Some Japan footage

I recently made a little edit of some stuff from my SD card conveniently placed in my go pro all season. As much as I hate all POV edits, I tried to keep it to a minimum. Enjoy:


Japan re-edit

Final Words From Japan

Even as I sit in LA writing this I can’t believe I am back in the US. It seems it was last week that I arrived to the Black Diamond Lodge and met the guys for the very first time. Although winter isn’t quite yet over for me, I know the inevitable end of top to bottom snow for the year is quickly approaching.

I have been fortunate enough to see a vast amount of Japan. Not only was the domestic travel in Japan amazing, but it couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time for the country. It was surely different that I didn’t get to experience the bright lights and constant flashing of Tokyo that most people do because of the effort to save energy, however it was not at all disappointing. While the news coverage may have died down along with the imagined apocalyptic threats, it allowed me to see a side of Japan that not many foreigners will ever see: a nationwide, compassionate, empathetic understanding for the suffering of others. Tokyo was truly remarkable. It seemed everyone shared some sort of determination to help assuage the problems of countless people whom have not only lost their possessions, but people close to them as well. The dire reality of the situation is tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. In all of the major spots I walked around Tokyo there were people with earthquake relief donation stands. Even after donating to four or five stands, I found it impossible to pass by a group of five little girls singing a Japanese song I couldn’t even understand.

 To step away from the touchy-feely stuff, I had a pretty kick-ass season. The snow in January probably topped any month I have ever had skiing. There wasn’t a day that it didn’t at least snow a few inches, not to mention the two days where it snowed seven feet or so. Thank you to everyone who helped me experience such an amazing country. Whether it was grabbing me a beer, putting me up for the night, or even just giving advice. I appreciate it all and will try my best to return the favor. I look forward to the next time I am able to go to the land of the rising sun and simultaneously, the falling snow. Although sometimes it can be difficult with a bit of animosity towards foreigners and a distinctive language barrier, I found far more experiences of over-the-top kindness that outweighed the difficulty. On one specific account, I asked a man who was obviously on his way somewhere just the direction of the bus. He proceeded to walk fifteen minutes presumably out of his way with me just to assure I got to where I needed to go. I wouldn’t have been so shocked if it was a one-time occurrence, but there are countless examples of the latter throughout my trip. I am still uploading videos and pictures from my trip and hope to post them soon. I just hope that if there is anything you can spare Japan does need your help. The reality of the situation is many people are still without comfort in their lives and don’t deserve the cards of fate nature has dealt them. If you want to know how to donate or act in some way just ask me. I am working on a video to try to inform a way to distribute donations to necessary areas and highlight the beautiful parts I saw in Japan. So for now, I will see you out and about in the US. However I can’t promise it will forever be where I shall reside.

Kyoto: A Blend of Traditional Culture and Modernness

Kyoto is a pretty amazing city. I visited the oldest temple in the city amongst various others. I'll do a more in-depth write up when I get the time, for now here are some pictures.

Japan Backcountry!

The past few days have been filled with adventures as always. Our snowmobiles have been overworked and over utilized, but that didn't stop us from exploring some of the least inhabited areas of Hokkaido, Japan. We have had some great snow, but some aspects have been a bit windblown. Next season Black Diamond Lodge is looking to expand into relatively uncharted territory for Japan. Lucky for us, we got to do some of the initial scouting and the area looks SICK! Here is a video:

Japan Backcountry Video

Summiting Mt Yotei

Well today was a day all about adventure. The snow on Yotei wasn't the greatest, but overlooking the area of southern Hokkaido from a 360 panoramic view on a volcano is always pretty cool. All the guys that went up today were Montana locals and a really solid group of guys. At a height of 1,898 meters (almost all of which you have to hike) I don't think I could describe how exhausted I currently am. Here are some photos to do it justice:

Photos thanks to Ryan Krueger

Inside Japan: A Message to the Western World

It seems as though the western world yet again is in a media frenzy to keep ratings up. The Japanese local news differs greatly from what is being shown in the US, Europe, etc. To me it seems as though the Japanese media is using terms like help, recovery, action and CNN is using words like destruction, terror, mass death. Perhaps it is just the different perspective that I have been so used to seeing, but it looks like the Japanese media is trying to spread helpful tips instead of dramatic daily conversation fillers.

There seems to be a general calm here given the circumstances that have hit this country. Granted I am very far from the real affected area, however, the Japanese people seemed determined to rebuild quickly. They are not looking to point fingers at which orginization failed and where. They do not care if FEMA didn't follow exact protocol. They are simply rolling their sleeves up and doing what they can to recover. Very few cultures throughout the world have that type of audacity in a time of disaster. Instead of worrying about comparitive casualties and where this earthquake stands statistically in history they are developing plans.

So please do not start your day with all of the negative banter that already contaminates the modern news. Instead look for a way to help out or at least to ignore the negativity that seems to fuel media consumption. A little positivty towards the situation here would make all the difference, especially from the international community.

