel the velocity. The elevator drop feels like forever.
Again I am astonished by the forces. I wonder if I will be torn apart, limb from limb. I don’t know if I was making a sound, but another roar. I wait. I feel the weight subside again slowly. I can feel I am moving back up through the snowpack. Now the speed is slowing. Please don’t stop now, not yet. Please, please, please…..I am slowing down, but the weight is still too much to move. I am encased in concrete. They will never find me….Slower, slower, slower.
I am almost at a stop when a feel a surge from underneath me pushing me. Up, up and I am being birthed towards the light. The snow stops and I’ve been pushed to the top standing upright in chest deep debris. I gasp for air. The debris sets instantly and locks me in place. I cannot believe what I am seeing. I am alive. I look at my arms. Then I hear it.
Another sound of rushing snow. I look behind me and see a 10 foot tall secondary wall of snow blocks crashing towards me. I realize it is going to knock me over or cut me in half and bury me. I can’t move and I know I don’t have the power or force to stop it. I will die if it goes even a foot past me. They will never find me. I do the only thing I can and brace my back against it as it bears down on me. I feel it against my back, the weight, the power and I take a deep deep breath…..and it stops against my back. My face is two inches from the snow. It is over. I am alive and somehow, uninjured.
As I dig myself out, I look up to try and figure out where I had come from. I am so far from where I started I can’t see the starting zone. I am guessing I have gone over 2000 feet. I wait to look for Xavier and Jeremy and Matty. It takes them 15 minutes to show up in view far above me. The avalanche had ripped everything to the ground and getting down couldn’t have been easy. I swing my arms to try and catch Xav’s attention. I’ve seen Xav drop into some insane lines and never seen him even wobble, but now I see him point his board through the refrigerator size debris trying to get to me and watch him cartwheel. Again, he gets up, points it and stacks. Somehow, he is down to me in a couple minutes through the concrete debris. It looks to be several hundred feet from the top to the bottom of the debris pile. I see trees everywhere around me, snapped and protruding from the snow. Jeremy and Matty make their way down.
Jeremy arrives breathless and starts repeating himself, “I would go down and look and say to myself, no one is going to survive this, then I would go down and look again and say to myself, ****, no one could survive this. Then I said, if anyone is going to survive this, it’s Jimmy….**** man!” He steps aside and sits down. He is silent for a while looking off towards the mountain.
There is strange clarity for me…..Life’s priorities are stacked perfectly in front of me. I know it is clarity I need to remember, that I can never forget. I know it but I wonder if it will last. I wish it will last. I know life will I pull me apart in different directions. I know I will get distracted and I will try to remember the clarity….to live fully, to act for the right reasons, for the right people, to let go of other people’s expectations, to live with intention, that time is short, our life is a gift, use it wisely….but I know it will not last. Nothing this clear could last. Can I keep it close to my heart? Will it stay? Remember….Remember…..Remember.
The following is an entry taken directly from my journal. It is rough. It is raw. It is a personal recounting of the avalanche on April 1, 2011 in the Tetons that nearly took my life. I share it in part to inform, but also to keep the memory fresh, for selfish reasons. You’ll understand why as you read on…
I watch Jeremy (Jones) carve effortless turns. He cuts left onto the steep wall onto a small safe zone. I make sure he is clear. He looks back. I see Jeremy’s line and drop in just right. I make my first two turns and lay into the third. It feels heavy but so good to carve. The feeling of weightlessness as I come out of the turn is like no other. I am happy.
Then the world shifts, something feels unfamiliar and I hear someone yell. I look up over my shoulder to the right and see the whole mountain moving. At first it looks like slow motion footage, then, snap! My eyes widen and suddenly everything moves into fast forward as I watch the mountain begin to fall apart into huge slabs. The cracks grow and the speed of reality pitches me off balance. I try carry my speed, to get out to the side but there is notside. It’s an ocean of snow and I am being pulled downward. Faster and faster. I am part of something too big to comprehend.
I see trees ahead of me. They bend and snap as I head towards them with the massive waterfall of snow. I see Jeremy. He is yelling. I brace myself hoping it will only go a short distance and I will be ok. But the accelerating speed, the forces tell me differently. I kick and swim to stay on top, then feel weightlessness and acceleration. I know I’m pouring over the first rollover and my heart sinks. I have one last glimpse of where I am going as I get drawn into the darkness.
