At some ungodly hour we are up and saying see ya later to Benny and Hamish. They are homeward bound and leaving behind a devastated Epic Snow crew. Del,Marty and I are hot on their heels but to Tokyo! We are meeting up with Epic Snow Japan’s ambassador Kimmy and his wife Miyu.
After a day seeing the sights of downtown Tokyo we bid another farewell to Marty who is off to surf the North Island of NZ. Del and I are scanning the weather radar looking for the next storm. Kimmy gets word that there is a storm heading for an area 3 hours north of Tokyo, at 4.30 am the next morning the Van is packed and the 4 of us are heading north! The prediction was spot on….SNOW all the way down on the valley floor too. We are frothing! We meet Kimmy and Miyu’s friend Hayato who is a Pro Shredder who lives and owns business in the area. Hayato placed 7th in the Japan Big Air comp with his trademark “Tayo Grab.”
Del and I are the only westerners on the mountain and loving a true Japanese ski hill. Iwakura has a gondola and we are straight to the top.from there we have a blank canvas in front of us! 50cm of high speed top to bottom blanketed groomers. Rad!
With the snowfall only getting heavier Kimmy made the executive decision to call in sick for work and have an extra day at Iwakura. Dinner at a local restaraunt followed by an Onsen (natural hot springs) we were partying at Hayato’s place. beers and Champagne followed by a deep deep sleep.
Day 2 on the mountain and Hayato’s local knowledge has led us to the Milky Way trees and the snow is next level! To say deep is an understatement and to say faceshots is downplaying the experience. It was “eyebrow deep” and we had it all to ourselves. Endless tree runs all day was a dream come true. A huge thank you to Hayato, Kimmy and Miyu for making the trip truly EPIC!
Cheers
Ricky
