New Year Skiing and Snowboarding

A few years ago we started a new tradition of going to the mountains for new years. We weren't able to book the hotel for New Years Eve so we headed up New Years day. Got the train to the slopes and went straight out on the snow.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the best weather. It reminded me a lot of skiing in Avimore, Scotland - nearly zero visibility in places! At least it didn't have the Scottish ice patches.

Hubby was a bit nervous at first since our last trip to the mountains ended up with him in cast, breaking his arm! But there is nothing like getting back on the horse as they say - most people thought I was insane going skiing again after my accident ( broke my tib and fib, was in cast for 6 months or more and on crutches for a year, fun times! They also had to re-break my leg and gave me no kind of pain killer when they did it, so I suppose technically I have broken my leg twice...)

Anyway, at least it wasn't too busy at Yuzawa Nakazato which is where we were for day one and day 3. I have given up trying to video Ebi-kun on the slopes, he goes to fast and I can't safely ski after him, keep up and film at the same time, I think we need to invest in a Go-Pro camera!

Day 2 the weather forecast for Nakazato wasn't good so we thought we would try out a different place. Nakazato is a family resort so there are fewer idiots on the slopes, you just have to keep an eye out for pint-sized maniacs.

I don't remember the name of the other place but it was young, hip, snowboarder dude, heaven. I don't have anything against snowboarders - since I live with two of them but... some of them as right fricken idiots and shouldn't be allowed out unsupervised.

And what is with sitting in the middle of the bloody slope? Like I said, idiots!

Totally different feel to the place, much busier, much faster paced and much 'cooler' than Nakazato. Maybe I would have different views if I were 20 years younger and hadn't had a bad accident under my belt!

This place did have a practice area for rails and jumps etc. The boys had a go, tried a few times and decided it was way to painful, so we hit the slopes again. I did struggle this day with the old break giving me gyp, I think because I was worrying about being hit, I was manifesting the pain. It was suddenly OK again the next day.

All in all it was a fun few days. The last day I have no photos, it was heavy snow and we were soaked by lunchtime. We needed to catch the train by 4pm so we all had to get completely changed before we could do so, normally we just travel back in our snow gear!

Already looking forward to the next trip...

And another breaks an arm...

Here's the tale...

Last Saturday (yes I know I'm behind, deal with it, I am!) So, Last Saturday we went off to Yuzawa Nakazato for skiing/snowboarding for the day. The weather was clear and the snow was good, we did quite a few runs then had a break for lunch.

After lnch we headed back to the far side of the mountain - our prefered runs are that side, Ebi-kun was getting the hand of the jumps...

And Yasutoki too. Until he wasn't.

I usually head down first then wait by the jumps to take photos, this run I was waiting for ages, thinking that they had got stuck behind a group of beginners. Eventually Ebi-kun comes down, clears the jump. I wait a bit long to see Yasutoki sliding down, holding onto his arm.

He managed to make it to the bottom, but he was white as a sheet and in agony. We went to the rest area and I had a look at the arm in questions, it wasn't looking good, no broken skin but it was turning a funny colour and he was obviously in a lot of pain.

The next predictiment was how to get back to the main station, we were on the far side of the mountain. So Ebi-kun and I went to the lift bloke and explained what had happened and as I hoped, they sent for a snowmobile! *phew*

Yasutoki went back on that with his snowboard tucked in the back. We said we would meet him there, it was then a matter of how Ebi-kun and I would get back, we decided it would be quicked to go up the lift and ski back down the other side that it would to yomp over by foot.

We made it to the first aid cabin, they gave us the number for the local taxi and hospital. Ebi-kun and I ran in and handed out rented bits back and got changed into our own boots, packed everything up and then met the taxi to the hospital, well it was really a clinic, and full of people who had had accidents on the slopes!

So yes, he had broken his arm and the Dr had to pull it out to get it straight again and put on a temporary cast. Luckily we weren't too far from the station and made it back just in time to catch the train that we had booked tickets on!

Ahhh but there lay another problem! 

We had driven to the station and Yasutoki had packed the car at the department store but there was no way he could drive back, (I don't drive!)

Luckily we live in Japan and they have this amazing service (usually people who have had too much to drink use it). It is like a taxi service but they bring their own car and an extra driver, the driver takes your care and the service car follows.

So we got home and the car and I had dibber in the pot ready for when we got in.

Not quite the adventure we set out for. He had to go back to our local clinic the next day to get a proper cast set, looks like he will be in it for a minimum of 4 weeks. Not fun. And yes, it is his right arm, the one he writes with, should make working interesting!

That looks like the end of our snowboarding/skiing for the season :(