Snowsplash-ed 2010

An epic night (we vaguely recall.)

Great live music.

Some awesome entertainers.
And lots of new friends.

Congratulations

So the NZSIA Level One Ski Exam finished yesterday and everybody passed. It was a four day course and exam that is the first step on the New Zealand Snowsports Instructor Alliance system. It's internationally recognised so the guys that took it are now free to work their way across the world if they fancy.

The is also the snowboard equivalent, the SBINZ Level One being held in Minakami for four days from March 20th if anyone out there is thinking of taking their hobby to the next level.

Nozawa Fire Festival

So on Friday night we made our annual trip over to Nozawa Onsen for their Fire Festival. The snow was coming down all day, heavily enough to stop the local trains.

We've been over a few times but our explanation may be a bit off. It might have something to do with all the free sake that is being dished out. Anyway, here is what we think is going on:

The 45 year old males from the village sit atop this giant bonfire structure having consumed their own body weight in sake.

The 20 year olds from the village stand at the bottom and try to defend it with pine branches as everyone else tries to set it alight. They too are a little worse for wear.

Cue absolute bedlam for an hour or so which Sam and Neil are delighted with.

Oh, and there were some drums and fireworks, but as no one during this bit got hit in the face with a flaming torch it gets relegated to the bottom of the post.

Apparently the whole thing is supposed to get rid of bad luck in unlucky numbered years, though I guess if you survive this..... A great night out and well worth a visit.

Also spotted by David Davies is this cracking "his and hers" combo. The ponchos are garish enough but what monstrosity is it masking - look at those hoods and let your imagination run wild. Almost matching, old school skis are a nice touch, as is the clip from collar to baseball cap to stop it making a bid for freedom. Quality.

Keep them coming.

Meet the Instructors: Craig

First up our Welsh ambassador who's most likely to be seen in brightly coloured beanies or spending his free time in the park. He's NZ qualified, a boarder at heart but spends a lot of his time on skis, and is really popular with the little ones. A great guy to ride with but I wish he wouldn't eat natto next to my desk.

So, Craig - what have you been up to over the summer?

Been down to NZ for the season, bro. Snow was really good and picked up a few more qualifications - freestyle, avalanche and children's certifications.

What's your best Japan story?

This season - Brendan and I dropping in on a steep run at Houdaigi and the snow being up to my chest. So much snow I couldn't breathe. Then remembering Brendan is a lot shorter than me. Ha ha!

Best thing about working at Canyons?

We work at any of the 30 mountains in the area, so I get to ride a lot of different places which is fun.

Tell us a secret.

My real name is Gareth, and Brendan is under 5ft. So that's 2 secrets.

What's next?

Straight from Canyons to Austria, then home to Wales for a few weeks to recharge and get myself ready for another season in NZ. Then probably back here for more Japanese snow.

And I'd like to thank Canyons, Helly Hansen, Bridgend, all me boys at Pontypool Dryslope and Salomon.

It's dumping again; look out the window.

Suit of the Day: II (The Revenge)

Being a National Holiday last weekend, there was fierce competition for Suit of the Day with many great combinations getting their yearly airing. We laughed long and hard trying to decide on a winner and actually had to have a couple of categories to fit in all the entrants.

The individual category was taken by this great fluoro one-piece. The quality of the photo is not due to anything other than the camera's inability to deal with such viciously bright colours. Anyone without eye protection found themselves momentarily blinded with retina burn if they looked straight at this one.

And bizarrely enough we have a winner in the team category. The initial sighting of this green one-piece brought collective Ahhs of admiration from the jury seated on the chair lift, quickly replaced by disbelief as a twin shortly followed and sheer amazement as the third member followed hot on their heels. The question "But why?" still remains unanswered.

Seeing this even now makes me shiver with memories of 80s European ski school hell. (Thanks Graeme for the photo.)

Jan 7th Snowshoe Tour in Minakami

The snow was deep today! Over 80cm of fresh snow on the ground with the snow continuing to pelt down all day. This made for challenging snowshoeing conditions as each step is an effort to stomp down the wall of 60cm+ powder in front of you.

Luckily Emma and Scott (the 2 clients ) were champions at taking turns cutting trail. We didn't quite make it to the ice cave but we did manage to get in a couple of slides and have some fun in the bottomless powder. All in all, it was a great day out in the mountains of Minakami.

Check out the video from the days action below.



Minakami Snowshoe Tour details
みなかみ　スノーシューツアー

Still snowing

It keeps coming down. We've had one day off with blue skies but apart from that nothing but snow since before New Year. There is no better way of being woken up than by a big "whump" as the fresh snow comes sliding off the roof. It's the signal to grab the gear and be at Okutone for first runs at 7am.

It even gets 2 thumbs from Craig - it must be good.

Tenjin Update

With all this snow we had to check Tenjin out and see how it is shaping up. There was some great skiing up there with all the creeks filled in with the recent dumps. Still a bit bushy in places so it needs some more before it will be a its best, but still a cracking day out.

If you're heading up there don't forget your discount ticket for 500yen off, and pop into the bar on the way back. It's a 3 day weekend coming up so sure to be a party on.