And goes on...

Quick snap from 7.30am this morning. Snow all night and now masses around. To the mountains we go, if we can get up there...

Big Snow Begun

The forecasters promised it, and it came. It was cold and overcast this morning with nothing on the ground in our car park. The snow began lightly at 7am and tried on and off to get going for a couple of hours before the heavens opened and the snow came hammering down.

We've shovelled the stairs a couple of times in the last four hours but it's now ankle deep in most places.

Tomorrow is going to be a beauty on the hill but so too is the party tonight in the bar. Decisions, decisions...

Suit of the Day

One of the beauties of holiday periods at any ski resort around the world is that the choice suits get their yearly airing. Spotting and recording these sitings is a pet hobby of ours and we love to share our discoveries. There was some stiff competition yesterday but we managed to narrow it down to one winner.

This particular ensemble won it for the garish mix of flouros as well as the great use of accessories. Bonus points were awarded for the use of a bum bag/fanny pack, retro race gloves and blade-like short skis - attention to detail is important in this category.

Fluoro is no longer the shoe-in it once was. It's been decidedly back in fashion over the last two seasons so the old retro combos don't stand out as much as they used to - something to bear in mind if you are intending on making our Top Ten for this winter.

If you see a contender this season send us a snapshot and we'll add it to the gallery.

You cannot be serious?

I'm not sure if this is an elaborate joke or a piece of art, but outside our lunch restaurant today someone had gone to the trouble of chaining up their snowblades.

If there is a blade klepto on the loose I really think we should take pity on the lunatic.

Boxing Day at Houdaigi

Beautiful day up the mountain today and hardly anyone around. Surprising given the fact it is a Saturday, but we're not complaining.

The groomed slopes are in good condition at the moment so we spent the day just blasting around.

The perfect way to recover from Christmas Day.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Blue skies today after the incessant snow of the last few days. A welcome break for some, as they get to start on the chore that is snow clearing. Something about snow on cars that really makes you realise how much has fallen. Some of the instructors up in Yuzawa snapped some good ones this morning.

That's quite a bit of extra weight on top and it's not uncommon in a big snow year to see cars that have been left for the season to have burst tyres and collapsed roofs.

Snow is dumping in Minakami!

The snow started falling in Minakami last Friday and has not relented! Last night we received another 60cm+ at the valley level (outside Canyons) and it is still snowing now.

The crew at Canyons have been in the bulldozer twice a day to keep the car park clear.....almost no time to make it up the mountain (there's always time ;)

The local ski resorts are all now working around the clock to keep up with the onslaught of the white gold. After some rigorous sampling of the resorts early season powder, the Canyons staff verdict is unanimous.....bi powder smiles all round!

The boyz have been out testing the new demo skis that are available to rent this season. As results are inconclusive so far, we are going to have to do a lot more testing, especially on the big powder days. It looks like we will also have some Surge powder boards from around xmas onwards. Reports to come....



If you want to keep up with the snow conditions in Minakami, check out the snow reports and weather page.

Daily pics also being uploded to the Canyons Facebook site.

The Snow Has Arrived - In Style

The forecast was spot on - snow, and plenty of it. We were over the other side of the hill for most of the day where the snow was falling too.

Apparently it started snowing at about 11 o'clock in Minakami and by 1 there was already 10cm. By the time we got back to base there was 30cms lying around - a very welcome sight.

Just in time for the resorts too who were all hoping to open this weekend.

Tenjin is probably the pick of the bunch, but both Houdaigi and Norn have limited openings on Saturday. Okutone have postponed their Saturday opening and are now aiming to be up and running by Sunday.

It looks as if there will be a bit more snow over the next couple of days too. We always like it when the season starts with a big one. It's arrived about a week early than last year, so we're taking that as a good sign.

Retro Uniform?

Seems I'm the only one excited about our new Teton Bros uniform. Craig and Brendan were only back a day before they had to head down to the second hand shop to see what treasures could be salvaged. It's an absolute goldmine of retro ski wear mistakes and they both managed to find some new gear to augment their already impressive collections of one-pieces.

Words fail me but it keeps them happy....

Demo Skis Arrive

Any day that the delivery guy turns up with ski-sized boxes is a good day for us. The demo gear arrived today having been sitting in the warehouse for the last few weeks waiting for the extra-wide brakes to arrive.

Plenty of cooing and ahhing at the unboxing, and I can guarantee that there are going to be some underhand tactics involved as everyone vies for the honour of being the first to ride these.

We have a pair of 168cm Atomic Snoop Daddy, a pair of 190cm Volkl Gotamas, and a pair of 184cm Amplid Cholesterone. You're going to want to be on one of these when the powder is dumping.

The Amplids have everyone here the most excited.

