Mike Pow 52 Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 DAY 25 : SUNDAY 22 DECEMBER 2013 6 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ I've never been as happy to shovel as I was this morning. The sun was out and the powder was as light as a feather. The Family Run lift in Hirafu was like a zoo, but it was walk straight on to the Hirafu gondola. Did two laps of Konayuki - superlight and superfast powder on a hard base - and then met up with Greg Heptonstall and his mate Chris. We headed over to Hanazono to find some lower angle slopes where you wouldn't feel the crusty base and Legend of Shinya delivered. Chris Greg The sun came out so Greg & I went back in for more Snowing lightly out there with about 10cm accumulated through the day. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Link to post Share on other sites
fruity-sachi 1 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Wonderful! Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 nice to meet you this morning mike.. my legs are so sore! Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 looks good Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Rusutsu was pretty good.....seen it better. A bit of dust on crust at times but we did find some fresh pow lines. Good day 4 though Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Thanks fruity-sachi and seemore. Thanks for the intel on Rusutsu TubbyBeaverinho. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 nice to meet you this morning mike.. my legs are so sore! Likewise on both counts Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 23, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted December 23, 2013 I wouldn't head across JUST yet though Mike.......it needs a big storm. A lot of the good trees on Isola weren't filled in with a lot of sasa poking through 2 Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Looks beautiful and that snow looks lush!! Thanks for sharing! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Does look very fine indeed. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Thanks snowdude and muikabochi. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 DAY 26 : MONDAY 23 DECEMBER 2013 12 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Started the day solo at the Hirafu gondola, met Kokodoko from the SnowJapan forum on the ride up, and then bumped into Anything / Andy also from the SnowJapan forum as I was clicking in. Spent the first 2 hrs of the day skiing Konayuki and the old lift line with Andy getting deeper & deeper turns each run. The snow was dry, light, and waist deep. And it was still coming down. Andy in Konayuki (and he's on 185cm Line Mr. Pollard's Opus, 144-118-141) Andy at the top of the gondola with the perfect bases for Hokkaido Went in for a coffee break at King Bell and met up with Greg, Chris from yesterday, and Steve an American teaching in Saipan who's staying at the same lodge as Chris. The five of us then spent the day skiing the rapidly filling in powder of the old lift line, Miharashi, and the gondola run. Greg Chris Greg Steve Chris Andy Last run of the day it was getting pretty dark in the trees but the boys were on fire Chris Steve Greg Cracking day with great company. Thanks guys. It's still snowing. Tomorrow could be even better. Link to post Share on other sites
anything 6 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 thanks for the awesome pics and great day skiing Mike, Greg, Chris and Steve. and now today looks like its probably the same quality snow gain! my legs disagree. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Niseko looks in much better condition than Rusutsu Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 24, 2013 Author Share Posted December 24, 2013 thanks for the awesome pics and great day skiing Mike, Greg, Chris and Steve. and now today looks like its probably the same quality snow gain! my legs disagree. My pleasure. Had a ball. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 nice shots Mike Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Thanks seemore and muikabochi. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 DAY 27 : TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2013 39 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ 14 cm of the new snow had fallen through the day yesterday, with the remaining 25cm of dry, powder falling overnight. Unlike yesterday, it was wall to wall sunshine today. And it was magnificent. I spent the morning skiing Grand Hirafu with Sally Townsend from Sydney, Australia. This was her first time on skis in 2 years and she couldn't have picked a better day to get back on the slopes. Ealy on we skied the Hirafu groomers which had 5-10 cm of new snow sitting on top of a well groomed base. Sally with Mt Yotei in the background Skiing the 'Green' course with 'The Peak' looking great in the background The 'Green' course with Kutchan far below After coffee we hit the ungroomed 'Shirakaba' course off the Ace Pair Lift #3 After a late lunch I skied with Ian and Sally's husband, professional golfer Aaron Townsend. Ian caddied for Aaron on the One Asia Golf Tour this past summer. I don't know if we'd ever be called The Three Wise Men, but on this Christmas Eve Aaron and Ian were following the star Aaron Ian By 3pm the mountain was well tracked, but there were still plenty of diamonds in the rough Ian Aaron Ian Aaron Ian Aaron Ian Christmas came early this year Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 merry xmas mike ... Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Merry Christmas kokodoko Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 looks like great day Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 It was. Magic. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 DAY 28 : WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2013 10 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Season's Greetings from Hokkaido. Growing up in Wales every girl & boy hoped to wake up to the streets and gardens blanketed with snow on Christmas morning even though they'd most probably be receiving a new football or rugby kit, rollerskates, or if they were lucky a bike. After watching Franz Klammer win gold in Innsbruck the previous February I hoped to unwrap skis & boots on Christmas Day 1977. I got a microscope. And after lunch we listened to "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas on the radio. One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six. They do things differently on Hokkaido. "A Child's Christmas in Annupuri" Today was Shelby Meikle's first day on skis under the watchful eye, and hands, of dad Craig. "Ready to ski down there?" Standing tall Straight running "OK let's turn to the left" "More, more" Wish I'd learned to ski at 2 years of age ! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DCx3 2 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Hey Mike Snowjapan weather reports show its going to be quite windy among many of the resorts in Hokkaido including niseko from Friday. Are snowjapan wind forecasts quite accurate?. Do you think there is going to be many lifts stopping due to wind conditions? Link to post Share on other sites
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