Ski Venture (SG)

It isn’t a tough decision to decide between switching on my x-box and writing an article to share my experience with people of the same interest. Anyway, my body clock has been upset for staying up all of last night with a young pilot to be Rueben, editing videos of the trip. Don’t get too excited, there are no big jumps, no rainbow rails… just an account of a bunch of Singaporeans with a common passion for riding on snow, weaving in between trees (in some areas waist deep powder), exploring the un-groomed lines, riding natural half pipes in valleys so deep that there was no wind…in the northern island in the land of the rising sun.

Snow was on everyone’s wish list when we departed from 38 degree Singapore for a 6 days ski trip to Japan. After a nine hour flight plus a 3hr bus ride, we debus to set foot on a welcoming 2 inch deep, snow white carpet at the bus bay of our hotel. Red carpet turned white…Nice! We all knew in our hearts that this is it! After so many seasons of globe trotting for the fluffy white stuff we finally found it here in abundance. Priceless!

Night after night the weather forecasters were wrong, they predicted two inches and it would snow eight, if they call for five, it would snow ten. “Or I might as well have read the report wrong because it was all in Japanese” the heavy snow fall continued, clocking sometimes up to 15 hours a day. We where shifting our stance further and further back and discussing riding techniques to cope with the deep powder snow every night. The equipment that we brought seemed underrated for the conditions presented to us. Like most men, we would have been happy with an extra three inches.

Being one of the organizers, I did not have the liberty to catch “first chair” but what the hell, groomed runs where just means to get us to hectors and hectors of un-groomed, off piste, adventure scale off the roof, super powder tree runs divided only by a piece of orange nylon string usually accompanied with a small sign that says “At you own risk”.

Every day became an endurance test! At the end of each run, the legs would beg for mercy while the mind could not get enough. Knowing that the next line you pick might be better than the previous, your body automatically scoots to the nearest lift chair. (Yes, I am a snowboarder I scoot!) Most of the time proven correct, you do it over and over again, each time you blame yourself for not having been any fitter.

Falling over in deep snow was a whole new experience! Very much like learning to wakeboard for the first time, you lose your sense of direction and struggling with your hands seems futile to get your body up right. To make things worst, snow will get stuffed up your nostrils and inside your pants and make you look like a complete looser when eventually you dig yourself out.
We had a friend who lost his ski and was never found consumed by the mountain and once again earning his rightful respect.

What we have found and experienced made us realize that we have only scratched the surface of snowboarding in oriental Japan! There are about 700 other resorts that are dotted throughout the map that we were holding in our hands.

Despite the hassle of lugging bulky bag packs, gears and heavy equipments, getting exposed to the uncertain mountainous weather conditions and hidden dangers… these adventures have uncover certain significant moral teaching that living in the city we have forgotten. We are once again reminded that it is not the destination that counts but rather the journey and the company.

You know where to find us next winter!

P.S.
This article is dedicated to all readers and friends who were not there to experience with us especially:
Jim & Dulcie from Wake Time wakeboarders
Nicholas Hoffman from Swiss land
Tony Jussila from Finland
Aaron & Kim from being good friends
Red Bull boys
And all that we missed out….

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