Hope fades and fear rises. It is a dark time. I feel speed, velocity, power, forces unnatural for a body to experience. Then comes the weight. It pushes down. It compresses. It is more and more and more and more…..It is unbearable. I hear myself roar from a place I knew a long time ago. It is primal. It comes from my stomach and into my chest. I hold on to my body. Bracing, bracing, tightening for impact. The impact never comes, but the weight gives me no release and I feel my chest compressed and crushed. No chance to breathe. No chance to expand my lungs. It is dark and it is dark.
I think about fighting, but there is nothing to fight. I can’t tell which way is up or down. I am completely overpowered and overwhelmed with the weight. I don’t have a breath and I know there is no out. Sometime in this moment I become only my consciousness. I don’t leave my body per se, but I am no longer a part of it. The roar of the avalanche diminishes and I am only a thought “I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know….I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know….I always wondered how I was going to die and now I know.” Then it became “If I’m thinking, then I must be alive, if I am alive, if I am alive, I should fight.” The conversation is strangely unattached or emotional. It feels like it could have gone either way. It seemed merely a second thought that I wasn’t ready to leave yet…but it becomes a decision.
The roar returns. It sounds like a wave crashing. I am held under. I know I must let go and let the wave take me for now. It is too powerful to fight, but I can tell I am moving back up the snowpack. The weight is lessening. I hope the avalanche does not stop, because I know I am still too deep and if it stops now, I will not survive. I still have no air. I relax, submit. There is a glimpse of hope.
I finally feel the weight subside and I punch for the top and gasp for my first breathe of air. The sun is blinding and my lungs fill. I roll onto my back. As I turn to look around me, the fear stops for a moment as I look in awe at what I am a part of, an ocean of snow, a whole mountainside undulating around me, flying down, down, down. The sheer magnitude of size and power is incomprehensible. I am a part of something utterly chaotic yet beautiful, devastating and unstoppable and for the moment, I am riding it like a dragon.
I look down and see the valley below. The trees look tiny and I know I am going all the way. I see the next roll over. I feel the presence of my mother. No joke. She is looking on from above, from around me. She is only present, not wishing anything. She is not judging, she is not worried, she is only watching. I feel sadness. This time I know what’s going to happen and I brace as I pour over the top of another cliffband and disappear back into the darkness. Repeat. The weight, the roar. I laugh at the thought of creating an airspace, at the thought of any semblence of control.
I submit to the forces, but I do not give up. I think of being held under a heavy wave while surfing. I try and save my breath, my strength for the right moment. There is snow pushing into my eyes, down my throat, its crushing my face. I hope there will be another moment. It is black and I feel true fear, panic rising. I push aside the thought of death and focus on what I will do when the moment is right. Let there be another moment. Let there be another moment. I feel the velocity. The elevator drop feels like forever.
Again I am astonished by the forces. I wonder if I will be torn apart, limb from limb. I don’t know if I was making a sound, but another roar. I wait. I feel the weight subside again slowly. I can feel I am moving back up through the snowpack. Now the speed is slowing. Please don’t stop now, not yet. Please, please, please…..I am slowing down, but the weight is still too much to move. I am encased in concrete. They will never find me….Slower, slower, slower.
I am almost at a stop when a feel a surge from underneath me pushing me. Up, up and I am being birthed towards the light. The snow stops and I’ve been pushed to the top standing upright in chest deep debris. I gasp for air. The debris sets instantly and locks me in place. I cannot believe what I am seeing. I am alive. I look at my arms. Then I hear it.
Another sound of rushing snow. I look behind me and see a 10 foot tall secondary wall of snow blocks crashing towards me. I realize it is going to knock me over or cut me in half and bury me. I can’t move and I know I don’t have the power or force to stop it. I will die if it goes even a foot past me. They will never find me. I do the only thing I can and brace my back against it as it bears down on me. I feel it against my back, the weight, the power and I take a deep deep breath…..and it stops against my back. My face is two inches from the snow. It is over. I am alive and somehow, uninjured.
