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The meteorology department recorded the first winds of spring last week.

 

Tokyo hit 17 degrees last week.

 

I was snowboarding in Niigata last week. \:\)

 

Winter lives inside us all, it ends when we say it ends!

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Miyagi-ken didn't really have winter this year. We had like two days of snow. I'm bitter. This year's season pass was a waste. i'll be hittig Gassan, for the novelty of it, in May.

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Soub - what are you working on? Still a bit cold here for that and besides 'outside' for me is a city footpath.... no chance for any big projects. I have solved this space issue by setting up a small metalworking bench in my apartment. It is perfect as I am only working on really small items and can pack away all my gear in a plastic box (including my little gas torch, mini anvil and 1 inch vice!). The work bench is naturally my kotatsu.

 

Winter seems to endure in the Alps. Lots of snow over the last week and more coming. I am going to Monte Rosa this weekend. Going to be a good sprink cover I think... got two weeks in a camper van in April doing different BC tours around the place each day. Should get in 4 more weekend trips before then. Very excited about spring and am hoping to keep going well into May.

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Nice one spud. I was replacing the bases in the boxes my partner uses for steaming mochi. Outdoor space is no problem except for when it is filled with snow or raining. Hopefully, this year the bastard next door will get his house off our land, and I'll have the space to put up a workshop and carport.

 

I have one trip planned, Appi on Monday. That's the SJ giveaway happyglass.gif Big brother is coming out next month so we'll be going to Gassan and I'll be teaching a 57yo to ski.

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Weeeeeeeeeeell, just checked snow forecast and it's looking like Nozawa is going to ger 30+cm right down to the base over the next 2 days! I'm excited.

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Soub - this season you will have taught all types to ski, from your son to 57 year old brother.... I need some of your apparent tolerance and patience! (Been teaching my GF, she has come along really well, but I admit, I am not a pleasant guy to have as a teacher). Sound like you have a bit of an issue with your neighbour! His house on your land... ooops. Give him some home made mochi and tell him to *#@! move it.

 

BoC - unless some gruesome warm weather suddenly hits I think it will be a good spring in the Alps. My guess is that the Alps are right now the best they have been all season, but risky off piste. Last weekend created a rain crust up to approx 2000m, followed by 50-100cm of snow that has been blasted by huge freezing cold winds. Wind up high is super strong and snow is being stripped clean off in some places and mega slab building in others. Either way, loads of snow, get into it.

 

Anyway, winter is still here!

 

Saturday: Explored the obvious lift served areas of the famous BC freeride area around Monte Rosa in Italy (mainly Gressoney area). Super windy and lots of wind slab. We went off piste but stayed windward and less than 30 degrees. Temp in car park was -10C at 9am and 0C at 4pm. Nice and cold up higher keeping everything in good condition. I rode my D1 and it was as usual: fantastic (although I am still fiddling with the binding angles and stance width to get it right). GF riding along very well and enjoying some long powder lines. The D1 really is a dream to ride, even cruising low angle stuff and hitting snow drifts: it flies on its own. I hit a 4 foot high snow drift at reasonable speed and managed to get about 4 horizontal meters of half pipe style air. I was shocked at how far I travelled. There is a pic, will post later.

 

Sunday:

Although a bit over the top resorty, we returned to the old haunt of Flims/Laax in Suisse. Winds were even stronger and most high elevation lifts were shut at many resorts in the Alps . Air temp approx -10C to -15C all day, lots of fresh snow, a really good cover. Flims/Laax has such a wide and diverse terrain setting that something is always good on the day, which is why we went there. There is almost unlimited gentle off-piste, all lift served, so really good for my GF's objective this season of building up off -piste familiarity and muscle memory. Anyway, with so many lift closures and white out we didn't do any basic stuff and went directly to the trees at about 2000m (found the same rain crust from last weekend, seems most of the SW Alps got hit with rain). We rode windward north facing tight pine trees, 35-40 degrees with super deep fresh fallen snow + blown in accumulations. There was so much powder, but unfortunately just damp enough to make a weak snowball. First time for GF in trees, she did really well under the circumstances (steep, deep, inappropriate board and stance). In fact, she coped admirably and even performed on some lines, not just coped. First time in tight trees for the D1: it is too long (183cm) and that has the obvious disadvantages. But the positives of extra speed and nose float totally out weighed the length negatives, especially when momentum is the vital ingredient in tree riding: never stop moving (unless waiting for GF or encounter a cliff). I had a wider stance with zero degree rear foot angle and felt quite good. The trees ran into a small gully that required 2-10 minutes of post-holing to get onto the piste and then the lift. It was very user friendly tree riding from an access perspective.

 

Heaps of stuff happening in the Alps. But watch out for the extensive wind slab on the seemingly omnipresent rain crust from last weekend.

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Thanks Sunrise, I am having heaps of fun. Learning and sharing the experiences and growth with you-know-who... so it is a very satisfying season for me. It will end in late May, however we plan to ride once a month until next season (except perhaps in mid summer).

 

Here is the pic, nothing amazing to see but it was part of a fun day's riding.

 

jump4zf.jpg

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I have a day off tomorrow so off to Nozawa to enjoy it's 40+cm of fresh snow (plus hopefully another 40cm tonight) then it warms up for a few days (hontoni sankanshion dayone) then again next sunday the temperature will drop and give us more of the white stuff 20+cm (fingers crossed). In the middle of it all thurday and friday it should hopefully (according to Snow forecast-just renewed my membership by buying this years calendar)snow at the top of the mountain 40+cm including a 29cm dump in 8 hours thurday night. now I know this is only a forecast but in the words of Big Kev "I'm excited"

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Nice one le spud. It's great to see you taking the opportunities available in Europe thumbsup.gif

 

You must be doing something right with your girlfriend, she seems to want to share your lives.

 

Winter here in Yamagata, definitely. With 60cm of snow in 2 days, all the systems are on, and the machines are out. Appi was a blizzard on Monday afternoon, with everything except the bottom shut down. The wind dropped overnight, and this morning brought 20cm of fresh powder. We had continuous light snow, thin cloud, low wind and weak sunshine, enough to give good contrast. Brilliant.

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