Natural Disasters

Well it looks like the earthquake that hit here was made quite public in the international community. Japan was hit very hard and there are several communities that were completely obliterated by the tsunamis as a result of Japan`s largest ever recorded earthquake. We felt it in Niseko which is a very, very far distance to feel such a powerful release of energy. From what it seems there have been a lot of people who have lost everything and I plan on trying to fit a few days in before I leave trying to volunteer to help them cope with this extraordinary loss. We saw several large convoys of national guard troops going down the highway to meet and I will update soon as I get to a less volatile source of internet.

Updated:

So the mess just keeps getting worse with the looming disaster of a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. Everyone is hoping for the best, but something of the meltdown could be catastrophic. Luckily we are far enough away, but there are a lot of people in the direct path of the disaster.

Some Night and Day Pow

So it has been a while and with good reason. The past few days the Black Diamond crew has been exploring the vasts of Hokkaido. Recently we stumbled upon "el dorado" the remnants of an old mining area of which the location is to be withheld from the general public until further notice :). Perhaps once this next snow runs through we will be able to film some there and expose it.

Other than that I have been skiing pow and lots of it the past few days. We got an awesome night session at Hirafu and an even better day at Teine for which I can thank Clay for properly introducing me. Definitely a bit sketchy since any slope you touched instantly slabbed but luckily nothing significant other than a cornice propagating in front of me which tumbles down and hits me in the video...

March looks like it is going to be get the little work there is to be done and take some time for the Black Diamond crew to get some shots. The snow is going to come and we have numerous adventures planned with our own crew, Field Productions, and Meathead productions. Stoked for everyone here and hope to update more!

Video:

http://vimeo.com/20673059

Waiting on the snow

The snow situation hasn't been ideal but there are still plenty of spots to be found. I took the Giro guys up to Shirabetsu and the weather was amazing. Not to mention we scraped away some epic pow turns for not seeing fresh snow in a while.

Otaru and Yoichi with Level 1

Here are some photos from the adventure today to the coastal town of Otaru. Pretty fun area and amazing seafood, quite a pity that I don't enjoy seafood that much.

Some New Pics Thanks to Rob Harrison

So there have been a lot of film crews in town and the weather isn't cooperating as well as it could be. It looks like it should be in for a change soon, but they have been managing to have fun. Here are some photos over the past couple weeks or so.

Ivan Sharko Japan Edit

One of our very art-talented guests Ivan Sharko put together this awesome edit of pow. Check it out and realize what fun you are missing by not being in Japan.

Ivan Sharko CJ Niseko Japan

Big Things to Come

I'm really stoked for the next few weeks. We just got done building a decent sized jump to do some inverted aerial trickery on that has some potential for artsy shots (pictures below). Unfortunately we haven't had weather cooperating to hit it, but we expect to get a good session in the near future.

The past few weeks have been absurdly busy. Japan, and consequently so did I, saw it's fastest snowfall rate in the past decade or so. I have never seen 7 feet of snow fall as fast as it did. As we finished shoveling off the steps the top was already rendered invisible by the snow. It was a bad case of deja vous. However, in between the shoveling and eating/sleeping we got to ski some of the most fun snow I have ever had the pleasure of having under my skis. Unfortunately I didn't have much time or inclination to record it so you will just have to take my word for it.

We also have some good crews coming in to do some filming so the busy streak definitely isn't ending. Black Diamond Lodge is looking to host a "backcountry freestyle camp" in which we will take people into the side and backcountry and teach them how to properly and safely build jumps and use natural terrain. Right now the details are getting sorted but it looks like it will be a really fun event. There's also a super good deal for college/mid aged kids and the details are here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137994586264511

Some photos of the jump in production

Skinning up Goshiki area:

video soon!

2 Peaks 1 Day

Today was one of those days (as every day should be) when you get to be reminded of awesome life is in general. I took off from the lodge with a van, my skins and an open-ended plan for the day. It is always a bit nerve racking setting up for a big tour in Japan because the weather is extremely volatile. A lot of places like to claim their weather changes fast. New England has a saying "if you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes" Well New England and Utah weather are nothing compared to Japan. Somehow, the sun stayed out the entire day and made for some awesome sight seeing.

I climbed up the first peak which is adjacent to Goshiki village/onsen. I will definitely return there to build some jumps and ski some steep lines I scouted. For today, I just went to the peak to ski the bowl at the top. I was riding solo so the leeward slope with the nice big cornice to jump off was enticing, however for once my logic pulled through with the victory. Iwanoupuri was the first peak I reached that looked over the back side of my home mountain Niseko. Like all mountains around, the very top was a bit wind crusted but after a few turns it turned to a beautiful surfy snow that you almost feel nothing below your feet. Carving is effortless, unlike the skin up.

