Training Log Archive: revyIn the 28 days ending Feb 28, 2018:
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Tuesday Feb 27, 2018 #
Skate ski 55:00 [3] 10.0 km (5:30 / km) +100m 5:14 / km
Double poling only today giving my legs a break. A few tough hills but made it up all of them.
Monday Feb 26, 2018 #
Note
Feeling a little sore from all the snow shovelling recently. Not much snow since we got back but I've been playing catch up clearing the snowmobile, widening the driveway, lowering snow piles that threaten windows and clearing spots that will cause problems with more snow...
10 AM
Backcountry skiing (Hi5) 3:00:00 [2] 15.0 km (12:00 / km) +1200m 8:34 / km
Just Courtney and I today - she had to stay in cell range so took her to Begbie and went up to the summer trail ridge. A few tricky trail breaking spots that could possibly be avoided by going up the climber's right of the creek gully after the Y junction. The glade on the other side of the ridge was fun (though does need good snow cover) and the east facing glade from the ridge back to the uptrack was also good. Lower down it was a bit lumpy with good pitches interspersed with trickier ones. The forest was quite open for all of it though. Have bruised my shin - from Friday I think and it will need a few days recovery. It is quite bothersome while skinning up - especially on left trending side hills.
Sunday Feb 25, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (Hi5) 2:30:00 [3] 13.5 km (11:07 / km) +1000m 8:06 / km
Saturday Feb 24, 2018 #
Skate ski 50:00 [3] 10.0 km (5:00 / km) +150m 4:39 / km
Only double poling today - giving the legs a rest and working the upper body.
Friday Feb 23, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (Tonic) 4:30:00 [3] 21.0 km (12:51 / km) +1825m 8:58 / km
Out with Travis checking out a different access up to Begbie via a new cutblock. Pretty easy travel through some glades - a few flatter spots with lots of boulders so better with deeper snowpack perhaps.. a couple hours to the ridge so probably not that much different time wise vs the sled if you count the access having to sled in? Snow quality was better than expected given the recent winds though the cold temperatures made the snow ski slow. Glades have some nice pitches though fairly gentle for the most part. Good day of exploration. GPS track seems to have a glitch.
Thursday Feb 22, 2018 #
12 PM
Classic ski 1:45:00 [3] 19.0 km (5:32 / km) +500m 4:53 / km
Dog loop and then an outer loop. Always nice to get out there as it seems we do so infrequently (having to do the dog loop has something to do with that). Waxed with VR30 and seemed OK.
Tuesday Feb 20, 2018 #
3 PM
Skate ski 45:00 [2] 9.0 km (5:00 / km) +225m 4:27 / km
Seemed really cold today so only managed a loop with the dog.
Sunday Feb 18, 2018 #
Skate ski 1:00:00 [2] 12.5 km (4:48 / km) +150m 4:32 / km
Fairly mellow skate ski at Macpherson trying to keep busy so we didn't want to nap (flew home yesterday and the trip ended up 10 hours longer than planned due to weather delays). Very busy parking lot - probably due to the Alberta Family Day long weekend?
Friday Feb 16, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 4:30:00 [3] 16.5 km (16:22 / km) +1825m 10:32 / km
Last day in Japan - only 20cm overnight today:(
Actually had a few breaks in the clouds and could see the volcano a few times. They were short lived thought and spent most of the day touring in foggy conditions with occasional snow. Our last destination was probably our best - Mt Shiribetsu. The main peak is now used for helie-skiing but the west peak is a popular touring destination. Our first run was through nicely spaced trees but the wind had moved the snow to other aspects so not super deep. Second run was excellent into a gulley feature and onto the apron of the gully. Third run was around the uptrack (the ridge between the drainages is broad and an easy climb). Last run I took us down the SW side - had to dodge a few glide cracks. In the fog I missed the opening I was aiming for but still found some good skiing. Nice day to end the trip.
Actually had a few breaks in the clouds and could see the volcano a few times. They were short lived thought and spent most of the day touring in foggy conditions with occasional snow. Our last destination was probably our best - Mt Shiribetsu. The main peak is now used for helie-skiing but the west peak is a popular touring destination. Our first run was through nicely spaced trees but the wind had moved the snow to other aspects so not super deep. Second run was excellent into a gulley feature and onto the apron of the gully. Third run was around the uptrack (the ridge between the drainages is broad and an easy climb). Last run I took us down the SW side - had to dodge a few glide cracks. In the fog I missed the opening I was aiming for but still found some good skiing. Nice day to end the trip.