With a massive 126mm underfoot the graphics on the base say it all.

Bring on the first powder day!

Venison and the Psycho Chef

The 'phone rang this morning with an offer from one of the local hunters - were we interested in taking a deer off his hands that he'd bagged over the weekend? Never being ones to turn down a free feed we were happy to oblige. The kei truck was dispatched and came back with dinner.

Our deep freeze has been home to various kinds of Minakami wildlife over the years with bear, boar and deer all putting in an appearance. Anyone who was at the Minakami Reggae Snowsplash last year probably remembers the delicious venison curry that was being served.

Dex had some issues to work out and channeled it into tenderizing the meat. It's good to see someone enjoying their work but slightly disturbing when they enjoy it this much.

The sight of a manically grinning Dex armed with a bloody hacksaw is truly terrifying. The finished product after the butchering will hang for a while and then find its way into the pot.

Poor Bambi.

It's Snowing

It's snowing and has been all morning.

Tenjin has opened a lift up again having received 20cms of snow over the last few days and even Houdaigi has received a decent dusting. They're supposed to open on Saturday so the race is on. Check out their flash new webcams to see how they're doing - Houdaigi Webcams

Wii in the Bar

Continuing on with our "things to do when you're not on the slopes" series, a couple of weeks back we got a Nintendo Wii for the bar. Since then there has been pretty fierce competition over the sports game, and a definite drop in productivity. Nintendo 1 - Canyons 0.

One of our favourite features is to design your own character to use in the games. It's a lot more satisfying to have this personal touch, and there is definitely something to be said for conflict resolution when you get to pound your workmates' faces during the boxing game (and strut around triumphantly gloating afterwards.) Relationships have never been smoother with this pressure valve.

Any ideas who this is?

Rental Department sorted - now just need the snow.

It's currently hammering down with rain here. Can only hope that it is snow higher up as we're really looking forward to getting out on snow again. You can keep up-to-date with the weather in Minakami by checking our Snow Reports.

At least the lack of new snow has given us time to sort out all the rental gear that we've got for this season. It's all safely stashed in its new home and waiting the opening of the resorts so it can fulfill its raison d'etre.

There sure was a lot of it. It's pretty difficult to figure out how much of each size to stock to keep a lodge full of guests of varying sizes kitted out, but with some complex mathematical modelling applications and the power of the computers available these days.... we took a stab in dark and got 3 of everything.

The Big Christmas Feed

Personally I think November is a little early for Christmas news but at least this way you get plenty of warning. After the success of the Orphans' Christmas last winter, the kitchen have decided to lay on another big feast, but this time it will be over a few nights, so grab a bunch of friends and get some quality festive over-eating in. Over to our chef, Dex:

What's the plan?

OK, so... for Christmas this year, from December 19th until 27th you can book in for our Christmas feast. 2 of you or 60 of you - no worries.

And on the menu this year?

As always a great spread. Starters are bruschetta, spring rolls with chilli and lime dip, and deep fried camembert. The mains are roast chicken and gravy and roast pork, with steamed winter veges, oven roast rosemary potatoes, tomato Doria, spinach mikan salad and garlic bread. If you've still got room after all that we're finishing off with individual apple crumbles with ice cream. Sound good?

Awesome.

All that for just 3,000 yen per person and you get a free cocktail or soft drink too.

And Pat as you are such a great guy you'll get yours for free every night.*

Thanks, Dex. You're the best.

[*I may have imagined Dex's last line but you can but hope... With a bit of luck he might just think he did promise this.]

Doai Station

Mount Tanigawa stands between us here in Yubiso and Yuzawa over on the other side. Any of you who have driven up the expressway to Yuzawa will have been through the 13km tunnel that connect the two. The local train also runs under the mountain and if you're heading that way you might have to use Doai Station. The northbound platform has a massive 462 steps down to the tracks - not somewhere you want to be running to catch a train.

The sign that greets you at the top lets you know you've climbed 462 stairs but still have another 143 metres and 24 steps to go.

It also doubles as our training venue in between seasons as we make sure the guides and instructors are in shape for the mountains this winter. So if you find yourself there and come across a bunch of people puffing up and down the stairs, you'll know who they are.

24th Nov - 1st Ski of the Season

Tenjin didn't manage to open on the weekend but decided to run one of the lifts from 9.30 this morning. As soon as we heard it was a quick change, grab the skis and off to check it out. Haven't skied since mid-October so keen to get back out there.

Apparently there is warm weather on the way so they are not sure if they will keep running so took the chance to ski while we could. Definitely more hikers around than snow enthusiasts and got plenty of funny looks as we walked around with skis and boards.

Only the centre pair lift was open and a total of five people were using it (3 boarders, 1 telemarker and 1 skier) with pedestrians more of an obstacle than each other.

