Oops!

I thought I would take Ross out on a drive to the country and do a little 4x4ing.  What started out as a casual afternoon drive upstream near Eniwa, ended in a complete disaster.  I've got to thank Shane for driving out and finding us on the side of the highway in all that darkness.  Also, big thanks to Yusei for driving me back out there the next day with shovels and a winch to rescue my poor Jimny.  Unfortunately, some jerk decided to steal my toolbox before I got back there.  >_<  Lesson learned here: always go with your gut and never listen to the passenger!

Before & After

Before and after!  Now that the snowboard season is over, I thought it would be a good time to give the Jimny (who was so reliable transporting me around Hokkaido this past winter) a well deserved new skin.  I had some wild colour ideas but in the end I decided on matte olive green.  I think it turned out nice!

DallaSnowfinder #009 - Nakayama Toge

Every time I drive past Nakayama on my way to Rusutsu or Niseko, I wonder what the powder is like.  The elevation is very high and offers the longest season as a result.  Well, the 10 cm of dry snow was certainly appreciated after a recent warming trend that saw places like Teine lose 40+ cm of snow due to rain.  Even Niseko wasn't sparred the wet stuff.  Very uncharacteristic of Hokkaido.  If I was to describe Nakayama Toge in one word it would be "ghetto".  One out of three lifts working and a board park that looks like they were just looking for somewhere to dump snow after plowing the road.  It didn't really matter because Chiharu, Yoshiko and I still managed to enjoy a few beers in-between wind storms.  We'll be back at Nakayama for Yakiniku in late spring.  Thats what this place is really all about.

DallaSnowfinder #008 - Mount Racey

I haven't gone riding with the Mojane Snowboard Shop Crew since last spring so it was a nice surprise when everybody showed up at Mount Racey today.  We took over the slopes and what a sight it must have been to see forty or so snowboarders bombing down the hill at the same time, hitting every bump, drop and carving every wall on our decent.  As far as I could tell there was 0 cm of new snow to report, but it was of no concern.  The vibe was good and the show of talent from everyone was a real treat.  Thanks to Nakaji and Shota for inviting me.  I'm really looking forward to another Mojane Spring Session in March!

DallaSnowfinder #007 - Alpha Resort Tomamu

I've been looking forward to riding at Tomamu all season.  The lack of customers, mostly due to location,  made staying in my 21st floor hotel room very affordable.  Plus there is no lift lines!  This place is known for being extremely cold, so you know the 15+ cm of new snow that fell the night before was nice and dry.  I tried to enjoy everything that the resort had to offer including the buffet dinner, Ice Village and Japan's biggest indoor wave pool and a jet bath with over 550 jets.  My 1 night stay was just too short.  You really need to stay at least 2 nights to explore the whole resort and mountain terrain.  I'll go to Tomamu again next year for sure.  Hopefully the new owners of the resort can speed up those chairlifts!

DallaSnowfinder #006 - Bankei

Normally I don't ride at Bankei because it isn't very challenging and the few steep runs they have are mogul fields.   Today was alright.  No lift lines and 10+ cm of new dry powder, still not enough to fill in those monster moguls, so I tried to stay off course.  Last year my good friend Manabu showed me a cat track that starts at the top and follows the backside of the mountain all the way around to the bottom.  I guess they only use it to maintain the electrical towers that are scattered all over the mountain because it was really powdery.  The track is also a lot of fun cuz you can carve up and down the wall on the right all the way down.  Bankei is just too small but its nice if I'm feeling lazy because its only ten minutes from my apartment.

DallaSnowfinder #005 - Sapporo Kokusai

January 30, 2009
I woke up later than usual today because it was mostly clear and sunny and Sapporo Kokusai only received about 10+ cm so I wasn't in a huge hurry.  This would have been an excellent day for hiking into the backcountry however, I was riding solo today so it wasn't a good idea plus I don't know the area well enough yet.  There's plenty of other areas at Kokusai that I do know about after riding with Ryuta, Hidez, Yusei, Jiro, and Yoshiko last season.  So I hit up one of those spots.  No surprise that only one other person had been there before me.  It was almost 11:00 am.   So I carved it up in there for the rest of the morning and called it a day.

DallaSnowfinder #004 - Teine Highland

January 21, 2009

Welcome to Teine!

My apartment is just 40 minutes from the Teine Highland parking lot.  Its a great place to go for some early morning turns if you have to work in the afternoon or evening.  When I go to Teine, its all about the backcountry area.  Although the backcountry courses are short, those cascading valleys are spilling fluffy white powder all over their edges.  On really big snow days, such as this one where Teine received 40+ cm, I like to take it into the trees as the landscape in some parts just looks alien.

DallaSnowfinder #003 - Kiroro Snow World

January 18, 2009

Kiroro Snow World is just that - a world of snow.  Kiroro claims to get the most snow in Hokkaido and with a seasonal snowfall of between 9 - 13 meters, it is quickly becoming one of Japan's most popular resorts.  Kiroro also has one of the longest courses in Japan stretching 4 km.

An overnight powdering of 25+ cm made this another picture perfect day.  I highly recommend the steep tree runs, accompanied by sudden drops and small chutes.  A true thrill ride.

DallaSnowfinder #002 - Rusutsu

January 14, 2009

This place is just awesome.  Spread across three peaks, Rusutsu has enough terrain to keep you entertained for days, if not a week or more.  I experienced the best powder conditions of my life here last season when a storm dumped 70+ cm overnight, then allowed a little sun to poke through just as I arrived in the parking lot.  The fact that I arrived at all is a miracle.  Big ups to Masa for getting me there safe!

While this seasons first trip to Rusutsu was not quite as epic as last season, Shane and I still enjoyed  25+ cm of fresh powder on the day.

DallaSnowfinder #001 - Chisenupuri

January 12, 2009

What a great way to start off my '09 snowboard season!  40+ cm at my secret powder paradise known as Chise.  Epic tree runs and no lift lines!  Perhaps it's the smell of sulphur rising into the air from a nearby hot spring, following  you up the lone chair lift, that keeps the masses from chewing up all the powder before noon.

This is also a great place to bring your snowshoes as Chise is surrounded by two tree-less peaks just waiting to be scared up by first tracks.