Hi from Montana

As 2019 turned into 2022 and “covid 19” turned into just “covid”, it became increasingly clear that Japan was not going to let us in for the 2021-22 winter. This is sad news, because I have been eating sub-par rice for FAR TOO LONG.

Anyway, I wasn’t going to sit through another Australian summer. So instead, I packed my bags, donned my mask, stuck a PCR swab into the bottom of my brain and got on a flight to the US.

2020 Japan Write-Up

2020 Japan Write-Up

I was about to write my customary apology for getting this end-of-season wrap up out a bit late. But then I realised it’s still March. The spring skiing is great in Hokkaido. I only left a week ago.

But a lot has changed in the last few weeks.

It seems a bit strange to write an end-of-season wrap up now. Skiing is a strange thing to be thinking about in the face of a global pandemic. But as I lay on the couch mid-quarantine in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney (all international travellers are required to self-quarantine for two weeks upon returning to Australia. We got to choose where we’d hang out. Now the army escorts you to a hotel) I recalled a conversation with a new guest, Magnus, back in February. He’d had a bit of a logistical debacle getting to Hokkaido and as we shuttled around collecting replacement gear he said something like:

“This is still worth it. If we get a few great powder turns, those moments stay with us for the whole year.”

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