Go Pro Skiing in Nozawa Onsen

Hello Dear Most Excellent Ones,
Celia got a Go Pro camera for me before our ski trip and even though I looked like a geek wearing it, it was fun looking at the videos later.  I put some of my favourite clips together and it will give you some idea what Nozawa looks like.  Celia made me add some mood music as well so enjoy.  Talking about Celia there are a few scenes of her skiing.  She loves the sport and calls it her new passion.

Ready to Go Pro on my next run.

Picture taken by the Go Pro.  Looking down from a helmet whilst I was snowboarding. 

I ski a lot better than I snowboard, but for half a day it is fun and humbling to try.

The problem with snowboarding is you have to take one foot out of the binding while you wait in line for a chairlift.

Later you have to sit in the snow to strap yourself on the board.

Once strapped in most boarders can flip up onto their feet from this position.  Sadly I either don't have the co-ordination, technique, or flexibility to do this.

So I flip around onto my front and push myself up from a push up position.  Awkward!

Kind of embarrassing and one of the reasons why I ski a lot more than I snowboard.

Have a great week everyone!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Nozawa Onsen Fantastic Snow Resort

Hello Dear Great Ones,

I just spent four awesome days at Nozawa Onsen, Japan, with one of the best 36 year old filipina skiers in the world.  That would be my lovely Celia. Nozawa Onsen is located near Nagano, host of the 1998 winter Olympics, and has been in operation for over  a hundred years making it one of the oldest ski areas in Japan if not the world.  Nozawa Onsen proclaims itself as a: Fantastic Snow Resort, which I at first found rather amusing and even mocked.  99% of all ski areas call themselves ski/snowboard resorts, but nope not this area.  Well, after being at Nozawa Onzen and seeing it for myself I am not mocking now.  It is a Fantastic SNOW resort.  

Due to the colliding of cold siberian winds blasting down from the north with warm, moist, pacific ocean air drifting in from the south there are massive snow storms in the Nagano area.  And I mean massive.  I have seen lots of snow in my time, but nothing like what I saw at Nozawa Onsen.  Which of course makes for great ski/snowboarding conditions.  It was lovely to float on powder.

The village of Nozawa Onsen itself is a quaint, rustic place, with heaps of bath houses, where you can soak with the locals in screeching hot, natural hot springs.  Onsen apparently means hot springs.  The only problem is that parts of the village smell like rotten eggs from the sulphur smell of the hot springs.  No matter, it was great to soak the aching bones, after a long day of skiing, in an onsen.

The ski hill itself had great terrain and was especially friendly for beginners, with nice, flat and long runs.  The Japanese people on the hill were very friendly and there were also heaps of Australians. They were friendly too.  And of course there were Germans!  Ze are everyvere!  They were also kind.  Yet, despite all these people from all over the world, lift lines were tiny and there was plenty of room to ski.  

Finally, the temperature at Nozawa hovered around  -3 celsius.  Awesome, skiing in cold is not as fun.  And the other sweet part of Nozawa was that lift tickets were reasonable.  About $50 Canadian.  Folks I have discovered a ski paradise.  And it is in Japan. Ya hoo!!!   

(Note the small pics are from Celia's iphone.  They get blurry when you make them bigger.  The big ones are from my camera)

With one of the best 36 year old filipina skiers in the world.

Gearing up.

Happy time!

Lodge Hahnenkamm.  An Austrian style lodge in Japan run by Japanese.  Works for me.

Great snow, great views.

See the guy shovelling snow off the roof.  The amount of snow was unreal.

Some more great views.

This run was the skyline trail which ran along a ridge of a mountain.

There are two gondolas to whisk you to the top.

Colorful snowboarders.

Celia taking a rest.

Like Johnny Cash, I am a man in black.  The thing on my back is a (black) backpack.

Lovely views and scenes:

Some scenes from the quaint village of Nozawa Onsen.

A free public bathhouse.  The hot springs are super hot.

Street scene.

Eating at a Japanese restaurant.  Not flexible enough anymore to sit cross legged for too long.

A typical Japanese meal.  Lots of fish and small portions.  Japanese cuisine is not known for making you fat.  Hmmm

Enjoying our meal.

Quaint.

Have a great week everyone!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Moody Jungle

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

I live right on the edge of a magnificent sub-tropical jungle otherwise known as Shing Mun Country Park.  The other day I went on a meander through my "backyard," and since it was overcast and a harsh plus 12 I took a few of these moody shots.  I think they are rather interesting in a dark, abstract way and give a small indication of the remarkable diversity of plant life in the park.

On the road that meanders throughout the park.

Into the jungle:

Bamboo grove.

This is a common sight in HK.  Roots growing on the side of a cement encased slope. (to prevent mudslides)

The blossoms this time of year are interesting.

Have a great week everyone!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk