TR: Japan W23 - Hokkaido

[boltonoutlaw]

Time to switch it up - can't go to the onsen every day, right?

Decided to go to Asahikawa to see a hockey game, East Hokkaido Cranes -v- Nikko Ice Bucks. Both teams play in Asia League Ice Hockey (website) (Wiki).

Four goals scored in first 7 minutes of the contest. 3 penalties in the entire game. Talent level is akin to NCAA Division 2. Lots of passing, no end-to-end breakaways, pretty clean hockey.

No heat in the barn, dress for an icebox.

East Hokkaido Cranes team bus:




The barn, from behind the net (pre-game):




View from the red line (pre-game):




Opening ceremonies:




Officialdom:




Puck drop:

[boltonoutlaw]

Tayoroshi Hinata Ski Area 士別市日向スキー場

[boltonoutlaw]

[Lvovsky]

What happened between Feb 1 and Mar 20?

Awesome TR. hope all is well

[boltonoutlaw]

[Mike Pow]

Yes

[boltonoutlaw]

What happened between Feb 1 and Mar 20?

Awesome TR. hope all is well

I once again became cyclically disinterested in my online life, and stopped posting. Anywhere.

Increasingly since 2010 I have been fluctuating between half-hearted interest and total self-loathing for "my brand" as it were. (How I hate that term, and how we have increasingly become so self-aware, self-centered, etc.)

I do enjoy sharing photos and adventures but there is always internal conflict. I know someone, somewhere is having a shitty day, and travel boasting isn't helping them with that. I much prefer sharing useful information and leaving myself out of it.

Anyway, the short of it is I got hired to do some under-table work in snow tours and I dove into that as a way to connect to something productive and meet new people. I had a great time (I mean a GREAT time) interacting with guests and enhancing their vacation commitment. I looked at a lot of homes for sale and further considered my future plan to settle in Japan. And then, suddenly, it was spring weather all over Hokkaido. Winter slammed shut. Spring touring was fantastic, though powder season was done. I had a flight to South Korea to flip my visa but blew it off and returned to the USA.

[Dromond]

Hey some travel boasting can give part time desk jockeys a quick lift! In your opinion, is the intense, shorter powder season better for a powdervore than a more stretched out season of norther north america locales? I've loved visiting Japan in winter, but living there just to get access to powder skiing seemed so specific when the season is maybe 3 months or so. I bet Hokkaido is beautiful in other seasons as well - VT with volcanoes and all.

[Lvovsky]

Trip reports lift our spirits.

[Mike Pow]

I once again became cyclically disinterested in my online life, and stopped posting. Anywhere.

Increasingly since 2010 I have been fluctuating between half-hearted interest and total self-loathing for "my brand" as it were. (How I hate that term, and how we have increasingly become so self-aware, self-centered, etc.)

I do enjoy sharing photos and adventures but there is always internal conflict. I know someone, somewhere is having a shitty day, and travel boasting isn't helping them with that. I much prefer sharing useful information and leaving myself out of it.

Anyway, the short of it is I got hired to do some under-table work in snow tours and I dove into that as a way to connect to something productive and meet new people. I had a great time (I mean a GREAT time) interacting with guests and enhancing their vacation commitment. I looked at a lot of homes for sale and further considered my future plan to settle in Japan. And then, suddenly, it was spring weather all over Hokkaido. Winter slammed shut. Spring touring was fantastic, though powder season was done. I had a flight to South Korea to flip my visa but blew it off and returned to the USA.

Hope all is well

The lift of seeing stoke is a gift

[Mike Pow]

Hey some travel boasting can give part time desk jockeys a quick lift! In your opinion, is the intense, shorter powder season better for a powdervore than a more stretched out season of norther north america locales? I've loved visiting Japan in winter, but living there just to get access to powder skiing seemed so specific when the season is maybe 3 months or so. I bet Hokkaido is beautiful in other seasons as well - VT with volcanoes and all.

In a normal winter, you can be skiing mid-thigh powder and deeper on Hokkaido from the start of December to the end of March

In a great year, mid-Nov to the end of March with the occasional April and May dump

Touring goes on well into May

[boltonoutlaw]

Hope all is well

The lift of seeing stoke is a gift

All good. Thank you for asking, MP.
I should be back in Hokkaido by 15 December, and it can't come soon enough

[Mike Pow]

All good. Thank you for asking, MP.
I should be back in Hokkaido by 15 December, and it can't come soon enough

Good to hear

Have a great Summer

[boltonoutlaw]

One of the best two-week stretches of W23 for consistent snow conditions and ambient temperatures was the second half of February after which the door slammed shut on powder season. Touring conditions however were excellent and would remain so for some time.

This run of weather coincided with the last two tours for our season each of which featured a headliner guest. These two individuals with back-to-back host weeks in Central Hokkaido W23 shared back-to-back video parts in a video that I still watch, the 1996 classic "Dynasty - The New Legacy"


During my first season living at a ski resort, toiling as a lifty, Dynasty was looping on the bar VCR and providing inspiration so I was stoked to ride with these very same two pros for a 14-day run of find-the-best snow.

From Dynasty, the feature part of https://youtu.be/3TrmbwHgPYc?t=1450




From Dynasty, the feature part of https://youtu.be/3TrmbwHgPYc?t=1661