The two resorts nearest to me here in Toya are Rusutsu and Niseko. Rusutsu is a short 30minute bus ride away, making it extremely convenient for the weekends. Plus I can sneak into the Hotel’s Onsen for free after a hard day. Niseko is a little further, a good hour by car, Niseko is more a special occasion place for me, as I haven’t figured out how to get there by bus yet. Despite the resorts opening at the beginning of December I’ve only managed to spend 8 days on the slopes, an even 4 days in each so far. I gave Niseko a brief introduction in my post back in November so I won’t bother saying too much about it. The only new things I learnt was that Niseko is made up of three separate resorts, and that it is an infinitely more beautiful place in the snow. Yumi took us along on Saturday morning for the opening weekend at the Grand Hirafu resort. Only two short runs were open but considering its been quite a few years since I have been boarding it was probably good to ease myself in rather than belting down the mountain like a maniac. Fortunately I remembered quickly, and was back to my normal self flying down the mountain. I think snowboarding actually gets more fun the older I get, for better or for worse I have much less fear of going too fast than I used to! Craig did very well for a first timer with no instruction other than Yumi and the few tips I gave before moving on down the mountain. I would like to devote more time to helping him but the excitement of seeing snow took over so I was forced to leave him to it. Fortunately he seems to be getting the hang of it, the saying that practice makes perfect holds true for sure. The only problem with snowboarding around here is the cost, with 5000Yen lift pass prices, plus around 4000Yen rental for the day, things add up quickly. One of those can be eliminated however, by buying a snowboard J
Honestly I had a bit of hassle getting a board out here. Due to height and weight compared to the average Japanese finding a board long enough in an actual shop proved impossible. And that is without factoring in my big feet. Yumi as usual was fantastic, ferrying Craig and I to Date and Muroran to have a look at some kit. Boots I got in Date, decent price at 16000Yen, although they are last years model, but then again, it’s a boot, how much can boot technology have come forward in a year? Board and bindings were a job for the internet, much cheaper as a bonus. Typically the first order failed (English credit cards not liked seemingly) so once again Yumi to the rescue with here native card. Having spent 5days on my new kit I’m really pleased with it in general, I’ve only ever used rental stuff before, so by jumping from the bottom to mid/high end Burton equipment I can really feel the difference. So much more bite when carving, especially if the terrain is a bit bumpy. The only problem I have is with the boots, but in honesty I suspect it’s a problem with me rather than them. I have notoriously poor circulation in my feet and as such am always complaining of cold feet. Consequently once I have nicely restrictive boots on numbness due to lack of blood flow quickly sets in. So much to the point I can only survive a couple of runs before I need to unbuckle. I also reckon my boots are a ½ size too big for me. In the shop they felt great, but now they’ve started to give I feel my heel rising up (which is not a good thing) necessitating doing straps up tighter, compounding the whole numb toes issue. It’s a vicious cycle.
Despite these problems, my enthusiasm enables me to keep going for many hours a day. I think the longest day Ben and I managed in Niseko was nearing 9 hours. Definitely getting out money’s worth! So without sounding too confident I am definitely improving, still some spectacular crashes mind you. Here comes the bit where I will sing the praises of helmets. I have lost count of the times I have slammed into the ground and tumbled 20metres down the hill, only to lie there winded, thinking “My god that would have hurt SO much more if I wasn’t wearing a helmet” Not to mention its really handy to not have to claw your way back up the hill to dig your hat and goggles out of the snow after you’ve fallen. Despite the helmet though after each day of boarding I usually feel I’ve been in tumble-dryer all day, only stopping so someone can kick me. My left knee still hurts from a fall back on the 24th! Only after I have been sitting down for a long period of time however, which is curious. Other than that one I’m injury free for the moment, had a nice black eye after day three at Niseko, perhaps getting a bit cocky I thought I could follow Ben through the terrain park (Big jumps basically), I had had a little practice doing tiny jumps on the slopes, but nothing like this. Fortunately I landed the first one OK, the second one wasn’t pretty however. I’ll put it down to being at the end of the day so the ground was all choppy…whatever happened I came out with a black eye and a painful shoulder.
It was whilst at Niseko with Ben, Mike and my family, that I discovered a love for night skiing. I can’t fathom why I hadn’t tried it until now (I can really, was too young). From what my dad told me Hirafu is one of the better places for night skiing that he has been to, most places are apparently just one or two crowded poorly lit slopes. Hirafu however, has about 2/3 of the resort open. All really well lit to boot. So after about 5pm the day people all go home, leaving the slopes empty for our enjoyment. Truly amazing, and so much more relaxing when you don’t have to worry about mowing down the people in front of you. The only downside is the slopes are a bit cut up after people have been on them all day, but nothing that can’t be dealt with. Have I said enough about snowboarding yet? No? Well just one more thing. The greatest food ever to have when you are out on the slopes has to be this, Seasoned rice, covered in a large sloppy omelette, and curry sauce. Throw in chicken nuggets for good measure…delicious.
Coming soon…and edit on my new love of tree runs!
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