Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 456
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

That was a great day.   For now though. Need. More. Fresh. Snow.

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

Some friends of mine headed off to Chamonix on xmas day because they found Niseko too busy last year!

UPDATE : FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2014

 

 

Last season I was lucky enough to catch two big Fridays, and Friday 17 January 2014 at Kiroro Snow World can be added to that growing list.

 

I got a little bit excited on the first run in 'Powder Zone', that's why I put it in in real time :)

 

Face Shot Friday Part Three

 

http://youtu.be/PbRlrzm2LMM

 

 

 

Here are parts one and two from last winter,

 

Face Shot Friday Part One

Niseko Grand Hirafu

07 December 2013

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il2T4yaGHTY

 

 

 

Face Shot Friday Part Deux

Kiroro Snow World with Ian MacKenzie

22 February 2013

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF2WcsaICFQ

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

DAY 52 : SATURDAY 18 JANUARY 2014

 

0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

 

Who forgot to put the money in the meter?

 

The streak has ended after 27 days straight of snowfall, dropping 534 cm (210") of the finest powder all over the Shiribeshi area.

 

Day five at Kiroro for the Lovelocks and Craig.

 

Sunshine and warmer temperatures made the untracked and tracked powder heavier than previous days necessitating steeper pitches and stashes in the trees for smooth powder.

 

But there was still plenty out there.

 

'Finding Your Feet'

 

Craig

 

mike%20pow_1949.jpg

 

 

 

Hayden

 

mike%20pow_1950.jpg

 

 

 

Alex

 

mike%20pow_1951.jpg

 

 

 

Ria

 

mike%20pow_1952.jpg

 

 

 

Neil

 

mike%20pow_1953.jpg

 

 

 

DAY 53 : SUNDAY 19 JANUARY 2014

 

1 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

 

Day six at Kiroro for the Lovelocks and Craig.

 

The Lovelock's & Craig's last day of their holiday, and unfortunately I was unable to ski with them today.

 

Severe abdominal pain at 8pm last night resulted in a trip to Kutchan hospital with Ian MacKenzie to discover that I have kidney stones and they want out!

 

Ian skied with them and reported 10-15 cm of new snow and smiles all round.

 

In the 23 days they've been here the Lovelock family and Craig have

 

seen 456 cm (180") of Hokkaido powder fall

 

skied 19 days - Kiroro (6), Niseko Annupuri (2), Niseko Grand Hirafu (1), Niseko Hanazono (2), Niseko Moiwa (4), Rusutsu (4)

 

and all improved significantly, skiing far more technical terrain and deeper snow with less effort

 

and already booked to return in December 2014 :)

 

 

 

DAY 54 : MONDAY 20 JANUARY 2014

 

5 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

Day off snow.

 

On the "Kidney Diet", trying to lose a few stones.

Link to post
Share on other sites

DAY 55 : TUESDAY 21 JANUARY 2014

 

3 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

 

With relatively little snow in the Niseko Resort Area the past four days, Ian and I headed back to Kiroro.

 

We were rewarded with a very unexpected deep powder day with our tracks filling in each run

 

Ian likes surprises

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

DAY 56 : WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2014

 

14 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

 

We just can't enough of Kiroro, and it consistently delivers.

 

Great day out there with Ian who was making some great shapes and getting deep.

 

Ian in 'Hangman'

 

mike%20pow_1954.jpg

 

 

 

mike%20pow_1955.jpg

 

 

 

mike%20pow_1956.jpg

 

 

 

mike%20pow_1957.jpg

 

 

Kiroro Coldsmoke

 

 

 

Unfortunately an old knee injury made a very unwelcome appearance on the track out of 'Hangman' and we headed straight to Kutchan hospital.

 

X-ray, consultation and MRI later and it's 7-10 days off snow to see if it takes care of itself. If not it's arthroscopy time.

 

Fingers crossed he can avoid the knife.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have been too in kiroro on 22th fantastic day. The snow in ungroomed slopes marvellous. 23th in rusutsu another epic day.

I would like more these both resort than Niseko. In Niseko I would like annapuri area gate 7 , 6. And gate 3 area too.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

DAY 57 : THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2014

 

12 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ

 

 

With Ian temporarily incapacitated and other friends working it was a choice between a day off snow or skiing solo.

 

Easy choice and I was on my way to Kiroro.

 

When I got to Kutchan I was last in a line of 5 vans packed with skiers and snowboarders heading out of the Niseko Resort Area looking for deep turns.

 

They all turned left to Kiroro and I changed plans and headed straight on to Kimobetsu and over Nakayama Toge pass to Sapporo Kokusai.

 

Sapporo Kokusai is a small but perfectly formed day resort close to Otaru and Sapporo which sits on the backside of Kiroro Snow World.

 

Unfortunately they're not linked by lift, but you can tour between the two.

 

I've always got the goods here and today was no different.

 

Didn't get on the gondola until 11am and the blazing sunshine of earlier had turned to mixed cloud and sunshine.

 

But looking out of the gondola window I could see a couple of skiers and snowboarders skiing gut deep powder in the trees and acres of untracked.

 

Got off the gondola, clicked in and made two massive schoolboy errors.

 

Schoolboy Error #1

 

I didn't check the alignment of the Contour camera so the first two vids of the day will give you a neckache unless you flip your computer 90 degrees or set your phone / tablet to screen lock and flip 90 degrees.

 

 

Schoolboy Error #2

 

I headed straight into the untracked Kokusai sidecountry skiers right at the top of the gondola.

 

Took me 15 mins to put the track in and then when I was ready to drop in to the pristine powder I found the snow was too deep for the pitch and ended up poling and breaking trail downhill for 45 mins until I got back into the ski area.

 

I met a Finnish skier on the gondola later in that afternoon and he told me his friends had done the same but ended up taking 2 hrs to get out.

 

 

Back on the gondola, this time I headed to the fringes of the pistes and found plenty of deep and light powder.

 

Thursday Is The New Friday Part One

 

http://youtu.be/ZvRk6PQwzqA

Link to post
Share on other sites

Are u ever over at Teine, Mike?

 

Yesterday was good, temps were pretty high so the pow/snow was heavy and a little wet but we were scoring mostly fresh lines through paradise all day and the snow was nice n creamy

Link to post
Share on other sites

Are u ever over at Teine, Mike?

 

Yesterday was good, temps were pretty high so the pow/snow was heavy and a little wet but we were scoring mostly fresh lines through paradise all day and the snow was nice n creamy

 

Never been, but going to try to hit it this coming week with new snow.

 

Thanks for the intel.

Link to post
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...