For lack of a better title, this is what I did all Winter vacation. I'm a bit behind at posting this, mainly due to things cropping up over the past few weeks (ie. laziness and lack of motivation), but later is better than never. That and I've suddenly gotten a burst of creative inspiration to write blog posts again, so I've grabbed my keyboard to catch some brain waves before they recede back into the murky depths.

As I mentioned before, I spent a majority of the winter riding Yuki; up and down her slipper slopes. She came down bountifully over the winter break, especially around New Years when a blizzard rolled in across Hokkaido and blanketed the entire island under a meter of snow. I've written about the quality of Hokkaido's snow last year, but I'll mention again: I'm fully convinced that no where else in the world gets the same amount of snow that Hokkaido does. Of course, I haven't been all over the world to compare (yet), but if you see what Hokkaido's winters dish out, you'll realize that there is such thing as too much snow! I went to the opening day of Asahidake where I experienced the only time in my life of ever riding in waist-deep powder. Just imagine not only being unable to see your board or boots, but anything below your waist! What was incredibly frustrating at first turned into pure glee once I learned to forget carving and just 'surf' the powder instead. Nothing compares to having wispy billows of snow in your wake and mini-avalanches racing alongside you as you let gravity carry you down a mountain built by the incredible forces of nature... Indescribable.

In a ten-day period over the Winter break, I managed to go snowboarding eight times at five different ski hills. I spent New Years at the hyped up (and rightly-so) Niseko resort, known for it's huge runs and high-quality snow. Unfortunately, the blizzard I mentioned earlier rolled in on New Years Eve, cancelling all the outdoor events that we planned on going to and forcing us to go bar-hopping and spend the countdown outside in front of an ice castle in the falling snow instead. There are definitely worst ways to spend New Years, but it was fun! The house that me and my road-tripping crew, Chris and Nikki, stayed at had a host of others sharing floorspace, making it a warm, cozy and lively place to shelter from the raging wind and snow outside.

After Niseko, I spent a relaxing week with Eliza in Sapporo then returned to my small town and cold apartment to sluggishly get back into work mode. I had decided to stay in Hokkaido instead of traveling overseas to save money this year, but after tallying my 2400km gas bill and expenses, I'd spent as much money as I would have if I'd had gone overseas! I don't mind though, I live for snowboarding, and this will possibly be my last season in Hokkaido :( I've also decided not to make the same mistake and stay in Hokkaido for Golden Week in April. Stay tuned ;)