Shredding Trees

Today was a really nice day from a short-term perspective, with calm and sunny skies. After a short run under a lift, forbidden though it is, it was time to do a hike to check out the possibilities. Guests are arriving soon, and we've been working hard to find out the conditions at various places and the resorts around Myoko.

Hiking is part of the the planned package, and it's also usually a very nice outing even when the skiing is so-so.

We waited a day on purpose in order to avoid doing first tracks uphill in quite a bit of fresh snow, and that paid off. Sort of. There were tracks, but they were really tough to follow because the tacks were really short and steep. Also, the undergrowth which should be covered with snow was not, so it was a bit of a fight at times to get up.

Linus enjoying the sun, at least.

The plan was also to take some nice pictures to show that there's some good skiing to be had here (which there is) but today was perhaps not the best day after all, weather notwithstanding. Still we did get some nice views.

The view is nice from above.

After about 50 minutes we were up at the local peak, still below the treeline, but about 350 meters above from where we started. I'm still impressed we made such good time considering the difficulties we had in getting up. This is no place we want to take guests we agreed. At this time we had not started the descent yet.

It went from bad to worse. The descent actually took 90 minutes! Here's why:

Linus doing Japow! This is going down, really.

The descent was really terrible, there was so much undergrowth a machete would have been better than poles. At one time as I was stuck in a real trap I actually considered taking the backpack off and getting a knife out to carve my way out of trouble! Finally the twine broke, but it was tricky for a while.

This was a day of real tree shredding, literally. Some days, you only get to do one run, but if the run is right...

After this, we relaxed with a nice onsen and now we're getting ready for new years eve, although neither of us really are that much in a new years mood. Perhaps it'll change with bit of Sake or Shōchū.

Day Trip to Suginohara

Since the Akakura area is currently very limited in where we can ski due to the side country being rather limited and lack of snow, we decided to go to the neighboring system Suginohara. It's a bit higher, but most of it is rather flat which is why it boasts it has the longest piste in Japan.

On the bus to Suginohara

Unfortunately there's even less snow in Suginohara, and while it certainly looks promising in better times, we decided to get out rather quickly and in the end just spent about an hour there. It's really too bad but what can we do?

We had a quick lunch, actually the lunch was quick but the wait was really really long. We waited probably 45 minutes for some chicken on rice. Things are rather unpredictable here in Japan, the dinner for example on the other hand was on the table after perhaps 2 minutes. Go figure.

Did some more skiing around the Akakura Onsen highest lift which was now open, and once again we see some possibilities when there's a bit more snow. I don't really know what happened but when we decided enough for the day, Linus took off and I followed. Down to the furthermost lift of the system, not really close to home. Instead of taking the lift back and sliding over to home, we took a 2km walk back so at least I got some exercise and worked up a sweat today too. Not the best plan for getting home I guess, but it got us there.

Walking home. Linus ahead a bit.

There's really something about a winter resort with hot springs. It's humid, about 100% humidity in the air which makes it feel really cold. Also, all the public spaces inside the hotel have very limited heating, and the windows are really not up to comparison with a Swedish triple-glass insulating window to say the least. After dinner I was sitting in the lobby using the Internet, and wore just about all clothes I have, including beanie with a fleece hoodie up, a second fleece, three more layers and long johns to top it up. I do get very cold sitting still, but this is ridiculous!

Snow and Noodles

So now I've finally skied in Japan. However it seems to be my destiny to hit the winter of the century, in the wrong way, wherever I go. Last year in Italy was terrible as a winter, although of course I did have lots of fantastic skiing.

This year in Japan we're missing a base of perhaps 2-3 meters that should have been here now. There is snow, but since we're mostly skiing below the tree line the undergrowth that should have been buried is not which makes some parts impassable and others tricky.

Today was a relatively short day on the slopes, checking out the Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko systems and noting that a lot of skiing that should have been good was hard or impossible to get at. We did have an option to hike above the lifts, but we really did not feel like making tracks in 60 cm of new snow all the way, so we're hoping someone else will do the hard work for us in a day or two. The plan for tomorrow is to visit Myoko Suginohara and see what it has to offer for us and our guests.

Our primary job in Japan will of course to be provide the best possible skiing and service to the Active Ski guests arriving shortly, and then for a total of 4 groups. I'm here with Linus, who for the first part of the season will be the primary guide since he knows the area, and I do not. Yet. That will soon change!

Since Linus also is fluent in Japanese, the communication is easier, and we're also doing some immersing into the onsen culture, which are the warm baths Myoko is also famous for. They are heated naturally and the water is according to Japanese standards of excellent quality which means there's quite a high content of sulphur in the water.

The food is of course also great, and we've had various kinds of ramen soups as well as rice based meals. The breakfast was a bit of a surprise, it was an excellent buffet of many, many kinds of Japanese dishes both warm and cold. Not a traditional continental breakfast, but I liked it. At home I stick to a lacto ovo vegetarian diet with a few exceptions, but I early on made a decision to relax that a bit while in Japan. It's simply not really possible to be strict with that, not only because I don't speak Japanese. More, it's a case of lost in translation in the sense that the concept just doesn't really translate. Sure, they do have some vegetarian dishes, but you'll never know just what was put in the bouillon for example, because they don't see the point in keeping it strictly vegetarian. I do try to stay off the pork and beef though by not choosing dishes where this is advertised as a main ingredient.

Best so far was a small family run Udon place, which is managed by the same couple since about 1987. Udon is a typically thick wheat noodle, served in a broth with various additions. To drink with that, plum liquor of course! Really tasty and very nice with hot soup when it's really humid and chilly in the air. Also, restaurants here serve simple but great food but the buildings are not quite up to the standards we're used to. No real doors, and single pane windows that don't really shut that close either. In some places it's quite cold inside the houses in fact.

Linus is trying out the Plum liquor

Days of Snow - Reboot

Last year, I did my first full season as a skier, in Italy totally pretty much exactly 100 days of snow.

Unfortunately, that was not enough. So this year, I'm going east for 40+ days of snow in Japan. Although I had some amazing skiing last year, by far the best of my life, I did manage to hit perhaps the worst snow-year in at least 25 years in Italy. My luck is not with me this year either, the start of the season in Japan has been terrible, it's all the El Ninos fault. I should have gone west.

Previously I did this blog in Swedish, but now it feels right to go international. Hoping for some great non-Swedish-speaking friends in the far east. Sorry Swedes, but you're all almost native English speakers anyway.

Writing this, I'm on the flight from Copenhagen to Narita, Tokyo and just hoping my skis made it as well. I'll be working as an on-site guide for Active Ski as well this year.

It's hard to explain the call of the mountains, even to myself, but as I found myself in Italy doing things that were really far out of my comfort zone (that's an understatement) and really enjoying it this is stepping it up a notch. I'm both apprehensive and really excited to arrive and start exploring new mountains as well as the extended responsibilities in riding with guests in the side- and backcountry.

I feel pretty well prepared though, especially after 6 of perhaps the most grueling days in a long time in Åre, attending the Avalanche Technician training there. Safety is after all paramount, and now I have quite a bit of experience as well as some top notch training. Looking forward to digging some snow pits. Brought along my snow kit with saw, thermometer, magnifying glass, raster and everything.

Still on the plane, tomorrow we'll arrive at the Myoko-Kogen resort me and the lead guide Linus who is to introduce me to the area before the guests arrive. In just under two days I'll be able to report from the slopes of Mt. Myoko-san.

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