Spending time in the mountains is one of the greatest past times imaginable, your surroundings are some of the most beautiful that can be experienced anywhere and on top of this you have the added excitement and adrenalin that goes with skiing or snowboarding. Mountains however are not only known for their beauty but also the dangers that lurk amongst them.

The pleasures derived from sliding down a hill can often come at a cost and injury can be hiding just behind any corner. For the beginner it might be a sprained or broken wrist for the expert the potential for injury grows ten fold. Luckily in Japan the over abundance of powder dramatically decreases the risk injury.

However accidents happen and ski towns are also a particularly easy place to get sick. The prospect of seeking medical treatment in a foreign, non English speaking country can be daunting and just finding a hospital can be a chore. Here in Hokkaido help is just a click away, the website “Health Hokkaido” can’t give you a diagnosis but it can point you in the right direction of the closest suitable hospital and provide helpful advice about the Japanese medical system.

So if you do sustain an injury or get sick during your time skiing or riding in Hokkaido and are at a loss as to what to do check out “Health Hokkaido” on the link below.

http://www.healthhokkaido.com/

After a slightly slow start to the winter here in Hokkaido things are now well and truly in full swing. The snow banks in Sapporo continue to grow and surrounding resorts such as Sapporo Kokusai and Teine Highlands are in superb condition. In Niseko it appears someone once again forgot to turn off the powder machine as the whole mountain has been regularly blanketed in snow for the last few weeks.

Teine Highlands has a new chair lift running up the existing Kitakabe lift line, unfortunately the cable car has been retired after many years of service. The new lift is a high speed quad complete with bubble for your comfort. Now that the cable car is out of action punters wanting to ski the mighty 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd bowl now have to hike a little to get the goods.

This years winter seems to have gotten off to a slightly unusual start, firstly a late start had a few worried, secondly there have been an odd number of warm days amongst the usual frigid temps, thirdly some of the storms that have passed through have been accompanied by slightly warmer temperatures meaning the snow is not quite as dry as previous years. This may sound a little negative but fret not everyday I’ve had has been powder and everyday has been no less than epic, ask anyone who’s been in Niseko over the last week!

Teine Links

http://www.sapporo-teine.com/

http://nisekosnow.net/niseko-snow-features/sapporo-teine-ski-resort

Niseko Links

http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/

http://nisekosnow.net/niseko-ski-areas/niseko-united

Checking some spots around Niseko in the last week

poppin' off a mushroom at Chisenupuri the other day

Road barriers on the road out to Chisenupuri on the 9th

Japanese soldiers on the snow in Niseko in full camouflage.

Practicing for a James Bond movie? Annupuri, Niseko, Japan

Quick military facts

• The USA is responsible for 46 per cent of the world’s total military spending , distantly followed by the UK, France, Japan and China with 4-5 per cent each. src: globalissues.org
• Japan has the 22nd largest number of active troops by country. src: wikipedia.org
• Japan maintains a lower ratio of military personnel to its population than does any member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) src: wikipedia.org

In Niseko, Hirafu was the first of the big 3 to open and skiers and boarders were treated to an unforgettable first day, more than 50cms of fresh powder was there for the tracking and although there wasn’t much off piste skiing and snowboarding due to the unescapable sasa (a plant in the bamboo family) there was still plenty of fresh dry powder to be had.

Over the hill in Sapporo, Kokusai ski area was also loaded with powder and the ungroomed olympic downhill course provided superb fresh turns all day Friday and Saturday. Both the Niseko areas and Kokusai offered discount tickets making opening day just a little more special. All in all it was a great opening day and hopefully a sign of more great days to come.

http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resortdetail.php?resid=128

However this morning when I looked out the window and saw the blanket of powder smothering roof tops and mountains it was a different story. Snow changes the mood of the landscape and as the hills turn white thoughts turn to snowboarding skiing and powder.

Here in Hokkaido snow falls are part of everyday life but there is still something magical about that first snowfall, I missed the first one in Niseko but Im glad I was here in Sapporo to enjoy last nights offerings.Niseko Hirafu is scheduled to open this weekend and with this recent snowfall things will be looking good for opening day. And if your in town for opening day don’t forget Wild Bills opening night for your apres ski delights

Sapporo city street after first snowfall

north Sapporo park under first snow 2008