Hakuba, a lively town about 5 hours northwest of Tokyo, is all about skiing. There are numerous stores and lifts in the area. Franz and I arrive in Hakuba on 10.01.2017 at 6 pm, just in time for the Riders Meeting!
We're off! The first Asian FWQ 2* will take place on 11.01.2017. A few peculiarities await us from the organization! We take the highest lift to the top, but then have to walk 80% of the way back down with skis on our shoulders. Skiing is not permitted off-piste in this area! Finally, we have left the forbidden zone and continue to the start. It's snowing and a brisk breeze is blowing around our ears. No matter, the ground visibility is ok. The podium for the skiers is dominated by the Japanese: places 1-5 go to Japan. In the snowboarder category, Andreas Zweibrot impresses the judges with a smooth run and secures first place. Caite Zeliff wins the women's ski race and Michaela Davis-Meehan wins the women's snowboard race.
In the finish area, we have to climb over a stream. It was very amusing to watch the others do it. Some riders slip on the wet rocks and get into the water.
It's snowing!
In the days between the contests, there is 50-80 cm of fresh snow every day. You can hardly believe it.... We are going to Cortina! Cortina is about half an hour away from Hakuba Happo and it turns out to have been a good decision to make the journey. Bumsti, a colleague who is working in Hakuba this season, has taken a few days off to shred with us.
We ride untracked all day. Of course, we also have some pillows for dessert. After two days in Cortina, we want to see something new. We are drawn to Tsugaike. The area is a bit steeper there, which is more relaxed for skiing in the masses of snow. Treeruns all day long, one lap after another, we don't want to stop!
