Thanks to Antti Ruohonen, Molski Pictures and All I Can’t Productions for putting together this video from the second half of January in Hakuba, Japan. This edit features awesome ski movie parodies, copious amounts of slow mo action, car chases, and deep powder skiing. At 12 minutes, it is a long one, but worth watching through for the hilarious spoofs and endless POV shots. Enjoy.
I suppose it’s better to be trapped in a gondola during a gale than on a chairlift in one. If this occurrence aligns with crotchal-area-deep powder, that doesn’t hurt either.
Japan has been stormy this January. Lets be honest, it’s stormy every January. It’s clockwork. Storms just don’t matter here. A frigid NW wind comes over of Siberia, picks up moisture off the warm Sea of Japan, and collides with the 10,000-foot Japanese Alps that happen to be right on the beach. That combination adds up to snow most everyday of January and February.
…A divine wind you might say?
The Mongol fleet destroyed in a typhoon, ink and water on paper, by Kikuchi Yōsai, 1847
The above video is from Hakuba, Japan on January 25th, 2013.
From a local source in Hakuba, we have learned this about this avalanche yesterday:
- This avalanche occurred within a permanent closure at Goryu ski resort
- This terrain is accessed from a chairlift
- This avalanche occurred in a zone that is a major terrain trap where 5 gullies come together into one large gully that then ends in a 45 degree wall
- Last year a Japanese man was killed by an avalanche in the same zone that buried him 5 meters+ (16ft +) under snow
- This avalanche was caused by someone skiing above the skier in the video
People don’t miss home here. They don’t talk about home.
It snows everyday here and that’s enough to keep people from even thinking about home.
It wasn’t suppose to snow last night, so of course, it did. In fact, it hasn’t been forecasted to snow at all this week and it’s been nothing but snow.
The South Shore of Happo-One ski resort
A foot plus of clean, dry powder made the South Shore of Happo-One a playground today. That good snow combined with sun and no wind made for a special combination that doesn’t come around often in this zone in January.
The South Shore of Happo-One today
Yep, you should come to Japan and ski as soon as you can. It’s assuredly a snow phenomenon that you won’t dislike.
Will Wyman sampling the goods today at Happo-One, Japan
So, what would it be like to live in a ski movie? The answer would be different for everyone except for one factor. There’d be powder everyday and that’s just what you get here in Japan in January.
Creek crossing are always interesting here
local powder transport
the AK Burger of Hakuba, Japan is relatively serious
This guy attempts murder at 0:18
- 30cms of new snow reported
- Reality was much deeper
- Face-shots nearly every turn
- Very cold temps
- Light wind and light to moderate snow throughout the day
- Simply dreamboat dry powder
- It’s still snowing right now
Tommy from Finland at Cortina today. photo: Vile Hatakka
- Front side of chair 4
- Back side of chair 4
- Front side of chair 5
- Back side of chair 5
- Basically all the tree skiing was all-time
The international language of cartoon
- Hideously, dangerously empty
- Still ripping deep fresh untouched snow at 3pm
- Especially after 12:00pm, the place was ghost town. The cold temps sent people in for lunch and they didn’t make it back out
Willie feeing the crowds and Japanese hydro architecture
- Today was a classic, spectacular, top 10 lifetime, powder day
- No crazy hucking or high speed insanity, just pure buckets of snow to the face, deep dry powder skiing
NOTE: last night, the forecast was for 2cms…
buckets of snow to the face does this
It’s still snowing right now
Happy trees @ Cortina Japan
HAPPO-ONE (in Hakuba) CONDITIONS TODAY: – Deep powder (1-2 feet deep/30 – 60cms) – Light powder up high, denser down low – Great pillows in the trees – High … Read More
The ozsnowbum sent us in this video shot today in Niseko, Japan.
If this video makes you question every life decision you have ever made, you’er not alone.
YES Snowboards has released a DCP Recut from their team video, YES It’s a Movie Too. The Chicoutimi, Quebec native DCP (David Carrier-Porchern) shows his ability to cruise down big mountain spinewalls with ease and shred powder fields like it is his job. DCP is a co-founder of YES Snowboards.
From YES Snowboard TV:
“YES. It’s DCP. Here’s all his pow slaying, freestyle, and big mountain riding from AK, Japan, Chile and Whistler. Cut, recut and added to from YES. It’s a Movie Too. Thanks for watching!”
Though last winter was a total flop? Jake Cohn didn’t. Watch as he finds the goods and makes the most out of a season that was less than ideal for everywhere but Alaska (and apparently Japan based on how deep some of this footage is). Shot on location in Japan and the Whistler backcountry.
Jordan Manley has just released the first episode of third season of his web series, “A Skier’s Journey.” This episode takes place in Japan. According to Jordan:
Follow skiers Chad Sayers and Forrest Coots through Japan as they explore a world of contrasts. From Tokyo’s city lights to Hokkaido’s sacred hardwood forests, this episode explores spaces of simultaneous anonymity & intimacy, rigid tradition & an embrace for the future, finding epic powder each step along the way.
If you haven’t heard of the Skier’s Journey series, be sure to check out some of the past episodes on Vimeo. These episodes feature some of the most beautiful ski cinematography that is available online.
It turns out that Jordan Manley is a half decent still photographer as well, so take a look at some of the shots on his website while you’re at it.
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