Old friends and new bikes

Had a nice visit the last couple of days by Jeannie and Dick (passing through due - unfortunately - to Jeannie heading to CO for shoulder surgery and Mike and Gus, in town to get sunburned and do a little skiing:

Fortunately the gods delivered a foot of new snow last night to satiate the visitors. 

and just in time for the spring thaw, Ash's new ride is done! 

Made by local framebuilder extraordinaire Joe Skrivan, it sports a custom-measured steel mainframe, a carbon rear triangle, and one o' them sweeeeet Enve forks (it weighs less than 12 ounces!) .  Sram Force drivetrain and (ultimately; not shown here) Mavic Ksyrium Elite Wheels.  After 14 years of riding a too-stiff, too-big Cannondale aluminum bike, Ash is going to be stoked charging up Emigration on this.  Thanks again to Joe for firing it up. 



Tokyo tromping

Despite the fact that we were going to Japan ostensibly to ski and we aren’t necessarily big-city types, it seemed silly to not spend at least a little time in Tokyo, since it’s one of the world’s great cities and sports the highest population density in the world, which in itself was a bit of an intriguing concept to experience.  So with our flight home leaving Sunday night we hopped a flight from Sapporo to Tokyo on Saturday morning for a 30 hour visit. 

But before I get there, I have to share this photo with one of our fellow bus-mates as we were on our way to a different area to ski earlier in the week:

 

I've seen a lot of kids driving with their goggles on, but bus-riding with them on?

As we were on our way to Japan it occurred to me that I could have a great connection there.  John Duley was a fellow track/cross country runner in high school (whom I was always worried about blowing by me in the last 200 meters!), yet our paths had not crossed much – actually, at all – since graduation. But I had known that he had spent at least a little time in Japan and fortunately our mutual friend Dave had all of John’s known email addresses, so I fired him a quick message asking if he was indeed out there and was able to get together with us in Tokyo.  As we waited for our skis to come around the luggage carousel it occurred to me that it’s not often you get a chance to see someone for the first time in 30 years!  But upon exiting customs there he was, looking no worse for the wear!  With one 2 year break back in Portland to care for his ailing dad, John has lived in Tokyo since he graduated, building up a fine life that includes a great family.  And they were all gracious enough to take us in for the weekend and show us the various Tokyo sights. 

Like a lot of cities, Tokyo’s main attraction is just heading downtown and wandering around.  The subway is famously extensive and with John gracefully navigating the labrinthine  - but extraordinarily efficient – system we were whisked into the heart of downtown Tokyo and emerged to a veritable sea of people:

 

Because it was a weekend, there was no need on the subways for the apparently-famous “pushers”; those people employed by the city to man the subway landings and physically push people into the cars so that the doors can close.  Apparently quite necessary for the morning and evening commutes…..

As expected, shopping appears to be the primary weekend activity for Tokyonians, and the retail world is happy to oblige, with more Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Versace, American Eagle, etc stores than you can shake a stick at.  Including this one:

 

Though with the temps in the 70’s and a population of 13 million it was a bit hard to imagine backcountry and powder, even though we were just in it the day before. 

The shoe-oggling – both in the stores and on the feet – was super impressive:  Japanese are famous for their sneaker culture (I was hoping to bump into one of those stores) and their high fashion, with Kenneth Cole, Jimmy Choo, and other big time shoe vendors (I tried to take a pic of a $2500 pair of stillettos in Jimmy Choos but was apprehended before I could even surrepititiously shoot from the hip; they had me pegged as a shoe picture-taker from the moment I walked in!).  Here are a couple of cool examples:

 

We made it over to the big monument/park in the middle of town – it’s sort of Tokyo’s version of Central Park – that was quite an oasis in the midst of mayhem.  Hundreds of acres (hectares, I suppose) of lush, green forest right in the heart of the city, with nice paths and a beautiful temple in the middle.  Here we are near the temple:

 

And this is a huge collection of sake casks:

 

That night we were hoping to take John and his family out for dinner, but they were keen for a good old-fashioned ‘Merican barbeque, so in the heart of Japan we threw down burgers, beer, and potato chips! 

The next morning we got up and ran about a mile down to a nice park that had about a mile-long loop in it, where we got to see the typical Asian exercise cultures: very slow jogging, very slow, methodical martial arts-looking stuff, walking backwards, weird exercise equipment, and  - despite the fact that there was a nice dirt trail – strolling on the cement paths.  We did see a few folks on nice road bikes, but given the flatness, the traffic, and the incessant traffic lights, we agreed that road riding Tokyo seemed like a bit of a frustrating experience at best.   

Then back into downtown, where we went up into the top of City Hall, for the most expansive views of expansive Tokyo:

 

Including their famous architecture, which we were keen to see:

 

We then moved on to the “big temple” (I can’t remember the name) that is probably the most-visited site in all of Japan.  Here’s the crowd:

 

And here’s the coolest tourist in the crowd:

 

These folks sweep smoke from the burning incense onto themselves as a blessing:

 

And there was a wedding with a traditionally-dressed bride:

 

We are always keen to get local, unusual street food, and while I can’t remember what these are called, the combination of cabbage, flour, ham, and other goodies in this kinda folded-over savory pancake was great:

We didn’t partake in the ice cream burger:

 

Though we probably should have! 

