#snowtrips

Pow Pow Pow Pow Pow 70cms and its still snowing, hang on let me just re-wind a bit to yesterday when we arrived in Myoko.

We where picked up at the train station by Mitch a guy with a very familiar accent. On the way to the hotel Mitch gave us the low down about the little ski town known as Myoko. Where to drink (beers, lots of beers), where to eat and what parts of the mountain are good for what. The room we where invited in to was as traditional Japanese as it gets, a small table to kneel at and futon beddings laid out next to each other on the floor…..

Next thing we know we are on snow! Night riding at Akakura Onsen. $15 pass and let the shred begin! A couple of hours later I have smashed my hip and Benny has taken a rail straight to the pelvis and given himself a hysterectomy. Classic. We go to bed licking our wounds and praying for snow…

Ok back to where I started. The snow gods have smiled on us. We wake up to 25cm’s and it keeps coming. The crew scramble to get the gear sorted and we are frothing at the snow that we are seeing on these hills. Now Im being completely honest with you… THE MOST SNOW I HAVE EVER SEEN. This observation comes from living in the Canadian Rockies for 7 years. The snow quality is some of the best I have ever seen too, super light and dry all you need is a snorkel! Bottomless snow and tracks being refilled between runs made for an EPIC first day of shredding and you still can’t wipe the smile off our faces! If you don't believe me check out the pics.

A quick Onsen for the tired muscles… mainly our cheek muscles from the big grins all day. Couple of beers then off to bed for a day at Suginahara tomorrow. We awoke to the snow still falling in drizzles and looking like it was going to clear. Once we hit the mountain we where blessed with another amazing day of fresh pow but with a slight difference…. 

It was a BLUE BIRD POW DAY. Those cheek bones are going to be sore again! I love this Country!

Face shots, tree runs, face shots, go pro footage, face shots, cornice drops, face shots, cliff drops and face shots. Yep we still had fresh turns at last lifts. It was amazing. Words cant describe cart wheels in the fresh stuff. It was a perfect combination of fun laps and epic pow day.

Beer.Onsen.Beer.Repeat again tomorrow.

Shakas

 As we sat at the airport drinking 8:30 am beers watching Ricky, Del and Marty scramble to buy exiting tickets from japan the prospect of getting on the flight for 8 hours was getting exciting. Famous quote comes to mind, “adventure begins when things go wrong”

After Tickets where purchased, next thing we know we are in the air sipping on beers en-route to the land of the rising sun.

After arriving in Narita airport  and picking up our bags, Our Japanese ambassador Kimi sent us a message saying “ its completely legal to drink on the trains, so grab some beers and ill see you soon” along with directions on how to navigate the rabbits warren of the Tokyo train system.

Kimi and his wife Miyu welcomed us in true Japanese style beers and Ski movies! Kimi grew up skiing the Japanese alps from the age of 4 and knows the mountains of Myoko like the back of his hand. A true locals eye when it comes to powder spots! 

Ramen, Rain & Trains. Tokyo was a blur. An amazing city which we felt welcomed and safe. With Kimi’s wife Miyu as our tour guide we were covering some serious ground. First stop Shiboya crossing!. The iconic Tokyo crosswalk. A trip to Tokyo was not complete until we hit the games arcade. Followed by hands down the most mouth watering, indulgent, tantric Ramen any of us have ever had!

Next stop was Ogowamachi the snowboard shop district. I have never seen so snow shops in one spot anywhere in the world. I couldn't help myself, bright lights and fluro colours…. I bought another board. 

After browsing the shops in Ogowamachi we grabbed some beers. KAMPAI! (surprise surprise) and jumped on the train back to Kimi and Miyu’s place for some traditional Takoyaki (octopus balls. yes they have balls!) A few bottles of Sake under the belt and huge grins on our faces we drifted off to sleep on our futon beds and dreamt of snow!  

As we write this we are on the shinkasen (bullet train) the morning after the sake on our way out to Myoko for our first glimpse of that white fluffy stuff. 

Akakura night skiing is on the cards….