Just came home from a great couple of weeks in Japan. Having never been to this place much written about and pictured in the ski media in the later years I wanted to go over there myself to experience it and see if the snow was as deep as I’d been told.
That did not take very long:
Hokkaido, the northern of the major Japanese Islands, gets huge amounts of snow, making resorts such as most famous Niseko a 100% bet for powder, at least in December and January when the average number of dry days are about zero. My skis were lost in transition and I feared I’d be riding on rental gear the first day. Luckily, or actually because of some years experience of air travel with ski gear, I had carried the boots in my hand all the way from Scandinavia and actually found a kind local who would lend me his Hellbents on one of the deepest powder days I have ever experienced – probably just another average ski day for him though.
Following my friend and maker of Signatures, a pure Niseko back country pow movie, Nick Waggoner, on the first run lap beside the bottom lift the myth was confirmed. Immediately everything that I had heard about the Japanese powder was recognized as indisputable truths, as I unconciously opened my mouth to let out a scream of joy and had my instantly filled with snow. I have skied a lot of good snow, and some really deep powder in my life, but nothing like this. It is not about faceshots, but air shots. The stream of snow over your head is constant, except for the valuable, short moments when you are lucky enough to pop over the surface for a breath of air and adjusting your direction between the trees.
Obviously it is not always exactly like that, even in Niseko, as the snow quickly settles after a day on the ground, but it definitely stayed soft. After cruising the hill and the slackcountry for some days, we were lucky enough to get on a cat and into some really fun minigolf terrain with lots of stuff to take air off of and even some short pillow lines. Lots of flat landings, yes, but who cares when it is bottomless?
Japan is awesome, that was concluded already on the first run as told, but also the food – sushi especially, the toilets – with heated seats and more, and the onsens – hotsprings, are part of making your ski trip to Japan unforgettable. The terrain on Hokkaido is in general quite mellow though, at least that where the ski areas are located, and our trip had another purpose; to check out the Japan Alps on the main Island and make an article obout the skiing there for Norrona Magazine. This is to be published at the start of next season. I can tell you now that we did not find the same kind of snow, but nevertheless the trip there was maybe even more memorable. Check the Norrona Blog for more about that.
Face to face with the Japan Alps. photo: JM Øvervoll / Norrøna Magazine
- See you on the mountain!
Torkel “Torky” Karoliussen, K2 Adventure Team telemarker
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