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| Miles, trenching |
We all remember Gomez skiing orange sherbet. He joined the
traveling junk show in the land of the rising sun for some Japow this winter.
Day 1 was at Hakkaisan, and it did not disappoint. It was some of the heaviest,
deepest snow I’ve ever skied. Face shots were like punches in the face, and
they were relentless. Fast laps on a tram through fun minigolf terrain meant we
got a lot of skiing in, even though we only skied a half-day. Three Japanese
were skiing the same zone as us, and there was more than enough room for all.
Whenever we came across them, we would exchange high fives and smiles. Lee
Miles and I had split off from Patrick and Gomez, and ended up riding last tram
of the day with Yuki and Yoshi. We all took our last lap together. Such a great feeling, and such fun snow at a new place, it was a memorable day long before it
was over.
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| "I like what I see" |
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| Ah, trams |
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| Yoshi, stoked |
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| Lee, furrowing |
Gomez and Patrick had a bit of a scare that day,
accidentally skiing off the backside of the resort. Patrick managed to traverse
out of the chute, and down to a village, Gomez had to climb out the way he
skied in. I can’t say much about what they went through, and their thoughts
that afternoon. The last time I got lost in the backcountry and had to get out
via headlamp, it wasn’t fun to say the least. The amount of stress one goes
through in those situations is immense. I can’t thank the Hakkaisan ski
patrol and staff enough for such a smoothly performed operation.
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| The rescue crew hard at work |
Armed with a phone and the number of a friend that spoke
Japanese, Patrick dialed and handed the phone to the first person he came
across in the town. A few minutes later, an employee from the resort was
leaving to make the one-hour drive to pick Patrick up.
Gomez, who wasn’t as lucky, skinned, bootpacked, slogged,
and scrambled his way through chest deep snow out of his line. It was dark by
the time he reached the top where the rescue team was waiting to meet him.
After a short break, they all skied down, enjoying some good night skiing
before making it back to the lodge.
Exhausted but elated, Gomez and Patrick chatted with ski
patrol, who graciously showed them some good tree skiing they could take back
to the lift for the next time they came. Some even quietly voiced their desire
to come skiing with us when we return. Through the whole ordeal, everyone was
very friendly, patient, and genuinely concerned about the lost skiers well
being and safety. Though only a few understood English, the universal language
of warm smiles was felt from everyone.
We were about to be on our way when our new
friends had a kicker for us: two large bottles of their local sake. The only
westerners at the resort that day, the few skiing where it wasn’t allowed, and
the first group to ever need a rescue off the backside of the resort, were
being given a local treat after keeping everyone at work much later than usual.
The feeling of such a potentially harrowing experience
ending so positively can’t be put into words. Great skiing, such good vibes
from local skiers and riders, and such kindness…Hakkaisan is due for another
visit. To complete the Japan experience, we celebrated with soba and tempura from
the first 7-11 we came across. And yes, even 7-11 food is delicious in Japan.
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| Happy to be out. Gomez and Patrick receive a hard earned gift |
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