As I dig myself out, I look up to try and figure out where I had come from. I am so far from where I started I can’t see the starting zone. I am guessing I have gone over 2000 feet. I wait to look for Xavier and Jeremy and Matty. It takes them 15 minutes to show up in view far above me. The avalanche had ripped everything to the ground and getting down couldn’t have been easy. I swing my arms to try and catch Xav’s attention. I’ve seen Xav drop into some insane lines and never seen him even wobble, but now I see him point his board through the refrigerator size debris trying to get to me and watch him cartwheel. Again, he gets up, points it and stacks. Somehow, he is down to me in a couple minutes through the concrete debris. It looks to be several hundred feet from the top to the bottom of the debris pile. I see trees everywhere around me, snapped and protruding from the snow. Jeremy and Matty make their way down.
Jeremy arrives breathless and starts repeating himself, “I would go down and look and say to myself, no one is going to survive this, then I would go down and look again and say to myself, ****, no one could survive this. Then I said, if anyone is going to survive this, it’s Jimmy….**** man!” He steps aside and sits down. He is silent for a while looking off towards the mountain.
There is strange clarity for me…..Life’s priorities are stacked perfectly in front of me. I know it is clarity I need to remember, that I can never forget. I know it but I wonder if it will last. I wish it will last. I know life will I pull me apart in different directions. I know I will get distracted and I will try to remember the clarity….to live fully, to act for the right reasons, for the right people, to let go of other people’s expectations, to live with intention, that time is short, our life is a gift, use it wisely….but I know it will not last. Nothing this clear could last. Can I keep it close to my heart? Will it stay? Remember….Remember…..Remember.
scary stuff
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Muikamachi Ski Resort (Minamiuonuma, Niigata) - 27th January 2014
Just a few hours at the local skijo today. And local in every way. It was actually quite busy, but almost everyone there was a local school student taking ski lessons.
Though somehow the pics make it look very quiet.![:confused:]()
Perhaps I should quality it by saying busy for a weekday at a small skijo.
Anyway, not much to say really. Not very interesting. The top lift is now closed which is a shame. Funnily, they have it as a 'feature' - a 'Hike Up Zone' they call it.
Lovely views of the valley. That's it really. Just took my phone, so here's some iphone pics.
I don't think I'll go here again.
It gets it's own thread for completions sake (one per skijo I go to in the season).
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Though somehow the pics make it look very quiet.
Perhaps I should quality it by saying busy for a weekday at a small skijo.
Anyway, not much to say really. Not very interesting. The top lift is now closed which is a shame. Funnily, they have it as a 'feature' - a 'Hike Up Zone' they call it.
Lovely views of the valley. That's it really. Just took my phone, so here's some iphone pics.
I don't think I'll go here again.
It gets it's own thread for completions sake (one per skijo I go to in the season).
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Missiles at resorts
This past weekend I was over at Happo on Saturday. I don't usually like going to busy places but we were in Hakuba and needed to get up high because of the rising temps.
Anyway, on two separate occassions that day I almost got hit by a wayward ski and snowboard. With the ski, we were half way up the hill waiting in line when it went bombing past and came to a stop not far away. It looked like the bottom of someone's boot had broken off and was still stuck in the binding which didn't allow the breaks to pop open. It happened so fast that we didn't really have time to get scared.
The second incident with the snowboard was totally ****ed up. We were actually at the bottom of the hill having pizza on the patio outside when out of the corner of my eye I noticed something coming towards us. I was able to jump up and warn the guy sitting next to me and it narrowly missed his head. My friend who I was having lunch with literally had to jump out of the way to avoid serious injury. The board sailed past and clattered into our boards that were in the ski rack. It ended up taking a knick out of my old bindings but didn't cause serious damage. As we were picking everything up the dude who let the board go came walking up as if nothing happened, didn't even apologise and then start making excuses as to what happened. The guy I was with, who isn't a hothead at all, almost ended up fighting him because he was so mad.
So how often does stuff like this happen? I don't spend much time at busy resorts and think it's the first time for something like this to happen to me.
Anyway, on two separate occassions that day I almost got hit by a wayward ski and snowboard. With the ski, we were half way up the hill waiting in line when it went bombing past and came to a stop not far away. It looked like the bottom of someone's boot had broken off and was still stuck in the binding which didn't allow the breaks to pop open. It happened so fast that we didn't really have time to get scared.
The second incident with the snowboard was totally ****ed up. We were actually at the bottom of the hill having pizza on the patio outside when out of the corner of my eye I noticed something coming towards us. I was able to jump up and warn the guy sitting next to me and it narrowly missed his head. My friend who I was having lunch with literally had to jump out of the way to avoid serious injury. The board sailed past and clattered into our boards that were in the ski rack. It ended up taking a knick out of my old bindings but didn't cause serious damage. As we were picking everything up the dude who let the board go came walking up as if nothing happened, didn't even apologise and then start making excuses as to what happened. The guy I was with, who isn't a hothead at all, almost ended up fighting him because he was so mad.
