Mike Pow

Thanks seemore. Working on yesterday's pics and vid systemsguy, my last for the season.

DAY 136 : SATURDAY 12 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The upside of the Kiroro Snow World gondola being closed during the week is the snow that fell this week covered up and smoothed out the spring crunch. Expecting a day on the groomed runs, Ian and I were pleasantly surprised with the 5-15 cm of untracked powder in 'Hangman'. A great way to finish the season at Kiroro. Ian

DAY 133 : WEDNESDAY 09 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ A hazy day in the Niseko Resort Area. Took the day off snow and went exploring the Lake Toya area and the peaks of the Kariba Mountainous District above the fishing village of Shimamaki on the SW coast. Lake Toya DAY 134 : THURSDAY 10 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Heavy rain hammering against the roof woke me at 4am. It stopped raining around 8am and it was blustery and sunny for the rest of the day with a ight dusting up snow up high. DAY 13

Looker's right.

Yep. Still frozen. Some great lines the other side of the lake.

Ha ha. That stretch is still under a couple of feet of snow.

DAY 132 : TUESDAY 08 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ With clear skies and no wind overnight I set off before dawn for another day out on Mt Eniwa-dake on Lake Shikotsu. For my third visit this winter I was trying to find the runs cut for the Men's & Women's Downhill skiing events at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics. Mt Eniwa-dake across Lake Shikotsu The plan today was to cycle the closed Rt 78 9.1 km down to the lake, hike up the mountain, ski down, and then cycle back out to the car. The route by bike & hike (gre

DAY 131 : MONDAY 07 APRIL 2014 6 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Spring returned to the Niseko Resort Area this morning with sunshine, blue skies and fresh powder. It was the same at Kiroro Snow World for Ian and me, unfortunately we didn't get the memo that as from today the gondola will only open on weekends We warmed up on the groomed runs which were excellent, but after only one run in the trees off the Nagamine chair ski patrol was on us like shit on a stick. Not surprising really as we were the only ones skiing off the groomed runs. Glen Claydon reported fun turns

Fabulous.

Good to hear Deep?

DAY 130 : SUNDAY 06 APRIL 2014 5 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The wind that almost cracked 'Eggshell' - the proper name for MQ in Higashiyama - Friday night into Saturday morning moved north overnight keeping the Kiroro Snow World upper lifts closed for the second consecutive day, but more importantly flattening all of yesterday's powder It was boot deep at best today but on the plus side the groomed runs were in perfect mid-winter condition. I came back to Higashiyama mid-afternoon and 5cm had already fallen. And it's coming down hard and straight as I type. The uppe

DAY 129 : SATURDAY 05 APRIL 2014 2 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The rain stopped around mid-afternoon yesterday and turned to very fine snow soon after. But as has happened far too often this season it was accompanied by very high winds which blew what little snow had fallen all over the place. I woke to winter views this morning and the heating went back on for the first time in a week. The 30 cm that had been forecast hadn't materialised and with the high winds still raging in the Niseko Resort Area - which closed all the upper lifts all day - I headed to Kiroro Snow Wor

Great pics. Looks perfect.

Cold, windy & snowy all day at Kiroro. Only the bottom 3 quads and the uncovered backside double open. Deserted. EDIT Got a bit excited Boot to boot top all day. KNEE DEEP & FACE SHOTS each run

You wish

Thankfully on Hokkaido you can have both

Thanks Maetabo Oyaji. But I'll take the 1,000 face shots every time

Thanks Mick Rich and gvm3373, fingers crossed. UPDATE : WEDNESDAY 02 APRIL 2014 Mt Eniwa-dake Solo 2 http://youtu.be/hvt_ePNUm8k

Very fine snow at MQ in Higashiyama at 8pm. Strongest wind we've had this season with it though. Ridiculous.

Thanks TubbyBeaverinho and muikabochi. Doesn't happen very often at Lake Shikotsu

DAY 125 : TUESDAY 01 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Cool and sunny today but also very windy, with the upper lifts on wind hold all day. After yesterday's exertions I took a day off to recover. DAY 126 : WEDNESDAY 02 APRIL 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The wind died down overnight and the morning broke clear, so it was back to Mt Eniwa-dake for another solo skin & ski. After skiing the East Face on Monday, today I was looking to find the lost resort of Mt Eniwa, host to the Men's & Women's Downhill skiing events at the 1972 Sapporo W

That's what I heard too. Shame. Some great terrain.

That's how much money must have been flying around in the Boom years Error404. Thanks MagSeven. Yeah a great time to get out and about and ski some great peaks that are logistically quite difficult to get to in mid-winter. Not what the Sarajevo Olympic Committe intended, but the 1984 venues have gone to rack and ruin External link - hope that's ok SJDavid. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/02/21/sarajevo-olympics-1984_n_4823919.html

It is OldKarl. Very different from the Niseko Resort Area, Rusutsu & Kiroro where I spend most of my winter. Yes Metabo Oyaji, Mt Eniwa hosted the Men's & Women's Downhill events for the 1972 Sapporo Olympics. It was the only mountain nearby that had the requisite pitch and length needed to satisfy the FIS criteria. After the events had finished the lifts were dismantled. Haven't managed to ski the runs yet. Words & pics to follow shortly

Thanks muikabochi. Trying to mix it up with scenics and action. Don't have a tripod with me, so action shots when I'm skiing solo are tough With the better weather we've had recently it's the ideal opportunity to get on top of a hill and get some landscapes. More on the way. Working through them now.