Category Archives: Skiing

Last Day of Japan Skiing …

We awoke to some fog around the hotel but it wasn’t until breakfast time that the fog lifted to reveal blue skies and some sunshine for our final day of skiing. Also as a bonus there was another earthquake at the same location as last nights two but we didn’t feel this mornings as it was only a 2.9 magnitude.

Everyone’s legs and joints are getting weary so the plan today was to head back to Hakuba47 / Goryu and get a morning ticket (Y3980 each), catch the shuttle bus back at 130pm, walk to the Hakuba Ski Jump and have a look then return the skis and enjoy the rest of the night.

Arriving at Goryu, it was bluebird conditions and even though the temperature was only 4C, it felt like 10C or more and we were working up sweats. At the gondola entrance the Ski Patrol were trying to discourage anyone that was not an expert skier from going to the summit due to icy conditions. We convinced him we were experts and headed up.

It didn’t look too bad at the top but we took it easy heading down looking for these icy conditions but all we found was groomed corduroy with some loose powder on the surface. This would be a good day in Australia and we figured if it wasn’t at least 3cm of powder then it must be considered icy. It was good for a while as there wasn’t a lot of people up here but the locals soon realised that conditions were not all that treacherous and headed up too.

We left the summit and Goryu and managed to jag a new slope just as the rope went down then headed over to Hakuba47 to ski the rest of the time we had on the lift ticket. Down and on the 130pm shuttle bus and we were back at the hotel in 10 minutes, well Jenny, Rachael and I were. Bradley was still somewhere at the ski field. Found out he was still skiing and missed the bus. He wasnt too interested in going to the ski jump anyway.

A quick shower and we started walking through some snow paths to the Hakuba Ski Jump. This was built for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and is an impressive structure. It consists of 2 jumps, a small one and a large one. You catch a ski lift up to the start building, then an elevator to a number of floors.

The top floor is the main observation deck which overlooks the 2 runs. Going down one floor and you can then venture outside to the start position of the large jump. There are great views from here of the jump as well as the surrounding Hakuba Valley. Venture down a few more floors and you can go out to the start of smaller jump. The gantry going out is mesh and you are looking down over a big drop to the ground. Rachael was not impressed by this. The large jump hugs the topography so the distance to the ground underfoot is not that bad. The final floor you get to have a look at holds all the memorabilia including a set of the medals for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games. If you are in town it is worth a visit, if not for the jumps and the history but for the views that are afforded from the top.

After walking back to the hotel, we grabbed our skis and commandeered a shuttle bus which had finished his run at our hotel. We asked if he was heading back to base camp and if he could take us and he said “sure”. Our ski rental place was opposite base camp. Another task off the list.

There were no buses heading up the hill so it was a 1.2 km walk back to the hotel. It wasn’t long before Bradley and I were soaking in the onsen. We had it to ourselves but as we were getting out after 35 minutes of soaking, others started to make their way in.

Tonight’s dinner would be our final so the choice was for Japanese Italian at Pension Syo Restaurant. It was like walking into someones home with a big eating area. The meals and service were great and the prices were reasonable. Just as we started walking back to the hotel, it started to rain but was only light.

A good final days skiing with 15 runs for 21.35km. A lot of walking today but feel good for it with 13579 steps for the day.

Tomorrow we catch the Snow Shuttle for a 6 hour bus ride back to Tokyo.

Who brought this weather …

Looking out the window this morning and it was overcast but there was neither snow nor rain falling. By the time the shuttle bus got to today’s ski fields, Happo One, the snow was starting to fall. There was rain forecast for later today but this snow was icy and not wet. Not to chance it, we bought morning tickets (Y4200 each) with Seniors tickets not starting until 70 on this resort. This will allow us to ski until 1pm which is still 4 hours.

We started to take in some runs and the snow was getting heavier and the fog was rolling in. It wasn’t cold and the runs were good. By 11am the snow was turning more to sleet and we were getting wet. After a break in the cafe to dry out, headed out to finish out the morning pass but only lasted 30 minutes before being soaked again. Still managed 13 runs with a total of 16.87 km.

We caught the 1pm shuttle bus back to the Hotel and then went for a soak in the onsen for an hour (new record). Spent longer in their with a group of Americans chatting about our various trips around this planet. The kids must be broken as they are in their room sleeping and relaxing.

By 330pm, the sleet had changed to rain. Not sure how much we will get but hopefully there will be some snowfalls overnight to counteract the damage the rain makes to the runs.