After a great quick run, I hopped in the van and drove down the road a bit to another parking lot where I just clicked in and started going. Luckily I found a skin track that went about 3/4 up the way of Iowanoupuri. Another beautiful 360 degree view peak. As I started to admire the expandable view in every direction I noticed the Pacific Ocean over my left shoulder. Yup, deepest snow I have ever skied that close to the ocean. Quite the run down as the snow became a bit heavy near the bottom, but still one of the more fun runs I have done here in Japan. All in all, it was an awesome day and the adventure alone was well worth it.

Here is a video of the second run on Iowanoupuri (first one my go pro was pretty fogged):

http://www.snowjapan.tv/sjtv/video/2peaks1day

                                                         Iowanoupuri looking at Niseko

Breaking trail up Nionoupuri

                                      

Pacific ocean in the background of Nitonoupuri

Epic pow!

Today was one of the better resort days I have had since I've been here. The snow wasn't the deepest at the top but it was that sensational surfy snow that reminds you of why the 15 minute bootpack surrounded by goombas was all worth while. The top was quite the show to say the least. Pretty sure I saw a pair of snowblades about to drop into the bowl. Almost wish I had stuck around for that one, but being 10th in line I was keen to take advantage of the open and untouched pow field ahead of me. Mid mountain was deep, so deep. Missed out on about half of the trip down because my go pro couldn't clear itself of the face shots.

http://vimeo.com/19056550

Just Real Quick

So we took a trip up to the infamous Avalanche Barriers in Hokkaido, Japan. Simon Ramsey (http://www.niseko.ne.jp/cgi/en/tenki/tenki.cgi?S=2) was able to snap some photos really quick. Here they are:

Clayton eating snow

Me doing a flat 3 off the last barrier

The Arc'teryx guys are in town (Erik Hjorleifson and Jonaven Moore) and they have been having a ball. I think I caught Erik saying something about the best night skiing he's ever had, but guess you guys should see for yourself :) I know the night skiing here is by far the best I have skied after 4pm.

Trying to find a way to convert footage for webisode 2 so it should be done shortly. Piling up the extra footage so it will be easier to replace some shots for better ones. Really excited for the coming weeks.

Getting Adventurous

Clayton and I went out yesterday and stepped out a pretty fun jump that was recently featured with the Nimbus crew. We opened up the landing a little bit so it is possible to take it a few different ways instead of one through a 5 ft margin of landing. We each got to hit it once but the compression definitely made things difficult. Should have a pretty solid session once we get a fresh blanket on it. Speed was pretty easy to figure out...go as fast as you can.

The Arc'teryx crew just arrived at the lodge and it looks like they timed it up right. They are looking to get some shots and although the sun may not cooperate we are expected to get 60 cm over the next 3 days (about 3 feet) so there should be no lack of possibilities.

Should have a pretty solid video soon just waiting for a fire wire cable that fits my computer so I can put in the multiple angle shots. We expect to be building a hip in the near future that will be more than plentiful for any desired trick one may have. Should be about a 55-65 ft gap with the possibility to go bigger or smaller than that. Pretty excited about the next few days to come :)

Snow...

Coming from Utah I had some pretty high expectations of what kind of snowfall I would see in Japan. Well they were met and surpassed. We have had almost 2 meters or just over 6 feet of snow in the past 5 days and it has just been insane. I woke up this morning to sunshine and about 15 minutes after breakfast  it was absolutely dumping snow. Got about a foot in between then and now, currently the sun is back out a bit. The weather is extremely volatile here but it makes for some good scenery and a nice change. 

The lodge has been very busy, but the riders have come out of the woodworks and winter has officially begun. Even our cook Ryo threw down off a stump turned 20 foot cliff drop. Should have a pretty epic video in the next couple days of the Black Diamond crew shredding in the mean time here are some pictures...enjoy and sorry for the delayed post :) Also did a virtual tour of the lodge which you can check out here on facebook: Virtual Tour of the Lodge

Flat 3 off "stumpy's"

                                                                  Entrance to the lodge

                                                                           Side of the lodge

The first few days of riding

So basically what I am going to be doing is every week bring in a mostly video and some text description of the ski bum life in Japan. Big shout out to Clayton at the Black Diamond Lodge in Niseko, Japan (www.bdlodge.com). Basically the place is a Canadian lodge immersed in the mountainous Hokkaido Japan. It is a 5 minute walk to the Niseko conglomerate of a resort and there are great people from all nationalities around.

Clayton and I have been scouting around for the latest and greatest booter spots, pillow lines, night clubs, you name it that Japan has to offer. We have had some big names such as Poor Boyz and MSP in the past and we are hoping to get some big names this year as well. So stay tuned in for the adventures of a ski bum in Japan and what the lodge has to offer. I apologize for the all go pro edit but it is the only resource available until we get a more designated crew. So enjoy and have a Happy New Year! 2011 should bring lots of adventures.

http://vimeo.com/18320608