It'll be a while before all our favourite stashes are open for business but it was nice to get a quick slide in.

We also got our point card which is a new system they are trying this year. Collect five stamps and you get next lift ticket for free - shouldn't be too hard.

:(

Tenjin didn't manage to open today so no skiing for me. We just spoke to them and it is snowing up at the top (but rain down here.) Now have to decide whether to shoot over the other side of the hill and have a slide this afternoon at GALA. Maybe even catch a glimpse of their new mascot - a slightly bemused giant skiing rabbit of all things.

Resort Openings on the weekend

It sounds as if Tenjin have decided to open up on Saturday, so the skis will see some action a lot earlier than last year. There's been a bit of snow recently as you can see from their webcams.

http://www.tanigawadake-rw.com/

Over the other side of the hill, Kagura have decided to postpone their first day which was also due to be Saturday but GALA Yuzawa, with their new artificial matting will be opening their doors for business.

New 2010 Winter Uniform

Our North Face uniforms had done a couple of seasons by the end of last winter so it was time for a new outfit; a big decision around here which caused lots of discussion (/argument).

We spend a lot of hours outside over the winter so this is a very important issue for us and we need great kit. Also it really gets put through its paces by the different departments - the snowshoe and backcountry guides need something robust that will stand up to nature and the instructors need something cool to swan around the bar in. It's a big ask for any jacket but the good people at Teton Bros. have provided us with just the thing.

It's quality gear and we can't wait to get into the mountains in it. They're with the printer right now but keep an eye for the folk in blue from this weekend.

Check out their whole range of gear at http://www.teton-bros.com/

Trying hard to snow right now.

The snowman picture on my weather forecast appeared for today and for a change it was spot on. There was a light dusting of snow visible up high this morning and all day it's been alternating between drizzle and light snow at lodge level. With resorts over the other side of the hill supposed to be opening this weekend it is pretty good timing.

We're a way off full ski season yet but just to get our daily fix of snow, a couple of photos from last year I discovered while getting the instructor 'phones ready.

Snowman making taken to extremes.

What we woke to on Boxing Day last season.

Yoga Retreat in Minakami - Dec 5th & 6th

News of the upcoming yoga retreat here in Minakami in a couple of weekends time.

We're very lucky to have Babeeta, a very experienced yoga practitioner leading the sessions. There are going to be workshops in Sri Sri Yoga which focuses on specialised techniques for breathing, posture and meditation. Expect enhanced endurance, strength and flexibility as welcome side effects but most of all, de-stressing is the goal.

Throw in some dance yoga, some workshops on healthy eating and vegetarian cuisine, some quality onsen time and an evening of live Indo-Jazz fusion and Bollywood grooves and you have the makings of a fantastic relaxing getaway. Flyer below.

http://artofliving.jp/minakami/yogaRetreatMinakamiDec09EN.html

I'll be the one with my foot behind my head (I've been practising.)

Rental Gear

So our rental equipment for the season arrived this afternoon. No more queuing at the resort on Saturday morning wasting precious snow time. Pick your gear up at the lodge and then it's straight out onto the slopes.

We've got a good selection of skis and boards, especially in the larger sizes that can sometimes be difficult to find in some places. The boots too are available in bigger sizes, going up to 31cm and with a bit of notice, we can get hold of larger sizes too.

There is one more delivery to be made and that is the one we're looking forward to - the demo gear. We've got a bunch of fat powder skis on order and because we care, we'll be taking them out for a test run as soon as the snow arrives! Having taken 50 sets of equipment down two flights of stairs I think we deserve it.

Last Bungy of the Season

This weekend the party was down at the bungy bridge. It was the last weekend of their busy summer season and they had a full complement of jumpers wanting to hurl themselves off the bridge. Plenty of fancy dress jumpers from Santas, DragonBall characters, maids, convicts, Elvises and even one guy jumping with a raw fish (no idea why.)

Even not jumping it was great to hang out there and watch how different people deal with the fear and excitement.

They'll be back again next May so, you can throw yourself off a bridge before then but we would recommend waiting.

More Off-snow Entertainment

Seems to be a bit of a theme here but until we get hit by the snow most of the news is likely to be lodge-related. Another toy to add to the collection in the bar. Any of you who have spent seasons in the French Alps have surely wasted hours smacking a minature football around a table. Super-fun for all.

Challenges from all-comers welcome this winter but be warned - we're in pre-season training already and my wrists have never been this quick and supple.

Ramp finished and riding well

The mini-ramp has been finished for a few days now and looks great as well as riding well. It's a popular distraction as we wait for the temperature to drop.


Trying to get some video footage of people axing themselves but everyone proving to be annoyingly talented at the moment.

Patience.....

