Early Pow in Niseko
Yesterday began the usual way; clearing the foot of fresh snow off the driveway... again!
A leisurely breakfast followed, with my new flatmates in Kutchan (a not-so-touristy part of the Niseko-area and my home for the winter), then a short drive on the back road to Niseko's Hanazono base area.
The daily driveway clearing
Snowing so hard you can barely see the car in front
We arrived at about 10.30am to an almost empty carpark, a good 40cms of fresh on the ground and no lift line whatsoever. So what do you do when you pull up to an empty carpark in your 2.0L twin-turbo Imprezza B4 (that'd be my flatmates car, not mine) with a whole lot of fresh snow? Silly question ey...
Carpark antics... Woohooooo!
I guess it's not even halfway through December, so the crowds are yet to arrive here in Niseko, but still... eight consective snowy days and no one around. Strange!
But all the more pow for us lucky few that are here, so I'm not complaining.
Testing out the next season's Atmosphere outerwear in true powder-bashing style
Empty chairs everywhere
This is my sixth year coming to Japan now. I originally came here in 2007 to write for a guidebook called Snow-search Japan. After numerous one and two-month trips over a couple of years, I realised I was addicted.... Addicted to the mix of amazing culture, the endless good food and the genuinely wonderful people. Oh, and what I fully believe is certainly the best snow in the world.
These days, I come over for the season as part of a small team of highly-qualified instructors / coaches / guides, for Niseko Academy - Niseko's premier private lesson ski school, with an instructor training academy and powder coaching/guiding arm called Powder Detours.
And if you don't believe what I say about the snow, just check out this forecast for the next week...
If you haven't made it to Japan yet, make this season the one. There's some amazing deals on flights through Aussie with Jetstar in February, and a huge range of resorts and accommodation to chose from. It's going to be an epic season this year so don't miss out.
