Any of you remember my Hakuba Now report of April 1st, 2002 that reported 30cms of fresh in the alpine? Well that was a cruel hoax I know, but it was close to being true this year, as on a back country jaunt April 1st this year we were carving lines into 20cms of great spring pow that fell the day before and continued to fall that night in the Hakuba Alpine. No Joke!

First off I would like to thank all of you who have helped to make my first winter here in the mountains of the rising sun, such a good one. Thanks for your help, and for all the great times and great lines, there will be many more to come.

So, wow, it’s been a pretty wild ride so far, and it’s only just creeping up on March with the spring touring season just around the corner. Things have definitely improved since I arrived in this kickass little valley back in mid-December, during the early season drought.