The season begins

Going through the motions of Marubatsu on Sunday. For some absurd reason, amidst all the random Christmas kissing that was going on at Angie's annual Christmas rave-up on Saturday night, I remember actually kissing a guy on the lips wearing a rasta wig. Being upside-down was a good way to rid it from my mind. Sweat and grind; it's the only way to overcome such traumatic flashbacks.



This is the bit just before I fall off. It's my new target for the rest of this year: Marubatsu by Christmas.



Iwaki from Jogakura bridge.

Hakkoda was better than expected today. Little did I realise that the ropeway has already been running for the last two or three weeks now, even though a quick check on snowjapan shows that it's only part open. I found out that this means only the direct course is open, and that other courses are out of bounds. Yeah, whatever, you could see from the gondola that the whole mountain was being used as there were tracks leading in all directions. I bumbed into a couple of guys I know and we skiied out of the course and into the good parts.



The bridge itself.

The quad on my back leg was burnt out by the end of the day and I'd only done five runs. Peak season last year I was doing eight a day. I'll get used to it.



Hakkoda Sansou.



The edge of Hakkoda 'Quasi' National Park, on my way back home.