So how often does stuff like this happen? I don't spend much time at busy resorts and think it's the first time for something like this to happen to me.
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Snow Dude's 2013-14 ski thread (Sun Meadows, Kiyosato, Yamanashi)
I thought it would be nice to make a ski thread as I will be visiting my local resort a lot this year and document the weather/ snow conditions, etc each time I go as a reference for others and as a record for me.
I will also (sometimes) add photos that I take at the resort.
It is a small resort and has 10 courses with the longest being about 1600 metres top to bottom.
The reason I go there, is it is about 20 mins from my house, it is somewhere I have been going for years now and I like the area/ski resort and we have friends who go there too.
Day 1 : 7th Dec 2013 (Opening day) Just one lower course was open with mostly man made snow. Weather was mostly sunny, but very windy peaked out at about +1oC that day. Almost empty!
Day 2 : 8th Dec 2013 Same as above really!
Day 3 : 21st Dec 2013 Two thirds open all natural snow, soft powdery snow, sunny, nice conditions, although clouded up in the afternoon. Quite a few people, but never crowded. Top to bottom skiing.
Day 4: 22nd Dec 2013 It snowed up to about 8cm or so the night before so was treated to fresh pow on top of the already soft snow and sunny sky in the morning. The snow remained soft and powdery the whole day and were plenty of powder pockets to be found all day, albeit chopped up.
Around lunch time onward it clouded over and some light snow fell for a while before turning sunny again More people today..
A great day was had by all.
I will add some photos later, takes too long download from my phone now.
Day 5: 25th Dec 2013 Woke up to absolutely crystal clear blue sky, which lasted the whole day, but no new snow, calm conditions. The snow was soft and powdery on the sun facing slopes and a bit hard packed with icy patches on the sheltered slopes, especially as the temps didn't get above -6 today.
Basically a really nice day on the slopes, although would like some new snow. Looks like tomorrow afternoon onwards should give some nice new snow.
I added a few new pics which I took today.
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Look closely at this photo, what can you see, that normally would not be there during the day?
I will also (sometimes) add photos that I take at the resort.
It is a small resort and has 10 courses with the longest being about 1600 metres top to bottom.
The reason I go there, is it is about 20 mins from my house, it is somewhere I have been going for years now and I like the area/ski resort and we have friends who go there too.
Day 1 : 7th Dec 2013 (Opening day) Just one lower course was open with mostly man made snow. Weather was mostly sunny, but very windy peaked out at about +1oC that day. Almost empty!
Day 2 : 8th Dec 2013 Same as above really!
Day 3 : 21st Dec 2013 Two thirds open all natural snow, soft powdery snow, sunny, nice conditions, although clouded up in the afternoon. Quite a few people, but never crowded. Top to bottom skiing.
Day 4: 22nd Dec 2013 It snowed up to about 8cm or so the night before so was treated to fresh pow on top of the already soft snow and sunny sky in the morning. The snow remained soft and powdery the whole day and were plenty of powder pockets to be found all day, albeit chopped up.
Around lunch time onward it clouded over and some light snow fell for a while before turning sunny again More people today..
A great day was had by all.
I will add some photos later, takes too long download from my phone now.
Day 5: 25th Dec 2013 Woke up to absolutely crystal clear blue sky, which lasted the whole day, but no new snow, calm conditions. The snow was soft and powdery on the sun facing slopes and a bit hard packed with icy patches on the sheltered slopes, especially as the temps didn't get above -6 today.
Basically a really nice day on the slopes, although would like some new snow. Looks like tomorrow afternoon onwards should give some nice new snow.
I added a few new pics which I took today.
Look closely at this photo, what can you see, that normally would not be there during the day?
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Niseko or Hakuba?
Those are the two that we keep on hearing about.
Which do you prefer and why?
Which do you prefer and why?
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Winter Olympics
Have we got any favourites, relatives, people we once bumped on the slopes that we should be rooting for?
