We have just received a report back from Japan and it is deep! Helly Hansen ambassador Miles Clark is on a deep snow mission across the ocean and is finding what we all want right now, bottomless powder. Check out Miles' account of his trip in Hakuba, Japan so far:
Japan...the land of heated toilet seats & frozen snow face-shots. One pair of cheeks is perpetually feeling warm and welcome while the other pair gets that frigid, wind-scoured imprint. This simple formula allows for the perfect balance of Japanese cheek serenity.
Ok, we all know (via the latest ski movies) that Hakuba, Japan is the land of obnoxious, mammary gland-deep powder. What's weird is that Hakuba, Japan is located at a low latitude (36º = further south than San Francisco, CA) and lowish elevation (ski resorts in Hakuba go from ~2,500 to ~4,600 ft ).
So why? Why does it snow so much in Japan?
Japan is a magical snow anomaly. Cold, dry continental air rips off of Siberia, strokes the warm waters of the Sea of Japan, picks up tons moisture, slams into the 10,000-foot Japanese alps, and those jagged mountains wring every last bit of H2O out of that snow-laden air. Hakuba, Japan happens to be positioned perfectly to take advantage of this splendiferous snow anomaly.
My Trip to Japan:
Snow conditions in Japan Feb 8th - 17th:
• All it does is snow here. I've skied everyday from Februrary 8th-- 17th and every single one of those days has been a powder day and it has snowed every single one of those days.
• Conditions have ranged from 2-3 foot deep blower pow to 6 inch deep, dense, uber responsive ripping fast snow.
What we've skied in Japan:
• Tree-bonking, pillow popping, face shot madness
• 2,500 vertical foot alpine big mountain lines
• Hucking off Dams and Avalanche Fences (by far my favorite features in Japan)
• Happy, mellow powder turns
#1 Highlight in Japan so far:
• Neck deep powder and hucking off of avalanche fences and dam at Cortina on February 12th. So. Much. Fun.
Reason for Going to Japan:
• The precious Lake Tahoe snows have not arrived this year. Thus, I've been searching for a new land to bless my skis with frozen dihydrogen monoxide. Japan was the obvious answer this year with the epic season they are having.
Travel from California to Hakuba, Japan:
• Easy 11 hour over-the-ocean flight (made easier by having 4 seats to myself)
• 5 hour layover in the Tokyo-Narita airport waiting for a bus to Hakuba (Nagano snow shuttle)
• Bus took me directly to the Hakuba Powder Lodging
• It was easy...no really...super easy
• Woke up in the morning and skied powder
Where we've been skiing in Hakuba:
• Hakuba Cortina ski resort and Hakuba Happo-One ski resort are the spots to ski here.
• Cortina has the classic tree bonking, pillow popping, face shot accruing terrain that Japan is known for. Cortina is the only resort around here that actually allows backcountry access. All the best terrain is “out of bounds” in Japan.
• Happo-One has the big, gnarly, avalanche prone, frightening terrain that you didn't know Japan had. Happo doesn't allow backcountry access, but that's where all the good terrain is. So, you just go for it, safely.
Avalanche Concerns in Japan:
• Unbeknownst to me, Japan has big mountains and serious avalanche hazard. Before you come out here, take avy courses, get good avy terrain experience, and be on top of your game. There is no accurate avy forecast in Hakuba. We have seen some large class 3 & 4 avalanches occur in the backcountry here and they were certainly life-threatening situations.
A fantasy is something that you've always wanted but never thought you'd actually attain. Living out a fantasy is when you are somehow able to attain that unreachable goal. Japan has been a fantasy for me. Heated toilet seat, flips off an avalanche fence, amazing culture, airs of a dams, recently alive food, face-shots galore, good friends, new friends, a fascinating language, and one helluva lotta smiles.
