Mike Pow 52 Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 UPDATE : THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2014 After playing on the fringes it was time to hit some steeper lines. I didn't check the alignment of the Contour camera so this vid will give you a neckache unless you flip your computer 90 degrees or set your phone / tablet to screen lock and flip 90 degrees. Thursday Is The New Friday Part Two Link to post Share on other sites
OzOzOz 2 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hope you can get back to full pow(d)er quick Mike. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thanks OzOzOz. Feeling good Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 UPDATE : THURSDAY 23 JANUARY 2014 Finally got the camera alignment right. Third time's a charm! Thursday Is The New Friday Part Three Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 couldn't see a thing.. too much snow! thanks mike 1 Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 wwoooooohhhooooooo 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 DAY 58 : FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2014 1 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Spent the morning at Niseko Annupuri with John Pidgeon and Chris Morton. First time skiing with John this winter and it's always a pleasure. Chris, John's son-in-law, and I skied together two winters ago and it was great to see that what I'd passed on had stuck. Great buffet lunch and then we met up with John's daughter Di, her & Chris' son Fraser, John's grandson Jack and family friends for a fabulous dinner at Ezo Seafoods. John's favourite. DAY 59 : SATURDAY 25 JANUARY 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Back to Niseko Annupuri with John Pidgeon and Di & Chris Morton. Ski Heroes As a young boy growing up in the valleys of South Wales I had three ski heroes. The 1976 Olympics Men's Downhill champion Franz Klammer, Kirk Douglas in the film 'The Heroes of Telemark', and Action Man. I've been lucky enough to meet and chat with Franz Klammer in a Ski Club of Great Britain bash, and he's a true gent. After my first winter season working in the Austrian Alps and watching the Greg Stump movie 'The Blizzard of Ahhs', Scott Schmidt, Glen Plake & Mike Hattrup were added to the list. I've been fortunate to meet all three and all three are great guys - Scott Schmidt and Glen Plake at Big Mountain, Montana, USA in 2001, & Mike Hattrup at Niseko Moiwa last season. I even got to ski powder with Glen Plake at the end of season employee ski day at Big Mountain where he performed one of his party tricks by opening a bottle of champagne with the edge of one ski. At the top of the mountain. In the same year I skied and partied at Big Mountain with Bill Johnson - the 1984 Olympics Men's Downhill Gold medallist from Sarajevo - when he was attempting his comeback prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics. And in 2005 I spent a fantastic day at Vail, Colorado with the 1984 Men's Olympic Slalom Silver medallist from the same games, Steve Mahre. I Was taught to instruct by two wonderful people. The late Colin Young at Kicking Horse, BC, Canada and Annie Black at Keystone, Colorado. They all make my list. To that list of heroes I add John Pidgeon. John had his first taste of skiing at Mt Kosciusko, NSW, Australia in 1947, staying at the original chalet. The ski day would entail hiking up the slope in leather boots with skis strapped to his backpack, one run down, lunch, and one more ascent & descent in the afternoon if you were feeling energetic! At 87 years young he's still learning, laughing and floating down the mountain. He's the first to the bar, and the last to leave. A gentleman and a scholar. John Already looking forward to next season John. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 DAY 60 : SUNDAY 26 JANUARY 2014 2 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Wild winds kicked in around 11 am closing most of the lifts in the Niseko Resort Area. Glad I sat this one out. DAY 61 : MONDAY 27 JANUARY 2014 8 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Another day off snow, but a far more hospitable day. Lighter winds and light snow falling throughout the day. DAY 62 : TUESDAY 28 JANUARY 2014 15 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ As of today 914 cm (360") has fallen at MQ in Higashiyama I spent the day skiing Niseko Hirafu and Hanazono with Whistler, BC, Canada locals Frank Salter & Melanie Jones. Whistler's hurting for snow at the moment so Frank combined a work trip to Honshu with some turns on Hokkaido. The single chair and the higher backcountry gates were closed all day which kept the majority inbounds in Hirafu and Hanazono. We warmed up in Miharashi which was well tracked and choppy, and then moved on to Tetse's, 10 Turns and The Cuts in Hanazono. Untracked, knee deep creamy powder was the order of the day and we took it gladly. After a couple of laps in Legend of Shinya and Blueberries we headed back over to Hirafu and found the day's best snow in the Waterfall area. So we lapped it for the remainder of the day, finding some deeper and lighter stashes. Melanie Frank For dinner we went to Little Red Momiji's Sake and Gyoza bar on Momiji-Zaka St. A very laid back dining experience with couches and low tables replacing the usual dining table and chairs. We had the best edamame I've eaten, fabulous gyoza, and a belly pork and rice to die for. Very highly recommended. Link to post Share on other sites