Thursday Feb 15, 2018 #
9 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 3:00:00 [2] 14.0 km (12:51 / km) +1050m 9:21 / km
Another day, another 40cm of snow. Unfortunately today's snow was a little heavier again and came with some wind so the skiing was a bit harder. Drove out to Niimi Onsen which was unfortunately closed. Checked out a few zones I had scoped on the aerial photos. Some nice terrain but shortish runs. Wind was howling and generally not very pleasant out there so didn't stay out for long.
Wednesday Feb 14, 2018 #
9 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 5:00:00 [2] 16.0 km (18:45 / km) +1725m 12:11 / km
More snow... another 40cm overnight and snowing heavily though the day. The objective today was Chisenpurri however the wind was once again howling above treeline so we skipped the last hundred meters and backtracked to Nitonpurri. This zone was excellent with 250-350m runs of moderate pitch. The snow was also excellent with a foot of soft snow over a supportive lower layer. Skied four runs - if the snow is good you should take advantage:) The post-ski onsen at Goshiki Onsen was very nice.
Tuesday Feb 13, 2018 #
10 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 2:30:00 [3] 10.5 km (14:17 / km) +1050m 9:31 / km
Big powder dump in Niseko... some of the group went to the ski hill while the rest wanted to tour. We drove to Yotei (more white knuckle driving) and headed up from the south side. The track was in so we went at a pretty stready pace. Near treeline the wind started blowing rather fierce and the temperature was miserable so we ripped skins and headed down. The snow was soft but not very steep. Most volcanoes aren't that steep on the lower slopes... the upper slopes would be better but they are usually poor snow conditions. I wonder if other approaches have better terrain? Overall I am not sure I would head back unless for a summit attempt.
Monday Feb 12, 2018 #
11 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 2:00:00 [2] 7.0 km (17:09 / km) +725m 11:18 / km
A bit of a short day with various challenges... we left Sapporo with Niseko as our next destination however had a planned stop in Kiroro. The weather was horrible and the drive was pretty challenging with low visibility. Upon arrival I realized that our plan to avoid the official resort backcountry gates would not work as our planned approach had signs saying we were entering private property and to use the resort gates... after our previous police encounter we were not keen to push our luck (and found our afterwards that sometimes the resort would put wheel locks on cars). Given the poor weather and the wrench in our plans deciding what to do next seemed challenging. In the end James, Courtney, Atsuko and I went touring off the resort (a helpful staff person told us how to avoid having to buy a lift ticket but still make it up to the official gate). The rest of the crew went resort skiing. Weather was very cold and windy with continued snow. Trailbreaking was tedious... unforunately the snow was upside down and the upper layers were a little slabby. The terrain was manageable in terms of risk so found some nice terrain to ski. Steeper was better but didn't want to push things to hard. The girls left after one run while James and I went up for another lap. The skiing was challenging due to the deep snow and required bigger/faster turns than usual. Still got some good turns in - not sure it was worth the frozen face when walking into the wind;) Fun day despite the challenges.
Sunday Feb 11, 2018 #
10 AM
Skate ski 1:25:00 [2] 18.0 km (4:43 / km) +300m 4:22 / km
Great skate ski at Takino Snow Park in Sapporo with Courtney, Atsuko and James. Very nice to do a different activity and skate skiing is so rhythmic and somehow soothing. Interesting to see how high the sasa grass is (lower snowpack here). The trails were very nice with some longer steady climb initially and then rolling terrain for the latter half.
Saturday Feb 10, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 4:00:00 [3] 14.0 km (17:09 / km) +1450m 11:18 / km
Tokachidake area - this region is popular for touring (no lifts) and the potential for some great alpine tours exists. Unfortunately the weather was again cloudy (though we got some partial views of the big peaks) and shortly after leaving the parking lot the snow started...
Parking lot was full which was a shock after a couple quiet days - kind of like Rogers Pass though like Rogers Pass once we left the parking lot everyone dissipated in various directions. It may have helped I took us beyond the usual ski zone on Furanodake to the next shoulder. Found lots of untracked snow - fun skiing in open trees. Snow was deep but could feel a hard layer underneath at times. Finished with a nice soak in the onsen nearby.
