Backcountry Steve took his Gore-Tex to ZAO and scored there too.
So, as it always is, the good things came to an end and I left Hokkaido. It had been such a mind-blowing time that it was hard to feel anything but elation, so it wasn't a sad departure.
I jumped a very quick flight down to Sendai and met up with Asami in Yamagata, where it was still really cold and had plenty of snow on the ground. But, before we get to snowboarding again, first things first; foods on sticks, large glasses of very nice beer and godawful singing. Got to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in a while, and as these things usually do, we ended up downstairs in a karaoke booth. The night ended well this time, without anyone throwing up in the bin, eating the karaoke book, or being unable to walk themselves out (that was a fun night Rob!!).
Sendai station, enjoying BOSS Coffee in a can.
Karaoke is a great way to enhance your English skills.
Whilst it was great to be back, it was a whirlwind trip, apparently planning a wedding takes some considerable time and effort, and planning a wedding from another country adds some further excitement to the mix. It was a super busy 5 days, and we didn't manage to do half the things we wanted to do, or spend anywhere near the time we wanted with old friends.
Trial costumes.
I did, however, manage to sneak 4 hours up at Zao with my private tour-guide Nate on Saturday morning. We were up early, and made it onto the first tram for the day. Now at Zao I'm usually treated with whiteouts and blizzards and never really have a great time, but for some reason that day I was excited. Low and behold, on the tram ride up the clouds parted and the sun shone through. What a sight, the 'snow monsters' were out in full force and the surrounding peaks were actually visible for a change. Nate took me to his favourite stashes, as he always does, and of course we rode fresh lines all morning. For the first time, I had an absolute ball at Zao, there is some great terrain hidden in there. Backcountry Steve had carried the luck with him in his flash Gore-Tex overalls from Hokkaido and scored it again. Cheers Nate!
Nate pointing to where the goodness is.
There's lots of goodness over there. Got heli?
These trees are pretty.
That ended the snowboarding part of my trip, 17 days straight riding fresh blower pow in Hokkaido, and the funnest sunny day ever at Zao to top it off. Amazing trip. I had one more stop to make, but you'll have to come back to check that out soon.