Toxteth 0 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hi Mike thanks for your thread. We're you lapping Moiwa today (29th)? If so I was hoping to catch up and thank you posting your Kiroro photos, it gave me the incentive make a day trip over there with a few friends on Monday. Everyone thought it was the highlight of their trip. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 DAY 63 : WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014 19 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Solo to Niseko Moiwa today and it was a waiting game for the wind to die down and the lifts to start spinning. But patience was rewarded handsomely. The double chair B opened at 9.35 am and there was creamy boot top powder to be had on the front side and knee deep with the occassional face shot in the trees. The Japanese Army Mountain Division were out in force practicing their alpine skiing and synchro skiing skills on narrow touring skis with light telemark bindings and army-issue leather boots. Very impressive. http://youtu.be/5zaMzsQlsI4 The quad opened at 12.35 pm and for those who stuck around the upper mountain offered a spongy base with chunky and light powder on top. Untracked lines and face shots galore. Unfortunately I filmed the inside of my pocket all the way through lunch and had no space left on the memory card. Doh! But there's plenty left for Thursday. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 DAY 64 : THURSDAY 30 JANUARY 2014 17 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ With high winds still affecting the Niseko Resort Area closing the top lifts and forcing everyone down the mountain, I headed to Kiroro with Frank, Melanie and Ian. It was Ian's first day back on snow since he injured his knee and it held up well on the groomed runs on the lower mountain. The upper lifts were closed in Kiroro too, but with great terrain on the lower mountain and nobody skiing it Frank, Melanie and I skied untracked powder all day. The powder was a little heavier than normal, but there were plenty of light turns to be had. Frank Melanie Frank Melanie Frank Melanie Frank Incoming Great to meet and ski with you guys, safe travel back to Whistler, and hope you get some snow soon. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 DAY 65 : FRIDAY 31 JANUARY 2014 12 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ January saw 498 cm (196") of snowfall, the 4th highest total in the eight winters I've been collecting data. The highest total was in January 2011 when 600 cm (236") fell. After an hour or so of sunshine first thing this morning the heavens opened and snow and cold temperatures returned to the Niseko Resort Area. 17 cm has fallen at MQ today and it's still snowing heavily at the moment. High winds once again closed the upper lifts but the wind speeds are forecast to lighten tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 DAY 66 : SATURDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2014 33 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Unfortunately the high winds that have beset the Niseko Resort Area for the past four days persisted, closing the top lifts until late in the afternoon. So Tracy and I headed to Rusutsu to escape the wind. We managed that and more. Much more. Rusutsu was excellent with deep powder all over the resort and snowfall throughout the day. Tracy http://youtu.be/xNdAtp7DJqo Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 you like that run Mike You may have to share it in a few days though Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 you like that run Mike You may have to share it in a few days though Always quiet, always delivers Enjoy Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 UPDATE : SATURDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2014 Yours truly enjoying the Rusutsu powder [VIDEO] [/VIDEO] Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Nice Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 DAY 67 : SUNDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2014 3 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The quad at Niseko Moiwa had been on wind hold the previous three days and with 62 cm of snow in that time Tracy, Jack, Menno, Davey, Elko and I headed there bright and early with high hopes. We weren't the only ones with the same plan, and I've not seen queues that big there before. The quad was running slow, the line up took about 15 minutes, and when we got to the top we found that the wind had smoothed the powder to a consistent, creamy texture with about boot top penetration. It was fast though and there were untracked lines to be had for most of the day. Not as deep as we had hoped but we all had a ball. DAY 68 : MONDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2014 8 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ As of today 1006 cm (396") has fallen at MQ in Higashiyama Today was Day 1 with the Banks family - Tim, Jackie, Dougy and Claud. Expecting large Chinese New Year crowds in Niseko Hirafu we drove over to Niseko Hanazono to start our day. It was a good call with quiet slopes all morning and untracked turns in the trees after lunch. Mixed snow conditions in the trees with spongy powder sandwiched between soft light powder on top and a crusty base below. Link to post Share on other sites
pdoull 2 Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Well played Mike 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 DAY 69 : TUESDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2014 5 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 2 with the Banks family, and today we headed to Rusutsu. Glorious sunshine. Dry, light, boot top powder. And quiet slopes. Fabulous. Tim and Jackie on Isola Mt with Lake Toya and the Pacific Ocean in the background Jackie Tim Tim, Jackie, Claud and Dougy on Isola Mt with Lake Toya and the Pacific Ocean in the background Tim Jackie Claud Dougy Tim Dougy Jackie Claud Rusutsu Blue Skies Link to post Share on other sites
ordinary_skiier 1 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Phew! It's pretty much taken me a full work day to catch up on this thread. Mike Pow, word on the street is I'll be over your way for a week sometime between now and mid March... Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Hopefully a good way to spend a work day though See you soon Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 DAY 70 : WEDNESDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2014 4 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 3 with the Banks family, and today it was just Tim and me at Kiroro. Boot top powder on the fringes of the groomed runs to start our day, and then it started snowing. By day's end it was knee deep on the groomed runs, and considerably deeper in the trees. Fastest accumulating snow I've experienced. Tim made big changes today transitioning from killing the momentum and acceleration at the start of the turn with an exaggerated pole plant and an heavy edge set to standing taller & light accelerating through the start of the turn square to the skis. Tim Kiroro Ram Jam Link to post Share on other sites
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