Parking lot was full which was a shock after a couple quiet days - kind of like Rogers Pass though like Rogers Pass once we left the parking lot everyone dissipated in various directions. It may have helped I took us beyond the usual ski zone on Furanodake to the next shoulder. Found lots of untracked snow - fun skiing in open trees. Snow was deep but could feel a hard layer underneath at times. Finished with a nice soak in the onsen nearby.
Friday Feb 9, 2018 #
9 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 5:00:00 [2] 16.5 km (18:11 / km) +1600m 12:15 / km
An adventurous day south of Furano towards Ashibetsudake. The weather did not allow continuation towards the alpine and no views were had but we found some nice trees higher up on the ridge. The first run didn't link up well but much better on the second run. Last run was marred by me kicking off a 20cm slab on a roll that ran quite a ways (I was left near the crown). I was OK but that dampened that run a bit. Lower down the bushes were a little excessive to make it a really good run (and the gullies do affect fall line skiing here). Had to do some interesting navigation to get out (and find a creek crossing). Too bad about the lack of views - enjoyed the day none the less. Snow was super deep...
Thursday Feb 8, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 5:00:00 [2] 20.0 km (15:00 / km) +1825m 10:18 / km
Interesting first day on Hokkaido (after a few days in Kyoto)...
Only Atsuko, Courtney, Russ, Vikki and myself as the rest of the crew were visiting Hiroshima. I thought the terrain around Tommamu looked interesting but I didn't want to pay for a lift ticket so I found an alternate route to access the area. The skiing was excellent with a good base and very light snow on top. Hero skiing and the terrain was nice open areas mixed with open trees. I was surprised by the lack of other tracks and our access seemed rather easy. It turned out though that we were parked at the local dump behind a gate (that we had not noticed). The gate was due to close at 3pm and an empty van in the middle of nowhere lead to the police getting called, our rental car company being contacted, etc.. To make matters worse we had not registered our backcountry plan with the police (a rule in Japan that is not always followed). Anyway once we arrived at the van we had a visit from the police explaining the situation - he seemed friendly and we didn't get into any trouble but still stressful and put a damper on what had been a stellar day. We've been submitting a travel plan since...
Only Atsuko, Courtney, Russ, Vikki and myself as the rest of the crew were visiting Hiroshima. I thought the terrain around Tommamu looked interesting but I didn't want to pay for a lift ticket so I found an alternate route to access the area. The skiing was excellent with a good base and very light snow on top. Hero skiing and the terrain was nice open areas mixed with open trees. I was surprised by the lack of other tracks and our access seemed rather easy. It turned out though that we were parked at the local dump behind a gate (that we had not noticed). The gate was due to close at 3pm and an empty van in the middle of nowhere lead to the police getting called, our rental car company being contacted, etc.. To make matters worse we had not registered our backcountry plan with the police (a rule in Japan that is not always followed). Anyway once we arrived at the van we had a visit from the police explaining the situation - he seemed friendly and we didn't get into any trouble but still stressful and put a damper on what had been a stellar day. We've been submitting a travel plan since...
Monday Feb 5, 2018 #
6 AM
Hike 44:33 [2] 4.5 km (9:54 / km) +225m 7:55 / km
Courtney wanted to get some exercise so did a speed hike/run through Nozawa including some trail breaking through deep fresh snow (just our luck as we were leaving) up beyond the shrine.
Sunday Feb 4, 2018 #
9 AM
Skate ski 1:15:00 20.0 km (3:45 / km) +385m 3:25 / km
The rest of the gang went to see the snow monkeys however I wasn't that keen so I went for a solo ski at the Nozawa nordic trails. This was the location for the Nagano biathlon competition. Only 5km is groomed currently - it looks like there are more loop options possible. I'm surprised they don't expand the loop (there is space) but it doesn't seem to be a priority. Most of the people who use these trails are training (racers) or school groups which given the Japanese psyche (rep after rep to master a skill) might explain why there is no appetite to expand. I was amazed at how many people just went around and around the training stadium... tried it myself at the end for a cool down.
