The Surfers Group

I remember my very last trip to Japan or should I say what I thought was going to be
my last trip.

It was September 1997 and I had just lost the last heat I was ever going to surf in Japan. It should have been a sad moment, but after 15 years on the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour and 20 or so trips to Japan, I had come to the conclusion that I was happy never to return to the ‘land of the rising sun’. The surf occasionally had a moment, but they were all too rare and I had decided that if I was going to travel, there were other waves and cultures to experience and that I had seen all that Japan had to offer.
That was around the same time I started snowboarding.

Four and a half years later and my days on the snow were less than I would have liked and my development as a snowboarder needed a big kick in the arse.

“Why don’t you come to JAPOW”, asked my good mate TV (Tim Vlandis, or as I saw him described in a snowboard mag – “The God Father of Australian Snowboarding”).

“Where” I asked.

“JAPOW” replied TV, “The best Po-Pow in the world, Japan.”

“No way, I’m never going back there! Ive done Japan, I pleaded.

“Trust me, you’ll love it”,The best powder in the world, TV said.

And so I found myself on Japan Airlines heading to Japow with some of Australia’s top snowboarders – Rohan Smiles, Peter Coppelson, my old mate from Pro Surfing Richard ‘Dog’ Marsh and of course TV. The boys are amping with stories of past trips to the powder capital and so am I, but in other ways – I am shitting myself. Especially when the stories turn to avalanche survival techniques, the need for peeps (or to even know what one is) and the countless other backcountry tips.
It’s then that I realize exactly what I have got myself into.

Our destination was Hakuba, a beautiful little town on the main island of Japan, some 6 hours (on the slow train) from Tokyo and 40 minutes from Nagano, the venue for the 1998 Winter Olympics.

It is 4am and –10 degrees Celsius when the train drops us at Hakuba Station.
With very vague directions, TV and I head out in search of our accommodation. Its pitch dark and absolutely freezing, by far the coldest I have ever felt. There are huge snowflakes falling like torrential rain - but it is dry, light and fluffy – in fact everything is white. There is 10 foot snow drifts by the side of the road, which itself is white. All the roofs have at least one meter of snow on them and did I mention how cold it was! We searched for 20 minutes for our accommodation, which was two minutes from the station.
Let the adventure begin.

You know, the funny thing was that for me it didn’t matter what happened from that point on. Walking the quite, lonely, snow covered streets of Hakuba at 4.00am, I knew that I had fallin in love with a part of Japan that I didn’t even know existed.

I got to float and glide on top of a substance so incredible and so deep that I can’t explain how good it felt. I got to ride with such great snowboarders and you could get up the mountain at 3pm, because you had too much Sake the night before, and still score untracked fresh powder.

The Japanese are the kindest, most respectful people you are ever likely to meet and
Shoko and Myumi at Gravity Worx (the coolest place to hang in Hakuba) helped us so much and the resorts of Iwatake, Happo, Hakuba 47 and Hanaba treated the boys with unprecedented hospitality.

It was that first impression though of being somewhere you thought you knew and realizing that you had no clue, what a difference a season makes. Japan is a true winter wonderland that I will always return to. I love it!

Lets all keep our fingers crossed that this Aussie winter brings great snow.

SAYONARA
BL