Japanuary EPISODE 2 : Splitboarding Deep Japan Powder in Niseko's Hokkaido Backcountry

January in Japan is something that many skiers and snowboarders like me have dreamt of for a long time. Whether it was magazine covers, video parts, instagram posts, or stories at the ski resort bar… it was the dream! The sites always looked so foreign, the food always looked so yummy, and the powder always looked so deep.

In a “normal” year (minus pandemic) I would typically have the pleasure of welcoming friends, showing them around, and trying to get the last table at the sushi train. But this isn’t a “normal” year, and the borders aren’t open for my friends (or any international visitors) to come in and share the experience.

So I got to thinking… how can I share this experience with my friends and family? And with that, the idea of a Japanuary series was born. In Japanuary Episode 1 my partner and I scored a great powder day at Niseko’s Grand Hirafu Resort. In this episode, some friends and I decided to skip the Japanese holiday “crowds”, and opted to head to the backcountry. This was the first backcountry tour for a couple of us this season, and what a great way to kick things off! We scored not one or two, but three amazing laps on this Hokkaido backcountry peak!

My forecast: there will be several more days of snowboarding, splitboarding, onigiri (rice triangles), dark starts, pow days, Sapporo Classics, onsens, and hopefully a Yotei Taiko drum event if covid regulations allow.

If any of this sounds like something you are interested in, I appreciate you liking the videos, subscribing to my channel, and turning on the notifications. And more than I can express in words, I truly appreciate the stoke shared in the comments! Looking forward to sharing more in the episodes to come!!!

Music:
LAKEY INSPIRED – Good Morning

Johan Lilja – The Improv
Music By Johan Lilja (DJ Quads)
@aka-dj-quads

Mona Wonderlick – Niña
Free download: bit.ly/nina-download

And for those of you that read all the way to the end, get stoked for the next episode; My friend Juan and I go on a secret splitboard and sushi mission, amid a day of ex-pat errands.

Cheers!

Nick Hill

Japanuary Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=armQFtry2I8&t=142s