skibumJapan: A Day For the Record Books

Clay, Tim, Rob, and myself headed out with four snowmobiles and an endless variety of terrain. The sun was bright and the snow was pristine and untouched everywhere we went. Things looked grim in the morning as we struggled to get 4 sleds loaded onto the truck. After the morning struggle with the truck, we finally got on the road and met Rob at the parking lot where another challenge rose. The battery on the 1000 cc machine conveniently died and wouldn't pull start. After jumping it with a car, we got it charged enough to ride. Within the first hour on the summer road we faced a fallen over tree, avalanche debris path sidehill, and a gulley which we had to man-make a traverse to cross (see photos).

After we got up higher we were projected into an unlimited network of ridgetops and cornices. I saw the speedometer go above 100 mph a couple times in the perfect bluebird conditions. There were a couple of trials along the way, most of which were attributed to me, but we managed to get out just before dark. All in all it was one of the prettiest days I have ever witnessed in Hokkaido. It's hard to leave tomorrow, but I know Hokkaido always has a special place in my heart and the pure, rich beauty of the landscape on this island is unmatched with any other I have ever seen.

I have a lot of skiing photos from Lucek (LucekPhoto) Poland and Glen Claydon which I will share in the next couple days.