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.
As a ski guide, skiing for me is “professional development”. Every time I hike up a mountain and put first tracks into a line I’m making myself ever so slightly more professional. You might think it’s not working, but that just means I need to ski more lines.
As part of my time here, I did a Pro 2 avalanche risk management course, which is the highest level of snow safety qualification in the US. The NZ avalanche safety world is aligned with the Canadians, and the US do things slightly differently so it was great to get different perspectives in different snow and mountains. I’m looking forward to taking some of those lessons back to Hokkaido and thinking about ways to connect the different guiding companies and recreational users to help keep people safe out there.
I’ve made it as far as Montana, on the way to Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and then hopefully some time in the Sierras before I fly back. I was completely focused on the avalanche course until about a week ago so I have done a terrible job of contacting people but if anyone wants to go skiing I am extremely keen to link up with you all in your home turf.
Montana is rad! I’m in Big Sky where the approaches are a bit long but the mountains are stunning. It’s a dry season but that doesn’t mean you can’t ski untracked pow if you sleuth around. Being here definitely makes me appreciate the consistency of Hokkaido, and the quietness of the hills. It’s not easy breaking trail every day but it’s amazing to have the mountains to yourself. I’ve been lucky to be out on some days where we were all getting our own lines, but it’s not like central Hokkaido where you can have an entire mountain to yourself.
I’ll be here for a few more days before heading south and the weather looks good, so it’s probably time to climb some peaks and ski something sketchy. The biggest problem is being overwhelmed with options!