Not sure of too many people in Australian team
Hope Chumpy can bring home the Gold and Of course Torah if she goes in Snowboarding
Not sure of too many people in Australian team
Hope Chumpy can bring home the Gold and Of course Torah if she goes in Snowboarding
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Cheeseman's "Cheese at Resorts" Gallery
This year I thought I would create a special "Cheese at Resorts" Gallery.
At the moment, myself along with Cheesewoman, Cheesegirl and Cheeseboy are at Nozawa Onsen in Nagano. Lovely place, but no good views yet as it has been snowing.
Anyway to start off my gallery, here's the gallery and some cheese in Nozawa. Just some run of the mill 'natural cheese' as they call it used to melt on pizzas etc. Not the most gourmet start....![wink]( "wink")
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/member_photo_gallery.php?userGallery=222
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Please upload any cheese at resort pics to SnowJapan and tag them as 'cheese at resort'. That way, they'll all be grouped together.
Thanks.
At the moment, myself along with Cheesewoman, Cheesegirl and Cheeseboy are at Nozawa Onsen in Nagano. Lovely place, but no good views yet as it has been snowing.
Anyway to start off my gallery, here's the gallery and some cheese in Nozawa. Just some run of the mill 'natural cheese' as they call it used to melt on pizzas etc. Not the most gourmet start....
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/member_photo_gallery.php?userGallery=222
Please upload any cheese at resort pics to SnowJapan and tag them as 'cheese at resort'. That way, they'll all be grouped together.
Thanks.
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Photos of Japanese ski resorts... taken from other skijo
As I was at Iwappara and Yuzawa Kogen today, I realised just how many skijo you can see in the area.
Thought it might be a good idea for a thread - photos of skijo taken from other skijo. Well I find it interesting anyway!
SJ-David kindly added a new public gallery on the Forums, so anyone can add photos to it.
When you upload photo via the Forums ('Gallery' link top right), just choose 'From one skijo to another' as the gallery. Simples!
Feel free to add photos if you like.
Anyway, here's some from today:
GALA Yuzawa from Yuzawa Kogen
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Kandatsu Kogen (closed this year) from Iwappara
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Kagura (Mitsumata on left, main runs on right) from Iwappara
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NASPA Ski Garden from Iwappara
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Ludens Yuzawa from Iwappara
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Yuzawa Nakazato from Iwappara
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Yuzawa Park from Iwappara
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Muikamachi Hakkaisan from Iwappara
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Kagura from Iwappara (left side of photo)
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Kayama Captain Coast (closed) from Iwappara
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Kagura (Mitsumata) from Yuzawa Kogen
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Kagura (main run) from Yuzawa Kogen
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Iwappara from Yuzawa Kogen
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Yuzawa Nakazato from Yuzawa Kogen
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Yuzawa Park from Yuzawa Kogen
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Muikamachi Hakkaisan from Yuzawa Kogen
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Kandatsu Kogen (closed this year) from Yuzawa Kogen
![Posted Image]()
Thought it might be a good idea for a thread - photos of skijo taken from other skijo. Well I find it interesting anyway!
SJ-David kindly added a new public gallery on the Forums, so anyone can add photos to it.
When you upload photo via the Forums ('Gallery' link top right), just choose 'From one skijo to another' as the gallery. Simples!
Feel free to add photos if you like.
Anyway, here's some from today:
GALA Yuzawa from Yuzawa Kogen
Kandatsu Kogen (closed this year) from Iwappara
Kagura (Mitsumata on left, main runs on right) from Iwappara
NASPA Ski Garden from Iwappara
Ludens Yuzawa from Iwappara
Yuzawa Nakazato from Iwappara
Yuzawa Park from Iwappara
Muikamachi Hakkaisan from Iwappara
Kagura from Iwappara (left side of photo)
Kayama Captain Coast (closed) from Iwappara
Kagura (Mitsumata) from Yuzawa Kogen
Kagura (main run) from Yuzawa Kogen
Iwappara from Yuzawa Kogen
Yuzawa Nakazato from Yuzawa Kogen
Yuzawa Park from Yuzawa Kogen
Muikamachi Hakkaisan from Yuzawa Kogen
Kandatsu Kogen (closed this year) from Yuzawa Kogen
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Half Pipes?
Did a search but couldn't find any recent info so starting a new thread, I hope you don't mind
Just wondering if anyone can help me work out where there are half pipes in Tohoku. I've never tried one before and keen to give it a go. Going up the sides of the runs at Appi isn't satisfying enough.
I think there's one at Nekoma, Fukushima? Can anyone help me out here?
