Hokkaido= Lots of Pow & Little Light

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The skiing has settled down a little here in Niseko the last week after a furious start. We skied the remnants of the last system surrounding the hill, mostly touring off of Moiwa. I would go so far to claim that Moiwa accesses the most slackcountry terrain for such a small lift ever. At least in my experience. In comparison to the mega 3 of An'nupri, Niseko and Hirafu within a stones throw from Moiwa, Moiwa offers the best bang for your buck and the resort manager even invited us back to his place to his private onsen. Not as wierd as some of you might be smirking about. The Japanese are so generous and friendly that you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

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Commitment to Something

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Stevie snapped this picture on the bus to the Hirafu ski hill yesterday. It is a Japanese boy doing his algebra homework in the condensation of the bus window. In down town Tokyo, I might not think twice, but on a bus bound for a ski resort, I really don't know what to make of this. Whatever I think about it is really beside the point, but for the record, I think it's great.

Sushi Extravaganza

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Yesterday became a day off pretty quickly as neither Stevie nor I woke the other up. The weather was meant to get warm, and did, meaning yesterday was the last good day before the next storm, but we just didn't make it. The Sweetgrass crew essentially had an easy day also despite getting up to 4am to try and catch the sunrise, only to be back in bed by 7am. So, with so much time and many mouths to feed, we all threw in 1000YEN and bought supplies for a family dinner.

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The Swayzator

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This is a little gem of absurdity a friend, Forrest Coots, sent my way. For those of you wondering what it is, this mythical creature is "The Swayzator". Obvioiusly. The Swayzator is half Patrick Swayze, half minotaur.

Forrest, a skier, and his friend on the US snowboard team have a bet that whoever folds on living the dream riding, and gets a real job with a suit and tie and thinks "Office Space", that person will have to get a Swayzator tattooed on their body.

The Swayzator pictured is tattoed on someones calf for all and sundry to see, and fear. There is so much going on in this peice of art that what stands out the most to my critical eye is the rainbow tieing it all together.

And the cufflinks...

First day skiing in Japan= 60cms

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We opened our powder account today at a small resort, Niseko-Moiwa. Lastnight brought a full 60cms of blower pow, but it was blown around by equally copious amounts of wind. The resort has 2 small lifts, one of which was closed. We paid our 350yen for a one lift and went and toured the steeped pitch we could find. We had the place to ourselves while people poled across the flats below. Backcountry quite literally in country. But a picture tells a thousand words and a short video a few more.

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Hello from Japan

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So we made it after an epic flight. I never actually realised that Hong Kong was quite a ways west of Japan. Our flight from Vancouver stopped over in Hong Kong before heading half way back to Vancouver. Kind of the long way around, but since we are headed to India, I guess our ticket is a return from Van to Delhi with a detour to Japan.

Point being, we made it. More updates to come.

Mid-Winter Blues

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Mid-winter blues kicked in a little while ago. What are midwinter-blues? Its that feeling when you have skied more powder than your legs can handle, it isn't snowing 10cms everyday, and people you know are dieing in the mountains. Thats the blues. But one bluebird day in the gloomy, overcast heart of winter can be like overdosing on Prozac.

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Dakine Concourse Double Wheeled Ski Bag- REVIEW

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The Concourse Double wheeled ski bag from Dakine is the mother of all ski bags. This bag will fit all you need for the ski trip of a life time. Your only issue is keeping the weight down to check it at the airport. I dragged mine around the world this winter and put it through its paces and lived to tell the tale. Check out the many pros, and occasional con of the Concourse Double.

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Black Diamond O1 Telemark Binding Review VIDEO

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The O1 Telemark Touring Binding from Black Diamond raises the bar to a new level for freeheelers. A free-pivot touring mode for more efficiency and energy at the top, compliments the beefiest binding BD have built for the downhill. This binding does change the ideas of what you should expect from a telemark binding. Read on to get into the nuts of bolts of the O1 and watch the video review.

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Black Diamond Factor Review VIDEO

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You have heard about it and the idea impresses you, but is the new line of boots from Black Diamond, and the “hard charging” Factor in particular, all it is cracked up to be? After putting these boots through a gamut of conditions across the world, I think it is pretty fair to declare the Factor a revolution in alpine skiing. Not back country skiing, but alpine. You heard me.

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