Category: Skiing

Niseko Powder!!! Japan Day Three

January 16th, 2009

Storm totals this morning were in the 80 cm range.  That’s almost a meter of snow in two days. 

We woke up early and had breakfast around our modest home.  It’s interesting here in the mornings with 7 people trying to eat in a small living space.

Roommates Anthony Bonello and Stephen Brawn enjoying some fruit salad and bran cereal breakfast.

After loading up the van with 8 people, 3 movie cameras, 1 still camera, backcountry packs, skis and snowboards (it’s a challenge everyday), we headed back to the same zone we hit up yesterday. 

I always tuck myself into the corner of the bus, sandwiched between broad shouldered ski dudes and tons of equipment.

It wasn’t snowing nearly as hard today so I actually got to see some of the sights around.  It is beautiful here.  The mountains here are all inactive volcanoes but the air smells of sulfur.

Here you can kind of see the peak behind the cloud.  We had about 30 minutes of blue sky today, the rest of the day it continued to snow.

JT Robinson got in last night bringing the number of people in our 6 bedroom apartments to 11 or 12, I can’t remember.

I’m stoked on my hiking steeze.  I’ve been using my scarf as a headwrap.  And the Roxy Mumbo Jumbo skis are awesome to skin on!  They are like big, floaty snowshoes on the skin trails.

The bootpack

Sweet grass productions director Nick Waggoner and photographer Mike Brown setting up the shot.

JT ripping it up Niseko style

The only other skier besides our group I saw today.  He was stoked!  I tried to speak in Japanese with him and quickly realized how poor my Japanese is.

My new goggles!  Love the lenses.

Forrest Coots and Mike Brown hi-fiving after a great day.

After skiing we stopped by this board shop where this guy Taro shapes surf and snowboards.

Taro showing off his latest creation.

Taro showed off some of his photos and we looked at Japanese surf and snow magazines.  It was so cool to walk into a shop in the middle of another country and have the same vibe, the unspoken bond between loves of snow and surf. 

We finished the day with burgers and beers at Jojos in Niseko.  I finally got to take a long shower and wash out the hand soap I accidentally washed my hair with at the hot springs yesterday.

More pow and pics tomorrow.

Posted in Film & Photography, Skiing, Travel, Uncategorized

Japan Day Two

January 15th, 2009

Day two: Woke up to 50+ cm of new snow. 

Here is what the Niseko Snow Report said

Having spent the last 5 seasons here I’ve seen some big snowfalls and last night was right up there with some of the biggest. There’s been at least 50cm of actual falling snow, it’s still snowing heavily and this should continue throughout the day. We should easily see the top of the mountain crack the 3m mark today.

We decided to go for a little hike in the woods.  It was one of the deepest days of my life.

Literally up to my neck deep. 

After a really long day rallying with frozen food and frozen water, we went to the hot springs.  I was so excited to go until I realized they were not coed and I had to sit in the springs by myself while the boys laughed and drank beer across the fence.

Japan is fun, but I’m in a man’s world.  I wish I could bring the ripping Roxy possee here.

The hot spring was so cool!!! 

It’s interesting here.   I’m having a good time but it is mentally tiring to be on an opposite time schedule.  But I got to check out some of the photos and videos from the Sweetgrass guys and they were SICK!  So onto day 3…I hope I can sleep tonight.

Posted in Film & Photography, Skiing, Travel, Uncategorized

Japan Day One

January 14th, 2009

Today, I was awaken early by the many roommates I have in this small, Japanese apartment.  I made my bed and have been sleeping in the closet.

It’s actually quite comfortable. I can completely spread out and shield myself from the noise and the light in the morning.

I made breakfast today with instant oatmeal from the US mixed with green tea, since the water pot had been used to make tea.  After a leisurely morning, we headed to the mountain which is about 10 minutes away from our apartment and shredded Grand Hirafu at Niseko for the afternoon and evening.

Here are the guys loading up the car.

Karate kid.  Check out the massive snowbank behind me.

There is a ton of snow here and it was snowing most of the day.

Here is Yuki, our translator and guide, and he is a rockstar.

The van was quite full as you can see. 

The signs here are so funny (along with many other aspects of Japanese life like the toilets).  This one says:

"Miharashi Course, Advanced ungroomed areas (Adbanced skiers only)"

Here’s Adam one of the skiers on our trip ripping though the Japanese Pow.

Here’s what the lodge serves at the resort.  Fried Shrimp and vegetables atop Udon noodles.  YUMMY!

Here’s our gang at dinner.  So good.

Grilled squid.  Delicious or Oishii.

Finally, here’s a package of food that I thought was so cute.

Tomorrow we are getting up early to film and go for a ski tour.  I’m exhausted from the jet leg and feel yucky.  More tomorrow…

Posted in Film & Photography, Skiing, Travel, Uncategorized

Japan

January 13th, 2009

So I’m here in Niseko after a really long day of time traveling.  I left Salt Lake on the 12th at 8:30 in the morning and got to my final destination on the 14th.

My adventure started yesterday at 5:30 in the morning when I woke up to catch my flight to San Francisco.

Here are some pictures of me trying to organize 18 days worth of ski stuff:

 

From San Francisco, I flew in to the Narita airport in Tokyo.  I had a nice and talkative young man from Mexico sitting next to me and it made the 10 hour flight go by fast. 

I was very tired when I snapped this shot at the airport.

I finally got into Narita at 4pm Japanese time, cleared customs and had time to make it to the mall to buy a DC plug adapter.  Then, I checked in for my domestic flight from Tokyo to Sapporo.

Japan is confusing!  Here was one of my challenges: trying to figure out how to use the toilet.  There is a button on the control that says "flushing sound" and it just makes the noise of a flush.  Strange but after talking to some Japanese people, I figured out it was used when people are going number 2 and don’t want others to hear the "Kerplunk" noise.

Arrived in Sapporo at 8:30 pm and got the last shuttle to Niseko.  After a 2.5 hr. shuttle ride through the mountains, I made it to the apartment.

Here’s me in Niseko.  Very tired with a lot of ski gear.

The view from the apartment:

Here is our kitchen set up:

Here’s our computer corner.

We’re just getting ready to go skiing!  It is dumping here.  There is a ton of snow.  I will update with more photos from skiing and from the unique living situation we have here later.

Posted in Film & Photography, Skiing, Travel, Uncategorized

Jackson

December 22nd, 2008

Just got home from my first trip to Jackson to check out the brand new tram for this year.

 

Posted in Salt Lake City, Skiing, Travel, Uncategorized