Just wondering if anyone can help me work out where there are half pipes in Tohoku. I've never tried one before and keen to give it a go. Going up the sides of the runs at Appi isn't satisfying enough.
I think there's one at Nekoma, Fukushima? Can anyone help me out here?
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Kagura (Yuzawa, Niigata) - 28th January 2014
Early on this morning I thought I might regret not taking a trip to one of my targets that are a bit further away, such were the clear blue skies. But now at 3pm it's pretty grey and dull here in Muikamachi and had been clouding and getting quite overcast since late morning. It can change so quickly.
So I chose Kagura which is about 30 minutes drive. Hadn't been to Kagura for maybe 3 seasons. I really enjoyed it and was skiing for well over 4 hours which is a long time for me. Snow was ok, not brilliant, but surely the best in the area at the moment as it almost always is at Kagura. But fresh would be nice please.
The things I didn't like about Kagura are the same as always. The main one being it feels like it takes ages to get from the bottom of the ropeway to the first proper ski. About 50 minutes actually (Ropeway > quad lift > gondola > quad lift). But when I got to the skiing it was a lot of fun.
I'm still not enamoured with Kagura as a subject for photos though. The views north towards Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma weren't good today as it was quickly getting overcast and not clear at all. And as Kagura is so wide and open, there's not that much to take pics of. Not the kind that float the muika-boat anyway. Having said that, it is of course very lovely up there. Somehow I don't feel like whipping the camera out like I did at, say, Tenjindaira last week. Perhaps I should go to places like Tenjindaira later in the season, as it's hard to live up to!
So here's some photos and lines I saw
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So I chose Kagura which is about 30 minutes drive. Hadn't been to Kagura for maybe 3 seasons. I really enjoyed it and was skiing for well over 4 hours which is a long time for me. Snow was ok, not brilliant, but surely the best in the area at the moment as it almost always is at Kagura. But fresh would be nice please.
The things I didn't like about Kagura are the same as always. The main one being it feels like it takes ages to get from the bottom of the ropeway to the first proper ski. About 50 minutes actually (Ropeway > quad lift > gondola > quad lift). But when I got to the skiing it was a lot of fun.
I'm still not enamoured with Kagura as a subject for photos though. The views north towards Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma weren't good today as it was quickly getting overcast and not clear at all. And as Kagura is so wide and open, there's not that much to take pics of. Not the kind that float the muika-boat anyway. Having said that, it is of course very lovely up there. Somehow I don't feel like whipping the camera out like I did at, say, Tenjindaira last week. Perhaps I should go to places like Tenjindaira later in the season, as it's hard to live up to!
So here's some photos and lines I saw
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month long passes?
Hi
I am new to forum. Arriving in Japan this week for 12 days of riding. I have been researching but it is almost overwhelming the amount of resorts (so cool). My question is i like the month lift pass option at Hakkoda for my budget. Is there other resorts that have such a good deal?
Thanks a lot!
I am new to forum. Arriving in Japan this week for 12 days of riding. I have been researching but it is almost overwhelming the amount of resorts (so cool). My question is i like the month lift pass option at Hakkoda for my budget. Is there other resorts that have such a good deal?
Thanks a lot!
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Maiko Snow Resort (Minamiuonuma, Niigata) - 10th January 2014
We got about 30cm of snow overnight and today was due to be snow all day so I wasn't expecting to ski.
But as it was getting near lunchtime, the sun was shining through the window and golly gosh, blue skies all round!
Computer was turned off promptly and I made my way to Maiko Snow Resort.
It was a stunner of an afternoon.
Still some cloud around amongst the blue skies, but they added to the beautiful-ness of it all.
Snow was decent, but we still need more.
Not many people at all, the Okusoeji quad was very quiet. I got fed up of waiting to take pics of a chair with someone on it!
The kind of day that just makes me so happy to live in this place and be able to just take it all in.
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OK so I'll share some of it. Sorry there's lots and in no particular order - have tried to find some new angles, but my eye has this habit of taking me to the same spots, haha.
I've 'done' Maiko now this season so no more camera there.
Hoping to venture to some different places soon.
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Looking over to Ishiuchi Maruyama
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But as it was getting near lunchtime, the sun was shining through the window and golly gosh, blue skies all round!
Computer was turned off promptly and I made my way to Maiko Snow Resort.
It was a stunner of an afternoon.