We had heard that  - like many big cities – bikes are a huge part of Tokyo life:

 

Though a weird little thunderstorm came in and took care of a lot of them:

Soon enough it was time to start our long journey home, which involved John not only helping us haul our skis and gear to the subway, but again navigating the subway system to ensure that we got on the right train to the right place.  Thanks again to a great host!

While we were only in Tokyo for a day-plus, we felt like we got a pretty good sense of it and probably won’t tourize ourselves there again (though we will connect with John again), and were psyched to get that taste.  I had always heard that the Japanese culture was pretty refined, and we definitely found it to be true:  very little litter, people dressed very nicely, super cordial and polite, and everyone gracefully accomodating everyone else, which they sort of have to do.  And where else can you be assured of getting a nice bathrobe in your hotel room:

 

And a heated toilet seat!

Slaying the Sawtooths

I have had the good fortune to do a lot of hut and yurt trips for great skiing and great yuks with friends, and while the latest is always “The Best” I have to admit our trip to the Williams Peak yurt in the Sawtooths this past weekend was definitely in the “unusually good” category with incredible terrain, a foot of new snow that stayed cold/good, bomber stability, and a strong, game, and excellent crew.   

Jeannie Wall was the ringleader, having not only booked the trip a year ago but she’s also been in the yurt 6 or 7 times previously and knew the area intimately, brother Paul was keen to get out of the Wasatch, Mike Elovitz blew in from the mountains of Cincinnati to lay it down at 10,000 feet, John Heppolette came off of new fatherhood and the presidency (I think) of Citibank in NYC for his first days of skiing of the year (one of the few guys I know who could pull that off!), and Derek Gustafson was willing to take some prototype BD boots that bore his signature up into the hinterlands for a few days. 

I have driven and ridden past the Sawtooths several umpteen times and have always said “That looks like incredible skiing” but have never really partaken.  We had a great trip to the Pioneer range a couple of years ago, but the Pioneers aren’t the Sawtooths in terms of either terrain or snowpack, and there’s a reason that Stanley is a bit of a legendary place: one of the coldest spots in the country with big, craggy mountains that rise nearly out of town.  A friend at Black Diamond described it quite well:  “The drama of the Tetons but the sprawling, ridge-like nature of the Wasatch.”  With no people.  A pretty killer combination. 

 

The week prior we had a major heat wave in the Wasatch that took out a good chunk of our snowpack, and Idaho was not spared either.  We’d been watching the Sun Valley avy forecast and their convoluted report for the Sawtooths seemed grim, to the point where the morning of our entry we were rolling our eyes wondering if we’d even get to ski anything at all, much less the steeps that Williams is known for.  But we trudged in, ever-hopeful that we’d find something “different.” After a quick transition at the hut to dump our food and overnight gear, we tiptoed up the adjacent “Skier’s Summit”; a 1000’ triangular and gladed toe of a long ridge that would prove to be our gateway to the goods as the days went on.  Our initial two runs were promising; our quick pits indicated at least decent stability and the skiing was passable:

 

Jeannie lapping it up

 

Mike utilizing his Ohio-honed powder technique

The next morning – after a classic central ID frigid night in the low single digits -  we headed towards the nearby Marshall Lake, again being quite careful and since it was all new terrain and a different snowpack.  But as we skied and poked and prodded at the snowpack, our confidence grew, and noodly glade skiing started turning more into open shots:

 

Derek layin' it down

And eventually – as the days went on, the weather stayed stable, and the cold temps kept even the late March sun’s heat at bay on the copious and big south facing lines – we probed the steeper, committing couloirs:





Paul diving in....



After emerging

We were able to hit the couloirs indicated here; they all have names I can't remember.

I wasn't much help on the boot pack up the couloirs; the lighter-weight Jeannie and Derek put in nice steps while fat boy just trenched it out:

Jeannie working on her sluff management



Putting that Cincinnati ski hill work this winter to some good use! 

And we hit some bigger lines.....

 

Here's a shot of the yurt:

and it's very social shitter:

 In keeping with my dorkdom, I have been wearing a bike helmet whilst skiing this winter and have covered the top vents with packing tape to keep the snow off my increasingly-thin pate.  I inexplicably took it off right before my last run, which invariably meant that I was going to take a digger and test the efficacy of the now-absent packing tape:

Ah well.  Despite a bit of a cold head from this one, a pretty extraordinary trip.  As Jeannie pointed out, it'll be hard to go back there because this trip was about as good as it gets! 

Thanks again to Jeannie for setting it up, Derek for driving us all up there, and John for hauling in most of the alcohol! 