Interestingly finding information about the trails in english was very difficult and signage to get to the trail was non existent. There is Japanese info on the Nozawa ski hill webpage but no english translation (Snow Harp did have english signs). Another interesting Japanese nordic tidbit is the need to wear a bib with a number on it - It felt like we were in a slow race. According to the bib I was taking part in "cross countory" skiing:)
Fun trails and did 3.5 laps. Some technical downhills again as the trails were purpose built for the Olympics. The actual building infrastructure appears to be falling into disrepair a bit unfortunately.
Walked back to the ryokan afterwards through Nozawa which is a fascinating onsen town (hot water runs through the town and seems to be used by many houses for heating, washing, cooking, etc).
Interestingly finding information about the trails in english was very difficult and signage to get to the trail was non existent. There is Japanese info on the Nozawa ski hill webpage but no english translation (Snow Harp did have english signs). Another interesting Japanese nordic tidbit is the need to wear a bib with a number on it - It felt like we were in a slow race. According to the bib I was taking part in "cross countory" skiing:)
Fun trails and did 3.5 laps. Some technical downhills again as the trails were purpose built for the Olympics. The actual building infrastructure appears to be falling into disrepair a bit unfortunately.
Walked back to the ryokan afterwards through Nozawa which is a fascinating onsen town (hot water runs through the town and seems to be used by many houses for heating, washing, cooking, etc).
Saturday Feb 3, 2018 #
11 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 2:30:00 [2] 10.5 km (14:17 / km) +1025m 9:36 / km
Transfer day to Nozawa so a shorter afternoon tour across the valley from Nozawa. Amazing amounts of snow here considering we were pretty low elevation (500m above sea level to start) and also given how little snow we saw in Nagano on the drive. This area is known for old trees and it certainly was an impressive forest. I thought we were in a park with hundred year old trees planted every 20m... I was worried we would find poor snow conditions due to the lower elevation and warm temperatures but as long as we stayed on non-solar aspects that snow was quite nice. Blue skies to start but then some fog rolled in which was too bad as I was hoping to get some good skiing pictures. Lots of cars in the parking lot but a nice change from slack country skiing as everyone was Japanese (and given it was the weekend that brought more people out - a fair number of snowshoers too). Some interesting other parties observed out there... a snowshoer with skis on her back walking downhill (??) and another guy on snowshoes pushing a fat bike up the definitely non-suitable trail (???).
Friday Feb 2, 2018 #
10 AM
Skate ski 1:20:00 16.0 km (5:00 / km) +450m 4:23 / km
We brought our skate skis along on this trip to break up the activities a bit so today Courtney, Atsuko, Russ, Vikki and I went to Snow Harp which was the location of the XC events at the Nagano Olympics. It was a beautiful day and the trails were in great condition with a slight skiff of snow on nice grooming. Some of the sunny spots got a bit soft as the day progressed. Worth lugging the nordic gear all this way to ski alongside ride paddies... they only have about 10km of trails but the trails are fun competition style loops (rolling up and down with technical descents). We did A loop once and C loop 1.5 times. B loop is not groomed - according to the attendant they don't need more trails...? Not many people out - I also asked the attendant how busy it got on the weekend and he said 'busier with kids training and maybe 30 other people" so doesn't sound super busy. Trail fee was only 300 yen ($3.60).
Thursday Feb 1, 2018 #
8 AM
Backcountry skiing (100eight) 5:00:00 [3] 15.5 km (19:21 / km) +1750m 12:22 / km
Real backcountry skiing today - no cheating with a chairlift;) We had scoped out an area called Obinatayama just a few km from Hakuba. I was pleasantly surprised to find very few tracks (I was worried it might be like yesterday) so I was breaking trail all day (a good thing). We climbed in fog through some tree plantations and then into deciduous trees. Lots of potential ski terrain though the snow was a little wind pressed and heavy. As we discussed on the ridge whether to continue to the very top the fog lifted so we continued onwards and had some excellent views of the Japanese Alps. We skied a nice run NE off the summit along some ridges and into an open area. I thought we might have to deal with some deeper creek drainages (common in Japan which forces me to think a bit diffenently about potential challenges while skiing - glide cracks and holes are another one) but it was quite manageable. The snow seemed a bit tricky to ski but no tracks so can't complain. The girls called it a day while the guys went up for another run. We found some good snow and then a bit of a traverse to get back to the exit. The lower slopes were fun to ski despite the very settled snow. Finished with an onsen pretty much right at the trailhead - there are onsen everywhere here...