By 6pm when we got on the hotel shuttle to take us down to Echoland it was absolutely teeming. This is going to some damage to the snow so not sure how much skiing will be done tomorrow.

Our choice for dinner was Cheshire, a little mum and pop restaurant who even though they have 24 seats, baulked a little when the eleven of us walked in. They apologised that the meals will take some time but ended up it was quicker than some of the other places we have been. The food was good too.

Back at the hotel, we were sitting around when the earth moved for us. We were able to tick off another Japanese experience with a 4.5 magnitude earthquake centred 30km to the south of us. (https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us2000jjyw/executive). It only lasted for a couple of seconds but the place shook. Apparently there was another at the same spot an hour later but was only magnitude 3.0 so didn’t feel it. I wonder if the earthquake caused any avalanches.

A bit light on for walking today with only 4751 steps.

Here Little Monkey …

Today is sort of a rest day or at least a rest day from skiing. We have a day trip to the Jigokudani Monkey Park which is home to the Snow Monkeys. Our bus left the Hakuba Base Camp at 815am so it was still an early start to the day. It was then an hour and a half drive to Jigokudani Onsen. Our guide, John, is an expat Californian who has been in Japan for 31 years and in this area for 13 years. He spoke the whole way on the local area, customs and what it is like to live in the area.

One of the many facts we learned was the monuments that seemed to be in every farm plot are actually the family plots for departed relatives in that family. So rather than a central cemetery, they are everywhere. Once a year the families come back to worship their ancestors. Related to that is Japan has an ageing population and much of the farm land actually lays idle as they old folks aren’t capable to farm and the young ones have all left for the big cities.

John moved into the area for a tree change but was soon coaxed into leasing some land to farm with the local oldies teaching him what to do.

If a family line finishes with the death of the occupants, the the local council will take over the property. You can rent these properties from the council for $50 a month and if you can stick it out for 10 years, improving the property and farming the land then the property becomes yours. Apparently there are a lot of vacant houses and land from the death of family lines.

The farms are only very small and this method of agriculture appears very inefficient but I guess it gives the large population jobs if they want them. The area around Nagano is famous for its chestnuts and apples. I tried one of their very large apples and it was both tasty and juicy. Later in the day I tried some chestnut icecream that was also tasty.

We eventually arrived at the Monkey Park. It was then a 2 km walk up a path to the monkey onsen which was compacted snow / ice. I managed to slip over once on the way up and twice on the way down.

The reason that the monkeys have their own onsen was that they used to frequent the Lodge Onsen that was nearby and apparently monkeys and humans don’t mix all that well in the water, so a seperate onsen was built for the monkeys and they were encouraged to visit that one with food. There is still 5 stubborn old moneys that still like the human one.

This clan of monkeys around 200 and don’t seem to be worried by the thousands of visitors every day. It hasn’t always been the case but since feeding the monkeys by visitors has been stopped the bad and aggressive behavior has stopped as well.

When we arrived there were monkeys scattered all over, in the river, on snow banks, on cliffs, in trees but only a few in the onsen which was surrounded by people with all sorts of cameras and lens. One of the highlights was when a monkey was on the edge drinking from the onsen, another came from behind and pushed it in then hid among the legs of the visitors hiding. The wet monkey got out of the water and was looking everywhere for the one that pushed it in.

There was a lot of foraging for food, grooming and just wandering around. We had about an hour at the onsen which went very quickly but still managed over 400 photos. Of course, just as we were about to leave the Rangers started throwing out barley on the snow which perked up all the monkeys. Only got to observe a little of this as it was a 40 minute walk back to the bus on the ice. It was well worth the visit but you need to have more time to observe the monkeys.

It was then into a little village called Obuse for lunch. We were taken to a tourist area not unlike Hahndorf and treated to a traditional Japanese meal. It was a main course of Beef or Fish served with rice, miso soup, salad, dessert and a sample of sake. It was both tasty and filling. We then had a little time to improve the financial aspect of the village at the various little shops. One of the shops, Alexs Country Store, provided free tastings of sake and wine with a plan to selling you something. Bradley and Jenny obliged.

It was then into Nagano to visit the Zenkoji Temple. Even though we have visited a few temples on our trip, the guided tour provided a lot more information than if we had just visited. After checking out the temple for an hour, it was time to head back to Hakuba return just on dusk around 540pm. I would recommend this day trip to anyone in the area.

The hotel shuttle was waiting for us and we had enough time to go inside, grab stuff and back on the shuttle to the Main Street of Echoland to try out another restaurant.