Still some cloud around amongst the blue skies, but they added to the beautiful-ness of it all.
Snow was decent, but we still need more.
Not many people at all, the Okusoeji quad was very quiet. I got fed up of waiting to take pics of a chair with someone on it!
The kind of day that just makes me so happy to live in this place and be able to just take it all in.
OK so I'll share some of it. Sorry there's lots and in no particular order - have tried to find some new angles, but my eye has this habit of taking me to the same spots, haha.
I've 'done' Maiko now this season so no more camera there.
Hoping to venture to some different places soon.
Looking over to Ishiuchi Maruyama
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Snowboard Boots- Stiffness Preference
So I apparently broke a strap on the cheap snowboard boots I bought when I ate it hard and broke my snowboard (Shamless plug, check my blog!). While it is possible to resew it, my friend who would make the repair reccommends a new boot, and to keep these for backup.
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I don't want to shell out for new boots, though having a good boot is an extremely important part of the setup. Instead I sent home to have my old snowboard boots sent out. Since I borrowed them from a friend I never knew the specs on the boot, but found them today as 2007 DC Allegiance's. They were a top tier double boa boot with an extremely stiff feel.
Thinking back, they were pretty hard to just walk around in, especially compared to the boots I have now, which just feel like oversize boots and are super soft. (I think I have issues with heel lift honestly)
Background aside, I wanted to know if anyone preferred a soft boot or one with medium flex even after their skills progressed further with many years of riding. Friends I talked to locally said they got a medium flex boot then got stiffer ones once they got the basics down.
What did you guys do?
I don't want to shell out for new boots, though having a good boot is an extremely important part of the setup. Instead I sent home to have my old snowboard boots sent out. Since I borrowed them from a friend I never knew the specs on the boot, but found them today as 2007 DC Allegiance's. They were a top tier double boa boot with an extremely stiff feel.
Thinking back, they were pretty hard to just walk around in, especially compared to the boots I have now, which just feel like oversize boots and are super soft. (I think I have issues with heel lift honestly)
Background aside, I wanted to know if anyone preferred a soft boot or one with medium flex even after their skills progressed further with many years of riding. Friends I talked to locally said they got a medium flex boot then got stiffer ones once they got the basics down.
What did you guys do?
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Zao Onsen (Yamatata) 2013-2014
Some pics from Zao this season, will do my best!
Last few days the snow has arrived.
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Last few days the snow has arrived.
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Tanigawadake Tenjindaira (Minakami, Gunma) - 24th January 2014
I have had my eye on today since earlier this week as it was always looking like it would clear up and be fab weather.
The question was.... where to go.
I found myself on the Kanetsu this morning going over to Minakami and the fantastically awesomely beautiful surroundings of Tanigawa, along with the always annoying ski-jo that is Tanigawadake Tenjindaira.
I'll put the rant in spoilers, as lots of it is similar to last year. And the year before. But it needs to be said!
So, fantastic blue skies this morning. Lots of 'ants' walking up the mountain. Yes, it's just beautiful up there.
In no particular order, all taken from within the skijo area.
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The question was.... where to go.
I found myself on the Kanetsu this morning going over to Minakami and the fantastically awesomely beautiful surroundings of Tanigawa, along with the always annoying ski-jo that is Tanigawadake Tenjindaira.
I'll put the rant in spoilers, as lots of it is similar to last year. And the year before. But it needs to be said!
So, fantastic blue skies this morning. Lots of 'ants' walking up the mountain. Yes, it's just beautiful up there.
Spoiler
And of course, he's slow. So it's 9:15am before I can get on the gondola. I just missed one and so needed to wait 2 hours for the next one. Well, a few minutes. Blimey they only have a few gondolas going at the same time. And of course, it's ridiculously slow and I completed a novel and read a few books on the journey. Get up top and it's already past 9:30am. I see the main pair lift is still not open but see that the lift far left is moving so ski down to that lift. 'Mada desu'. Not open yet. We aren't sure when it will open, they said, so please use that lift up there... you know, the one you have to walk up to over there. Why are you so late in opening? Well, we staff only get up here 15 minutes before you do! I decided not to suggest that perhaps the staff could get up there earlier to prepare, but decided that it must just be a ridiculous concept. I saw quite a few people ski down to that lift like I did only to have to walk back up the slope to get the lift that was actually moving. No sign at all saying the lift was not open yet.In no particular order, all taken from within the skijo area.
