Gunma Boarder 14 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The signs for all of Tokyo being there were present from the start. A stalled out BMW in the middle of the road on the drive up. 4 of the 6 floors of the parking garage full before the hill even opened. When I got in line for one of the first lifts things weren't crazy yet, but you could feel it coming. From my first ride on the lift you could see lines all over the places were usually only a few people venture. I rode the quad lift and had a nice conversation with some Tokyoites who were up for the long weekend. I decided to walk up my mini mountain and get some views and at least a little fresh powder. The walk up was deep with beautiful light fluffy powder. Even with snowshoes I was sinking up to a meter in snow with every step. The trees going up were amazing (sorry camera battery was dead ) Icicles, frost and chunks of snow were shaped by natures paint brush to create beautiful masterpieces. The view from the top was as beautiful as it always is on a crystal clear day. Some examples from a previous post http://www.snowjapan...on-a-clear-day/ Looking at the untouched snow in the next valley over seemed to be acting on my body like magnetism while the sounds of the robotic Japanese voice telling people to lift the safety bars on the quad lift was nudging me over the edge. I had been in the valley twice before once by accident my first year in Japan with a friend who has since returned to Canada. This is one of the two times I have been "lost" in Japan. From this experience I knew I could get back to the skijo. The second time I went knowing what I was getting into and prepared with snowshoes! The drop in is steep, but only for a short time. After that you are left with a long powder cruize to the valley below. The white foreground of this photo is the run I took from just above where you can see After this area you are left with a long technical forest run into the valley below. I decided to take the "safe" route and walk over the ridgeline back into the skijo before entering the valley and possible holes but this made things more difficult and more interesting. There are multiple valleys draining into one large one at the bottom and by not going farther down, I ended up walking over one and traversed to the top of another before snowboarding down to a low point in the ridgeline bordering the skijo. I saw the tracks of a backcountry skier in this valley who had taken a different route down but was taking a similar route out. I climbed the ridgeline and then boarded down back into the skijo at almost the very bottom. The combination of my tired legs and the long lines led me to my car to call it a day. ( Caution: A lot can go wrong in this area! Don't go unless you are prepared. I have since vowed to myself to never go into this area alone again!) Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 What big mountains we looking at there GB? Link to post Share on other sites
Gunma Boarder 14 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Mt. Tanigawa is in the center of the picture while Naeba is the flat topped mountain in the left center and farther back. On the right is Mt. Asahi which is across a valley from Mt. Tanigawa. On the far left are the mountains above Shiga Kogen. Link to post Share on other sites
Tachypsychia 13 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sounds like you had fun despite the crowd! Freshies is the besties! Link to post Share on other sites
Gunma Boarder 14 Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Ya, it was pretty fun Just maybe not the safest choice for my afternoon. I may have been using the crowds as an excuse......... I concur "Freshies is the besties"! Link to post Share on other sites
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