Tonight, we selected Hige Cafe which specialised in food in sticks. Not a lot of English was spoken in here and our group of 12 overwhelmed them a bit. I could only stay for half an hour so grabbed a few sticks and headed to Samarai Kebab for the 3rd time. I had organised a Geocaching Event, “Firesafe goes Skiing” (GC82F4W) and there was actually one other geocacher in town who attended. He is from Germany but now lives and works at a mine in Emerald, Queensland. His caching name is Georode. We chatted for a lot longer than I had anticipated but it was a good event even if it was very small.

After the kilometre walk to the hotel, it was time for a soak in the Onsen again. I had the place to myself at 830pm but I could only last 30 minutes.

Back to skiing tomorrow hopefully, given there is a weather forecast of heavy rain.

Picked up on the walking with 12974 steps today.

Hakuba47 today and sunshine …

We opened the curtains this morning to blue skies. This will be a good day for skiing. We had decided on Hakuba47 / Goryu Ski Fields today, so after another cooked breakfast it was onto the shuttle for only a 20 minute ride to the Escal Plaza ticket office. There were no deals today for tickets in fact they charged Y500 deposit on the tickets so that you would return them at the end of the day. Tickets were Y5000 for adults and Y4000 for seniors so it was a Y20000 day including the deposits.

First lift up again was a gondola but this time there was no snow or fog. The first few runs were great with fresh powder from yesterday and last nights falls but it didn’t take long before the runs were filling up with skiers and boarders. After yesterdays weather, everyone that was skiing in Hakuba must of been on these fields.

We got in some good long runs then started exploring the mountain over 3 linked ski fields – Goryu, Hakuba47 and Iimori. Towards 2pm the runs were getting very chopped up and rather than getting an injury, I called it a day after 12 runs and 21.72 km of skiing. It was a sweaty day and I could have sworn the temperature must have gone over double digits but found out it only reach 4C. We must be getting acclimated to the cold. How are we going to cope when we get to Singapore and home with temps in the 30’s at the end of the week.

Onto the 315pm shuttle back to the hotel and I was into the onsen by 4pm. Being an hour earlier made a difference as I had it to myself although I could hear a bit of chatter in the female side. I got to 30 minutes and that was enough. This time when I rinsed off, I turned the water temperature right down and used a tepid shower to bring my temperature down.

Everyone had decided that the Samurai Kebab was worth a second visit so the shuttle driver dropped us off for another great meal. It was another walk back to the hotel but it seemed a little colder than last night and it was -5C, a lot colder. Managed a few more steps today with 8312.

Tomorrow we are off to the snow monkeys.

Its all foggy and snowing …

We awoke to Bixby alarm telling us it was snowing so opened the curtains and she was right, it was snowing. In fact it didn’t let up all day, just the intensity from light to dumping.

A nice cooked breakfast at the hotel then we were on the 815am shuttle bus to Iwatake Ski Field. I think we must have taken every street as it took 45 minutes to get there. The bus was chockers with these flip down seats that fill the aisle when all the other seats are taken.

The snow was coming down hard but there was no wind so it felt not too cold but it was 4C. One thing about Japan, once you turn 50, you become a Senior and get reduced lift tickets. So we were going to get 2 adults (Y4400 each) and 2 seniors (Y3900 each) when the girl said it is cheaper to buy a package with 4 adult tickets so instead of paying Y16600 we payed Y14400 which worked out at Y3600 each.

First lift up was to the top of the mountain in a gondola. Looked great out the windows with the snow falling then half way up the fog came in as well and visibility was down to 50 metres. When we got to the top the visibility dropped to 20 metres.

A green run to warm the legs up was chosen but due to poor signage and no visibility we struggled to find it. We found a run that we thought was it but as we were headed down, jumps and slides appeared out of the fog. We were in the terrain park. It wasn’t too bad if you dodged the obstacles so we kept on this for a while. There was no one else on it so the lift was our own. The lifties have little straw vrooms and sweep the powder snow off the seat before you sit down. Very civilised.

It was time for a break and hopefully allow the fog to lift. It even wasn’t easy finding a 2 storey building on the summit but got it in the end. The fog ws getting worse so we headed down to where the fog wasn’t too bad and did a lot of 1 km runs including some through the trees.

In the afternoon the snow was still heavy and the fog didn’t lift and we headed back up the top following behind other skiers and getting to know the humps and bumps and got in some long 3.3km runs.

