Ex-Rookie Meanderings in Melting Snow by James Hardy

The last five months have seen jumps, falls, bruised tailbones, broken wrists and a fair amount of elation too - but class, what exactly have we learnt? The highs and lows of Tohoku snow are examined, as ski hills turn to golf courses and tennis courts. Snow tyres have been changed, ski racks removed, and Xebio sports is now awash with hiking equipment, some of it bright pink. Let’s looking back at the 2002-3 season, and examine the snow that was.
  

The first thing we learnt was, well, don’t trust El Nino. Damned international weather systems, bring snow, then melt it, then bring it again, then melt it again ? 13 degrees in early January was a joke. After that, the learning came thick and fast; if you are with beginner boarders, find out where the local onsen are before you start - it will save gnashing of teeth later. Another indispensable thing we learnt was TAKE YOUR INSURANCE CARD WITH YOU when boarding - it helps when people break their wrists.

Kit - Laughing in the face of economic meltdown, we watched as ski shops closed, their friendly assistants moving onto pastures new, and then picked off the carcasses like vultures. Alpen, farewell. Thank you for the extremely cheap skis, boots and boards with which you furnished us. You can keep the tacky jingles, the 5 season old Hart skis, and the dodgy Be!Pop bindings. Je t’aime non plus. Other people avoided shopping at all, and just resorted to skankiness; Joy, scabby friend and Fukushima pikey, found a pair of Nordica boots on a gomi pile. What she was doing scrabbling around in other people’s refuse is not something to be discussed here, (because the real reasons are too disturbing to mention) but she did find a very nice pair of boots, IN THEIR BOX, with the instructions and wrapping.

The internet - we discovered the wonder of Japanese resort websites. They tell you an awful lot of things, sometimes in a language close to English. With the aid of a fluent speaker, or www.av.com/babelfish, we found out about deals, opening day freebies, night skiing with fireworks (at Eboshi Zao), and most importantly, the dates for the elementary school downhill championships. Much as we would have loved to watch the little darlings don all manner of fluorescent Lycra and redefine spandex use forever, we just felt that our presence might detract from such a family-oriented day. Personally, I can imagine no greater pleasure than watching a spoilt little brat fall down a slope and land in a screaming heap moments after he has queue-jumped, but I am not sure whether this should be encouraged.
  

The writer mulls over all the useful things he has learnt this season,
and checks out the big red ass behind him too.
(Photo taken at ALTS Bandai Resort in Fukushima, January 25th 2003)
  

And then, there were the deals. In Fukushima, 7-11 sells vouchers which buy lunch, a drink, and a day pass in lots of the resorts in Aizu. We used this to our hearts’ content - and this year, we also have to take our hats off to someone, somewhere, who decided that it would be good to improve the food. I don’t think I touched a plate of curry rice this season. So, a big shout out to Minowa, for its toasties, croissants, and coffee, Urabandai Nekoma for the Canadian beef and Quebec corner, Gran Deco for the bread and gravy, and ALTS Bandai for the udon.

And then, there were even more deals, but this time with our friendly neighborhood travel agents. Last season I took 4 days with JTB in Niseko, a night in the Sapporo Grand and even rewrote the pension’s website in a ‘beer for English’ exchange. This February, when the sculptures started melting at the Yuki matsuri in Sapporo, we knew it was time to get out. JR stepped in with a great package from Sapporo station to Niseko, involving express train, bus, rental and 6 hour pass at Hirafu, cheaper than the train ticket alone. WIZARD!
   

The writer’s friends, smiling and laughing.
Little did they know the impending doom and pain they were to suffer.
(Photo taken at ALTS Bandai Resort in Fukushima, January 25th 2003)
  

This winter has seen a lot of changes in Fukushima snow, some of them deeply profound. For example, orange has taken over from sky blue as the colour of choice for beginner laydee boarders/skiers, and I decided to hot wax my skis, as opposed to using spray-on stuff. However, these momentous moments, these gargantuan decisions, these tumultuous tumults cannot hide the fact that some things never, ever, change. For example:

  

Hirafu, February 2003