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Japan's most famous snow icon - the Emergency Telephone Box 13/14 (Yuzawa, Niigata)
We missed the snowfall the other day but there's still a bit hanging around the base of the famous telephone box.
A rainy day here today, but I noticed that last year's thread was also started on 15th November.
May the box be completely covered this year.
(For newcomers, last year's fantastic and thoroughly exciting thread is here)
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A rainy day here today, but I noticed that last year's thread was also started on 15th November.
May the box be completely covered this year.
(For newcomers, last year's fantastic and thoroughly exciting thread is here)
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'Straya Day!
It looks like some people decided to celebrate Australia Day this year by scrawling graffiti all over a Bob Marley mural at the Master Braster bar in Hakuba.
Not cool.
Not cool.
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SR : HokkaidOH! 2013/14
SR : HokkaidOH! 2013/14
DAY 1 : THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2013
21 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ (Mike's Quarters, in Higashiyama)
It's that time of the year again.
Local photographer Glen Claydon and Sam Kerr of Niseko Xtreme Tours got first tracks of the season way back on 09 November, but then the warm wind and the rain came and washed most of it away.
The 23 November Opening Day at Grand Hirafu was cancelled and rescheduled for 30 November.
I arrived back on Fantasy Island yesterday afternoon and the snowfall had returned. In spades.
After settling in at the cabin and shovelling the day's snow it was out for Ian MacKenzie's 40th birthday.
Dinner at Niseko Pizza with owner Cezar, Brian from Niseko Ski Academy and Mick from Niseko Cellars, followed by drinks at Niseko Cellars.
Cracking night.
Last season's words, pictures & video can be found here:
SR : Shiribeshi Stories, Hokkaido 2012/13
http://www.snowjapan...okkaido-201213/
DAY 2 : FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2013
23 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ
As of today 116 cm (46") has fallen in the Niseko Resort Area
Another good fall overnight and a solid couple of hours shovelling all around the house getting after it before it gets out of control.
Went to the Dragon Bistro & Bar opening party in J-Sekka this evening, a return to Hirafu for the restaurant.
Japanese Italian fusion with a celebrated chef from Sapporo.
The local businesses try to outdo each other with the most colourful floral gift
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Looking forward to sampling dinner.
Snowing as I type and Opening Day for Grand Hirafu is scheduled for 8.30 tomorrow.
Let's hope it's as good as last season's opening day
Nikki Langley, Opening Day 23 November 2012
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DAY 1 : THURSDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2013
21 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ (Mike's Quarters, in Higashiyama)
It's that time of the year again.
Local photographer Glen Claydon and Sam Kerr of Niseko Xtreme Tours got first tracks of the season way back on 09 November, but then the warm wind and the rain came and washed most of it away.
The 23 November Opening Day at Grand Hirafu was cancelled and rescheduled for 30 November.
I arrived back on Fantasy Island yesterday afternoon and the snowfall had returned. In spades.
After settling in at the cabin and shovelling the day's snow it was out for Ian MacKenzie's 40th birthday.
Dinner at Niseko Pizza with owner Cezar, Brian from Niseko Ski Academy and Mick from Niseko Cellars, followed by drinks at Niseko Cellars.
Cracking night.
Last season's words, pictures & video can be found here:
SR : Shiribeshi Stories, Hokkaido 2012/13
http://www.snowjapan...okkaido-201213/
DAY 2 : FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2013
23 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ
As of today 116 cm (46") has fallen in the Niseko Resort Area
Another good fall overnight and a solid couple of hours shovelling all around the house getting after it before it gets out of control.
Went to the Dragon Bistro & Bar opening party in J-Sekka this evening, a return to Hirafu for the restaurant.
Japanese Italian fusion with a celebrated chef from Sapporo.
The local businesses try to outdo each other with the most colourful floral gift
Looking forward to sampling dinner.
Snowing as I type and Opening Day for Grand Hirafu is scheduled for 8.30 tomorrow.
Let's hope it's as good as last season's opening day
Nikki Langley, Opening Day 23 November 2012
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Giveaways feedback
Hey SJ, I thought this was better in it's own thread rather than in one of the Giveaways posts but...... how's feedback on the Giveaways?
Winners posting reports and photos yet?
I have yet to win.![:doh:]()
Winners posting reports and photos yet?
I have yet to win.
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