We called it a day around 3pm but missed the shuttle so hung around until the 4pm shuttle which didn’t take the same route back as most of us were going to the same hotel so he dropped us off first then dropped off the others.

It was then time to try another Japanese experience, the onsen. Oak Forest Hotel has their own onsen and it is very much traditional. That is there is a male and female onsen and it is very much naked, no bathers. If it is OK for the Japanese then it is OK for me. You walk through the door to find a changing room / locker room. You place all your clothing in a locker, take the key then take your little 30cm x 30cm towel into the washing area.

First thing is to sit on this little stool thing with 10 others doing the same, rinse off with a bamboo container of hot water and then wash your body all over. Rinse off all the soap and then you can go into the “bath” which is like a large spa pool without the bubbles. Mineral hot water is constantly coming in from a pipe and the water temperature is 39C. You cant see a lot in here because of the steam from the bath and from the showering. As I have a cold at the moment, the steam wasn’t doing my lungs too well, so it was time to venture out into the outside bath.

I grabbed my little towel, not too worried about modesty at this time, opened the door and bang, it was below zero so the cold just hit you. Lowering into the water, it felt hotter and it was, 41C. The best part was that the snow was falling on your heat while you sat in the water.

When I got to 35 minutes, it was definitely time to get out. It was back into the showering area to rinse off then to the locker room to dry off and put the Yukata (casual kimono) back on and head back to the room.

I then got into the shower and turn the cold water on to try and lower my body temperature. One good thing about the onsen is that my back, knees, thighs and calves did not have any aches. I will be back in it tomorrow night.

The hotel provides a shuttle to eating spots at 6pm each night. We asked the driver for a suggestion and he said Samurai Kebab so why not. It was in a basement of a building and it was like a sports bar but instead of wings they did kebabs and variations of it. The meals were cheap, plentiful and tasty. The kids even did a 3 litre Heineken beer tower. It was a good night out. There was no shuttle back so it was a kilometre walk back up the hill with snow still falling and the roads icing up. There were a few slips but no injuries

It wasn’t a bad days skiing given the conditions with 13 runs for a total of 24.07 km and additionally 7874 steps.

It is Winter all over again …

You could have thought that we were back in winter with overcast skies, fog and the temperature sitting on 2C. First order of the day was to pack everything up and vacate our room. This didn’t take too long and we were soon up on the lift to the top of the mountain.

It was certainly winter conditions with a cold breeze, light snow showers and limited visibility. We decided that we would stick to Highway 83 as it was the best groomed slope and with only about 10 metres visibility, I didn’t want to break something on the last day.

Around midday, the slopes started filling with boarders that must have made their way from Melbourne, so it was time to head back, hand in our skis and pack the car for the long trip home.

Just after 1:20pm, we were on our way for the 12 hour trip and 980 kilometres. Even with a few stops for geocaches along the way, we were making good time, getting into Bendigo still in daylight. I could get used to skiing when there is daylight saving.

All was going well until we hit the Freeway just out of Murray Bridge. With a car on my left, we came around a bend to find a dead roo, smack bang in the middle of my lane. This may not end well. Luckily the Colorado has bash plate extending under the front, so I lined it up dead centre and over we went with the bash plates lifting the car up as we passed over at 110kph.

Everything seemed to be working OK so we continued home, arriving just after 1:00am, a little under 12 hours. Grabbing a torch, I checked under the car and except for a few bits of fur, all looked good.

Thats it for the snow for 2017. The next adventure is to the Trans Australian Railway Centenary and Maralinga, a contrast to the snow of the Victorian High Country.

The Bubble has burst …

No blue skies this morning but overcast and raining with some winds. I guess the dream had to finish at some time. All this did was delay our departure up the mountain as no one likes to ski in the rain.

We made it to the top around 10:20am so only an hour later than normal and luckily the snow had not been effected by this mornings rain. In fact with the lack of sun and a bit of breeze made sure that the snow did not soften. Conditions were good for skiing even though seeing the surface became interesting with the overcast skies.

The rain persisted for another hour and then the sun peeked through for a little while but it was short lived and soon the skies went black, the winds picked up and the temperature dropped. By this time Jenny’s knees were getting sore so once again we were back in the Lodge by 1:00pm.

The weather is apparently going to turn into cold and snowy overnight so our last day may be a more winter ski day than spring.

Another day of living the dream …

We awoke to another glorious day at Falls Creek. The skies were blue, the sun was shining, the temperature was heading to 8C and there was still 1.4 metres of snow.

