Ride

Last week I had no time to post something about my recent snowboarding trip to Niigata Prefecture (more specifically the mountains of Naeba, Tashiro, and Kagura) but I am finally getting around to it a week after.

Taking advantage of the recent three-day weekend, fourteen of us (all snowboarders) living in Miyagi Prefecture, representing 8 countries (South Africa, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and America), piled into four cars at 3a.m. with an array of snow gear, accents, and Ipods, and made the 5-hour journey south to Niigata-ken (on West / Sea of Japan coast, and well known for its snow/powder).



I rode in a car with a fellow American, though with Japanese heritage (Aki), a Scot (Stuart), and an Aussie (Lisa). Unbelievable how often we had to ask eachother to repeat what he/she just said. Some very amusing miscommunication due to the various slang, accents, etc. Yet, we all made it safely, checked in to our two large rooms at the ryokan (Japanese Inn), and were on the slopes by 10:30 Saturday morning. The weather and snow were a bit disappointing the first day (foggy, warm, and slushy), but the good company and an all-you-can-eat curry house more than made up for it. Most of us were "knackered" (a word I've picked up from one of these other countries) by mid afternoon and ended a bit early so we could have a nap and rest up for the "night-ah" (what the Japanese call night skiing). The genki South African managed to stir us all from our slumber, and talked us back into our gear. However, due to my blockheadedness, I ended up at a different ski-hill than ALL 13 others for the night-ah. While they were all playing in the snowboard park, I found a nice, empty, mostly-ungroomed run, and rode until my weary legs could take no more.



Sometime late Saturday night, as we were lazing about the inn after onsen and several nightcaps, heavy snow began to fall, much to our delight. By morning, there was "heaps" (from Aussie or Kiwi, not sure) of fresh powder. After a traditional Japanese breakfast (rice, fish, pickles, raw egg, natto (fermented soy beans), and green tea of course), we geared up and made the convenient 10-minute walk over to the slopes. All of us took the gondola to the top, though we soon split up into groups and explored as much of the 3 mountains as possible for the rest of the day. A few of us found some brilliant off-piste runs, with powder so deep it swallowed you if you happened to fall. The Japanese (the best rider among the group), the South African, myself, and later the Kiwi also attacked an untouched tree run, which had a spectacular 3-meter drop-off we didn't see until we had spilled in the powder below. Racing through the trees on fluffy powder is one of the best rushes I've ever experienced...

After a full day riding, it was back to the inn for another nap and then a large, delicious meal prepared by the mother and son innkeepers. I'm not quite sure how the two of them kept up with all of their guests, especially with a group of loud, unruly gaijin. Anyhow, another merry evening followed, fuelled by the wonderful combination of onsen, good company, and choice beverages.



The snow was STILL falling when we woke Monday, though the skies cleared by mid morning. We had received nearly half a meter of fresh snow in the last 36 hours. Thus, we quickly ate another hearty breakfast and raced off to the slopes. I went to the snowboard park first with a few of the others, before the Aussie convinced me (correctly) that we were wasting good powder. Thus, we returned to the main mountain and one of the sweet, un-groomed runs. The powder was a bit heavier than the previous day, but there was twice as much. So, we spent the rest of the morning playing in it, and only stopped because our passes expired and we had a long drive home ahead of us in the afternoon. An absolutely fantastic weekend, and perhaps the best snow we'll see all winter...