All time

It doesn't get better then this. woke up to more new snow, got an early start and hit the gondola first up with Chris, Lee, Tom and Adam. Bombed the tree lines off the gondola first up getting fresh lines thru 40-50cm of fresh untracked pow all morning. Made our way to the non mtn affiliated cafe under the gondola run by the cool old Japanese family and found some of the best lines of the day on the way there with super deep snow all the way. It was still snowing by the way, still is, hasn't stopped in 5 days. Just while we ate lunch another 15-20cms fell, it just kept snowing so hard today it was unbelievable, the hardest I've ever seen snow fall. More then 40cm would have fallen during the day easily. We were getting face shots riding the groomed trail back to the gondola! After lunch we hit the lines we found on the way to the cafe over and over in waist deep pow, then decided to venture out wide again where we'd been in the morning, and all our tracks had been filled in and there was no one out there. We had to hit it a couple of times the snow was so good, crazy dry, ridiculously deep and untracked. I had 2 of the best runs of my life after 2.30 in the arvo!!?? Nuts! By that stage we were totally thrashed, laughing and hooting all the way, half frozen and totally stoked. There's no better place to ride pow then here, period. best day riding ever.

And tomorrow?? Well it's still snowing so more of the same.... sweeet

Matt

Delayed, Rerouted, Lost

It began well, with an easy couple of flghts up to Ak from Wanaka, then a great BBQ with Hamish on Thursday night. Then early friday morning ew headed to the airport for our flights to Japan. we met lee at the airport, checked in, then chris and Lee left me to take their airnz flight to Osaka. I boarded my qantas flight to Osaka via Sydney. Then, there was a problem, a technical problem. So we sat on the plane for 2 hrs, then we disembarked. by this stage i had missed my connecting flight in Sydney. Then we waited another 2 1/2hrs before flying off to sydney. once in Sydney i find that i have been rerouted thru singapore to Osaka, landing 1 hr before my next connection thru to sapporo. so rather then arriving at 8pm sat night and spending a night in osaka, i'm landing at 7am the next day. So i wait in Sydney for another 4 hrs before boarding my flight to singapore. I get thru Singapore smoothly, then get on my next flight to Osaka. I go to collect my bags, and...... no dice. Actually no bags. I fill out the missing bags forms and rush to meet the next flight and find Chris and Lee waiting. we get thru to sapporo easily then wait for another 1 hr before the 2 hr bus ride to Niseko. 34hrs of constant travel and i finally make it to Niseko. Despite having to rent board, boots bindings and pants, and buy everything else the whole crew, myself included have a killer day riding today, with blue bird conditions ( see right) making it easy for all to get their bearings. Forecast is for a lot of snow over the next few days.
Current baggage status is, board bag might be here tomorrow night. Suitcase is missing in action. Thank god for travel Insurance.

Matt

One more Sleep!!!

Gday Team,

well there's only one more sleep before Chris, Myself and Brentski start our journey north to the wonderful powder haven that is Niseko on the north island of Japan. Keep an eye on the blog as we will be updating daily( if not too wasted from shredding shoulder deep mega pow) and adding pics and hopefully video as well. We have a crew of 17 of us over the 2 weeks in Niseko so there should be plenty of action to report on.
We should be cutting our first turns sometime sunday morning, and should be looking a lot like this guy to the right here, but with a bigger grin.

peace
Matt