After eventually venturing from bed we hit the slopes at 9:40am with the sweet spot for the snow being around 10:30am. Too early and it is still icy and then it starts to get soft after that.

The pick of the morning were Main Street and Highway 83 which were holding up well. We ventured over to Ruined Castle but it and Father Fosters was already soft so Scotty’s was the pick over there holding up.

Back to Towers and Nastar and Main Street were still good skiing but unfortunately the ankle was starting to remind me it was fractured 8 weeks ago and Jenny was getting weary. So with the softening snow, we decided to call it a day around 1:00pm and went back to the Lodge.

After some recouping, there was a supermarket calling Jenny down the hill (she can’t help herself). A pleasant walk down through the snow, made some purchases then got to the door service from the Shuttle.

All in all, another day if living the dream.

Skiing in Oz in October …

Who would have thought that we would be skiing in October in Australia but with 1.5 metres of snow on offer and an extended ski season, who are we to pass up the opportunity.

With my shifts finishing on Sunday morning and getting a couple of days Long Service Leave, it gave a 6 day break, enough time to drive over to Falls Creek, ski four days and drive home before heading back to work for my two night shifts.

It was going to be a little iffy, having fractured my ankle 8 weeks ago, the doctor and physio saying it wasn’t advisable to go skiing but with 1.5 metres of snow, there was no way we were going to miss it.

Leaving home yesterday morning at 6:45 am, we drove pretty well all day except for a few stops for geocaches, arriving just under 12 hours and 980 kilometres later at Schuss Lodge. It was strange arriving still in daylight but daylight saving started yesterday to our advantage. The roads at Falls Creek had only just been cleared of snow so we could drive straight to the Lodge.

I was a little bit weary after driving for 12 hours so it didn’t take long to fall asleep, waking up at 8:00am to a glorious day in the snow.

A quick walk down to the ski hire shop and we were soon on the slopes with blue skies, sunshine and 10C, great spring skiing weather.

The pick of the runs in the morning was Highway 83, then headed over to Ruined Castle as the snow softened but Scotty’s was the best option and when it was really soft, it was back to the Nastar Race Course. We stayed out for 3.5 hours covering 37 kilometres, but my ankle was starting to get achy and Jenny’s legs were getting sore so back to the Lodge at 2:00pm.

A geocaching friend back in Adelaide commented on our photos, mentioning that his brother were in the snow as well. What would the chances that they are staying in the same Lodge. With the Adelaide Effect, it is probably 100% and sure it was. We caught up this afternoon. Adelaide is definitely a small city where everyone knows someone.

It didn’t take long for the aches and pains to disappear with the help of some medicinal beverages 😉

Looking forward to another great days skiing tomorrow.

Now that is some serious Santas …

The sun was out again today and so was the wind giving a wind chill factor that made it a lot colder than the actual temperature of -8C.
 
The other thing today was the number of people on the slopes with huge queues on every chair. Given the overall lack of snow meant that only Peak 8 & 9 were open. I would say that the there was probably 5X the number of people than yesterday.
 
We persevered for a few hours but with the waits and the large number of boarders just straight lining through the crowds on top of Jenny’s legs giving up, we called it a day.
 
Originally we were going to ski on Sunday as well but given that the crowds were to be the same tomorrow and Jenny’s legs probably not going to last too long, we decided to make today our last day on the slopes of Breckenridge.
 
Even with today’s conditions, we enjoyed our time skiing here and it certainly spoiled us in comparison to skiing in Australia both in the quality of the snow and the length of the runs.
 
After a quick cleanup at the Condo, we returned back down to Main Street as today was the start of Xmas celebrations with a Dog Parade, Santa Run and lighting of the Xmas tree.
 
It was a huge turnout for both spectators and Santas even if it was bloody cold.
 
The dog parade didn’t quite go to plan as they forgot to clear the street so they had to weave through the crowd. The Santa Run followed and they just managed to clear the street before the start.
 
There was probably close to 200 Santas with around 15 that were serious runners and the rest just happy to participate and raise some money. Given the altitude and the cold, it was impressive to see the winners and the speed they achieved at the finish.
 
It was time for Santa to light the tree but it wasn’t quite dark yet so hot chocolate and cookies were in order and the chance to find some warmth in the Visitor Centre. It actually gave us a chance to see the history of Breckenridge and it has had a very different time to today with the gold mining that started it all.
 
After watching the tree, we headed back to Mi Casa Mexican with Paul and Sophie for a farewell to Breckenridge drink and snack. (Didn’t need any-more leftovers).
 
Tomorrow we head to Denver.