And this came at the end of a great birthday week, that started with a great lasagna feast (prepped by Ash) with great folks in SLC (and capped by her incredible carrot cake) and then another awesome celebration with old friends in Portland at the Lucky Lab:

Neil, Blair, the resurrected Michele, Ryan, Martha, Megan, the surprise visitor Bruce, and (fortunately!) not sullying the photo are old Irving St Homies Trig, Paul, and Andrew

And yet another dinner at Kell's pub with the Denecke clan. 

Odes To Spring

Given the mild temps of last week and the fast melt of a lean snowpack, it appears that Wasangles Skiers are making their annual migration from skiing to other activities, and as such I was reminded that I did a little ode to this springtime oddity a coupla years ago on Xtranormal:
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6365781/done-skiing

That said, perhaps we shoulda been doing some mountain biking or running in lieu of skiing on a too-hot day on Friday? see Andy D's great writeup and pics of an interesting outing here:
http://slcsherpa.blogspot.com/

Skiing Japan - Chapter 3

It snows in Northern Japan.  A LOT.  Here is Ash, marveling at the snowbanks in Hirafu village, near our hotel:

And here’s the info at one of the resorts’ base lodges:

420 cms is – if I’ve done my math right – a 13.8 foot base.  In early March.  Considering that they typically get Wasatch-style  snow densities of 4-5%– and in 2011 we had 750+ inches of snow in the Wasatch by late May that created a 12 foot base – they may likely be in the 1000-inch range for the season?!?!  It basically snows like mad.  British Columbia, with its copious snowfall, gets some amazing huffalumps (my own personal term for huge snow deposits in trees) but those are on evergreens; Hokkaido gets them on deciduous:

The only problem is that when I wacked a few of these to get the lumps to fall off, the branches came whipping up and in turn wacked me in the face!  Or perhaps could actually fall down and kill me:

I didn’t get a picture of it, but in the towns the plows actually now just harvest the snow; that is, they can’t blow it high enough to get over the banks, so like a combine harvesting wheat, they grind up the new snow and pitch it into a series of dump trucks, which of course have to cycle through pretty fast, because it doesn’t take long to fill a dump truck with snow after a foot-high storm!  But it comes in fast enough that the plows can barely keep up – and the temp got above freezing for a while the last couple of days - and we found that by far the most dangerous part of our trip was walking around town, and were wishing we had our little yaktrax-like spikes for our shoes and our ski boots (since we had to do a bit of walking around town in our boots.  Check out the gleaming pavement here:

We couldn’t believe there weren’t more pedestrian and car accidents, especially after seeing the mayhem caused by the icestorm in SLC this winter during the OR show (and considering that the likes of us consistently looked the wrong way when crossing the street!). 

After our one clear weather day, Hokkaido got back to doing what it does best – snowing  - and we decided that the lower slopes of the big Yotie volcano would provide some fun tree skiing:

Armed with Toshi’s maps, we got a taxi driver to take us to a very random spot in the middle of nowhere:

And fortunately were able to follow an old skin track through some very nondescript woods for a coupla kms, to the base of some nice open lines through the sparse trees at the base of the volcano.  Up we went, to pretty much the last possible tree, above which it was pure, vertigo-inducing whiteness.  

But the viz was fine down in the trees, and we were able to ski three awesome 1500-2000 foot runs through classic Japanese birch and pine tree lines:

The only potential problem with this day was that we again didn’t have a very firm exit strategy.  We thought it was a bit unrealistic to schedule a pickup by our taxi driver, but we were dropped off not far from a main road, but we weren’t sure if or how hitchhiking goes in Japan, but we were willing to give it a go.  Fortunately, after only 10 minutes, a super nice guy picked us up and gave us a ride  - out of his way, of course; they are SO nice! – back to our village:

Where our new accomodations awaited, since we freed ourselves from the Aussie Frat house and ended up in the nice BnB….

The next two few days were more of the same:  head to an area armed with Toshi’s maps, ski nice powder, revel in onsens after skiing, and eat great food, sometimes whilst skiing:



Where else can you get nice sushi to eat out on a nice powder tour? (well, I guess Smith's, Safeway, etc....but it seems so ....authentic in Japan!

  Our overall impressions of backcountry skiing in Japan (at least, in the little teeny microcosm where we were):

1. There aren’t really “runs” per se; it’s either open terrain or very nicely-spaced trees.
2. People there don’t charge very hard; the pace is slow (many are on snowboards with snowshoes to climb with), they ski half/two-thirds runs, and generally do short days. 
3. Given points 1 and 2, terrain doesn’t really ever get tracked out, and if it does, just wait a day:  it’ll fill in by tomorrow. 
4. Since it snows so much and the slopes are generally moderately-pitched, avalanche danger is typically low.  However, our last couple of days the temps and winds both increased dramatically, and as such not only did we see some natural avalanches and were being very careful in our decisions, there were apparently some significant slides on in-bounds terrain.  But it was fairly straightforward assessment.  And we did find some steeper terrain:

In short, if you’re a Middle Aged Powder Pussy (MAPP) with plenty of money to burn who wants guaranteed good powder all winter long without much fear of avalanches, Hokkaido is The Place.  And they do try to address the strange Japanese infatuation with smoking:

Then, it was off to Tokyo.....