The Return of the Mini-Ramp

It's a beautiful day out here with everyone just in T-shirts and the trip who are out in the canyon at the moment must be loving the warmer temperature. Those who drew the short straw though are back at the lodge working hard.

Last winter season Gordy knocked up a mini-ramp undercover out on the deck which turned into one of the big winners for those winter evenings. So successful in fact that it was literally skated to death. People would drift in after a day on the slopes, grab a bite in the cafe and then session the half pipe. There's some really talented local skaters around and lots of lodge guests managed to put in a decent show (demonstrating mis-spent childhoods perhaps?)

So we're resurrecting the mini-ramp to keep you entertained again this winter.


A couple of the summer rafting guides have really strong backgrounds in skating and snowboarding so volunteered to put their experience to good use.



It's looking really good at the moment and everyone's itching to test it. It's going up ahead of schedule with plenty of willing hands, so who knows, maybe a few extra features for the Canyons skatepark on the deck?

And for those of you that can't skate, wrap up and spend your après ski with drink in hand and watch what a bit of Dutch courage does to someone that hasn't skated for 20 years. Hours of fun. (Or take a lesson with the soon to be formed Canyons Skate School!)

Weekend Caving

The caving guides were busy on the weekend with trips heading out on both days. November is our caving month so the guides are going to be spending a lot of time underground in the coming weeks.





Once at the entrance to the cave you're issued your gear for the day. Overalls, shoes, helmet, gloves, harness and most importantly of all, the headlamp. It really is pitch dark once you get a short way into the cave system. It's quite creepy if everyone turns their lamps off when you're underground. You can't even see your hand in front of your face.



Every twist and turn in the cave presents a different challenge and as you explore deeper into the system you have to use a bunch of different climbing skills to continue. There are ascents, descents, narrow squeezes and rappels. The guides are with you but you have to work as a team to get through some of the tricker sections.

It's a really rewarding sport and when you emerge back into the sunlight again there is a great sense of achievement. There's something very peaceful about being underground and cut off from the familiar sounds of everyday life. You can only see what your headlamp illuminates whether it's a sleeping bat or the grinning face of a companion.

As the weather starts to get a little wetter, caving offers a full day of adventure even when other activities may be washed out.

Give it a go. It's a fantastic experience.

End of another NZ Winter

It's that time of year again when our winter crew start to drift back from their Southern Hemisphere winters. As soon as the snow melted here last spring, skis and boards where packed up and our full-time instructors headed south to start work for the June opening of the New Zealand resorts With reports coming back of decent early snowfalls before most of them left here everyone was expectant. Conditions were awesome from opening day and were to stay great for most of the season with regular top-ups of new snow.

Most of our instructors head to Queenstown down in the South Island. If you haven't been, it is a stunning part of the world and the view from the ski slopes down to the bottom of the valley are worth the trip in themselves.

With two main ski areas around Queenstown and a few more within an hour's drive, as well as the heli-skiing otptions, there is plenty of skiing to be had, and especially in a good snow year like this was, it's a great place to ski.

The majority of our instructors are qualified with the NZ ski and snowboarding bodies so while working down there it is a good chance to get some extra training in and pick up a few more qualifications.

What with the abundance of snow this year the park crew had plenty to work with so there were some fantastic features in all of the parks to keep the jibbers entertained.

Those members of our snow sports school that aren't back yet are really excited to be returning to Japan and everyone is hoping that this season is going to be a particularly snowy one. The backcountry and snowshoe guides are also keen for heavy snow and hopefully early too. They've spent some time this summer checking out some new routes and are looking forward to getting out there and testing them.

Monday 28th October 2009 / Caving

Monday 28th Oct, 2009 / Caving

As the caving season fast approaches we have been busy behind the scenes checking out new locations and routes in the caves. (Canyons caving season this year will be for the month of November only! )

The cave systems we use are still being explored. Every time we head to the caves we find something new; an unexplored passage, other connecting routes or a flock of bats! This feeling of exploration and discovery is one of the big thrills of caving. When you're the first person to squeeze through a hole and find a room the size of a house of the other size its a real sense adventure.

Below: One of our team rappelling down a drop into the Changara Cave.

Exploring underground involves a range of techniques; abseiling, climbing, crawling through tunnels, ascending ropes and a whole host of other skills are used. Even though the temperature remains at 14 deg C year round, a full day in the caves is quite a workout so get ready to sweat!

Below: A long section of passage that leads to a tight squeeze.

Below: The team meet in one of the large chambers for a lunch break.

Below: Climbing down one of the chimneys (A chimney is a caving term used to describe a narrow drop wide enough to climb down using your body to brace between the two walls)

If you are seeking a new adventure caving is something you must try!
Caving tour video here .
Caving page here.