2008/2009 here we go!!!

The season has begun.

Well winter is here in Hakuba Japan. After watching the snow fall for 3 to 4 days, it was time to hit Happo for the opening day. Woke up early, packed the car and got to Happo. We were 4th in line not bad really until, we figured out that Ben forgot his boots! I got back into the car and back to the house. Luckily this being Japan and all, our spots in line were saved.

The Gondola opens and the first 4 people walk into the second gondola! So Ben and I walked right into the first gondola and up we went. Got to the quad and within 5 minutes where Marc (noboard in hand) Joined us and the lift spun up and took us up. I love catching the first chairs of the season. It is something that is just so important to me! You get this special feeling and you can feel the envy and energy from everyone. Knowing the snow would be deep I pointed it straight off of the lift. Down the groomed and into the main pitch. Perfect powder, on a really supportive bottomless base. The Chairlift screaming and cheering as I do the Hollywood line under the chair. Big turns but not super fast, I wanted to enjoy my first run! Man it was fun 35 degrees bottomless blower.

Up the lift for round 2 and we are wondering “where is Marc”? We look over and see that he had No-boarded Kurobishi. Now that was a something to see. We had already told Marc that we were going to hit that second run. So it worked out perfectly. He was pretty stoked at the bottom. On to the skyline and ski the face. Not so deep here but wide open and fresh. Cut around to the lower half that always fills in and it is thigh deep heaven again. Get to the bottom so charged up and see just my own single line. Marc comes ripping on the no-board and looks solid. Half way down he pops a small air and cant hold it together. No problem right??? Wrong he forgot to leash the board. The board makes 3 perfect ghost ridden turns, catches major air then nose dives into the pow close to me. Marc stands up and the snow is at his waist. So for the next 10 minutes Marc rolls down the hill. Lesson learned It think.

After waiting for 10 minutes a few skiers came down. I had a plan to get first tracks top to bottom and I wasn’t going to be snaked. So I ditched Marc and headed to Sakka. Thigh deep and a nice pitch playing with the natural features that were still around. Got to the bottom satisfied the terrain wasn’t big or crazy just somehow the moment was perfect!

The Twins!

So it has been long over due for an update. We have been very busy getting ready for our new twins to be born. On 21st we introduced Tyler and Maya to the world. Tyler was 2507grams and Maya was 2376grams. They are both small and are in incubators. The kids though are doing well and they should be coming home in early June.

Tyler


Maya

Touring with the PM gear Brokers

Thanks to Jeff and PM Gear I got hooked up!





I have now been touring the new Broker prototypes for about a month. As far as I know I am the only one consistently touring on these skis. The tours that I have done have varied from 30 minute quick accents, to full day, full on touring.



My set up
Broker carbon prototypes
Marker Duke Bindings
Skin Col Tex (they suck)
Boots Techica Diablo




This is not the lightest set-up. I prefer performance to climb ability when conditions are good enough to still get into the bigger lines.





The skis
The Broker Carbons are very light for an 110plus waist ski. So light in fact, that I only really feel the weight of the really heavy marker bindings. I quite enjoy the lightness of these skis. They are light, yet have lots of power and energy. The soft tip allows the ski to plow through soft snow with ease. The rest of the shape then takes over and drives the ski down the hill. Breakable crust is also very enjoyable, as this ski does not dive. Of course the lightness of the ski is not good in debris or super hard cruddy conditions, but that is survival skiing anyways. One thing that I have always found with rockered skis, is that you start to get into the back seat. This type of ski generally pushes you up and back. The Brocker skis ski more like a traditional ski and allows you to keep that traditional balance point. I feel this is very important, as we switch from rockered skis back to our traditional skis during the touring season, you don’t have to fight to regain your balance point.




Climbing with this fat rockered ski is much easier than climbing with other rockered skis that I have tired. Other rockers tend to have a bow shape vs. the Brocker only has the tip rockered, then light camber. This allows the skin to make maximum contact with the snow. This stops slipping and allows the skin to glide more naturally across the snow. I feel that this rocker ski is the best rockered ski for touring on the market today. I would love to have a second pair mounted with freerides!


If you have any questions about the skis please ask. Like I said I think I am the only one that has toured full time on these skis.

Time to Hike a bit!

After many days and nights begging Dan to come ski with me, it finally happened!
We hiked above Happo and did 2 lines over 2 days. The first line was a 1300 meter decent. The second line was a 1100 meter run. A mixed bag of wet snow and spring the first day to light dry wind blown powder the second day!
Great day out there and I was very glad to be able to get Chuckles- AKA Gandalf
out there too. I really owed him from the week before. You see, he picked us up after every sick line we did that weekend and that just isnt fair. Had to be fair and show him a good run or 2.

This that with some big lines thrown in!

You have to love spring when things get super stable!
You can run some of the bigger stuff and there is a ton
of sunshine. Went Skiing With Jer, Mark, Trent and Matt.
Got some really nice photos and the snow wasnt have bad
either!

Just some Powder pics!

Thought Id link a few pics up from my guests they took some great shot all week.
Thanks to mark, Hugh and Pat for the pics.

Happo a Tree riding report!

After sitting out Saturdays skiing to have an onsen with baby Hannah, I really wanted to go for a ski on Sunday. I met my good friend Janus on Saturday night and wanting to keep the group small we hatched the Happo plan.

The shock on Sunday morning in the lodge was that everyone was going to Happo too! Shocked really! Knowing that the mountain was only going to open up 1/3 of the terrain do to wind. We had to start thinking early. Top that off with every other mountain opening up almost nothing and you get a very busy Happo morning.
Ended up being me Janus and my old friend Damon today. I did ditch my SJ buddies (sorry guys, but heck you ditched me for a whole month!lol :laugh: :o :laugh:)

The plan was hatched and after a bit of stunt driving (thats a whole other TR) we made it to Sakka right at the opening. I felt like I was back in Canada on a Powder day! Locals and mates were everywhere! I turned to Janus and said man we are going to have to think fast today!
Got off at the top and headed into some great thigh deep trees! sick turns and considering Janus hadnt made a pow turn in more than a year he did well! (He is a ripper actually so when you are good it come back fast)

Then it was time to start thinking... Think about where to go to get fresh tracks. Also figure in the wind which people werent doing to which I say "thank you". After 6 runs of bottomless, uncrowded powder we met up with stunts and Dan to do a run. Great pillow line which to my surprise everyone let me do first! Sick I love going first! Pillows and face shots.

Got off the chair and went to a steep short line that had a few tracks, but heck it was a transfer line. See the key point of the day was to get in where the crowds were then get out! Had some pizza to recharge the engines and back out we went. I thought maybe my favorite trees in Happo had been hit, but nope, not at all. 1pm and not a f>>>>>>ing track period! Lets say that again, 1pm and no tracks. This on the day all the locals came out to play! The first line was insane pillows and an open gullie. The second line was as many pillows as you wanted! The third liene was really only pillows. Then a 4th was a long ridge to pillows and the last line was just a bunch of pillows. Never once crossed a track nor even saw an old track. Finally called it a day at 4:30 just spent and done riding sick pillows! My best day inbounds at Happo in a long, long time!