Another one bites the dust…

24th April 2009

Another season flew by faster than birds flying South; and now those birds are heading back our way as Hakuba moves into Spring. Blossoms are out and in the sun on the good days we’re breaking into the 20’s with insects and birds awake and chirping. There’s still snow up there for the hard-core amongst you but just as fun is a fun-ride through the valley checking out the blossoms finished by a bbq with a splendid view of the Alps to top it off. We’re gonna wrap up our Winter blog here and move it over to the Summer Journal. Green Season tours start April 25th and we’ll be back on the Mountain-Bikes and back in the lake, rivers and canyons! Hope to see you up here sometime or many times through the year…

Spring Skiing…

16th April 2009

As we were recently reminded, Spring BC skiing may be fun, the skies may be blue, there may not be the amount of snow there is in mid-Winter but we still must always pay extreme caution and never let down our guard. Warming in the snow-pack can lead to weak layers deep down that formed through Winter releasing; and Spring avalanches can be some of the biggest. While no-one was injured and of course we were equipped with all the gear necessary for entering the BC; it was still a sobering reminder of the power of nature…

Not a whole lot of snow up here…

Before…

And after…

A lesson in BC Rescue…

14th April 2009

A recent trip with friends into the Backcountry gave us all a reminder how important it is to be fully equipped not just with the main ingredients - beacon, shovel and probe - but also with survival and first aid gear essential in the event that any member of the party is injured. Our day started out great with beautiful blue skies, nice snow on top and everyone was in high spirits dropping into the nice powder on top, spraying some tails and popping some spines…

Maybe its nature punching back at humans with all the global concerns we’re facing, but a lot of friends have been having some issues with trees lately and this day was no different. Our wounded soldier tried to brave it in the beginning but the pain became overwhelming and it was time to move into impact management and rescue mode. Thankfully our friend, associate and backcountry guide was prepared and knowledgeable and said soldier was cared for, splint went on, snowboard stretcher was constructed and so began the process of getting him out of the BC. The accident occurred around 10AM but the runout is long and consisted of some river crossings, dams to navigate and in general a long way to travel…

Preparations were made townside for drinks and supplies for the weary bearers on their exit to the runout and run up the hill by a man whose fitness should not be underestimated; and fresh blood was brought in to assist on the final stage of the journey to the road, along with a proper body transporter courtesy of our friends at Ski Patrol. Everyone was out by 5:o0 PM, by which time it was getting cold, and we all left the scene with a greater understanding of the risks involved and the preparation and forethought necessary before entering BC areas. We hope this story can help those who read it realise the importance of always being fully prepared, equipped and educated. A broken leg was the injury, and thanks to the hard work, knowledge and support of a few good men this was as bad as it got.

Season Wrap-up…

17th March 2009

Winter has come and gone quick this year…December to mid-Feb were mad with ski and snowboard lessons and without having the regular and large amounts of snowfall that comes in most normal Hakuba seasons time just seemed to go faster. We are still running lessons and tours and will continue lessons through the start of April for anyone keen on a spring ski session send us a mail. We’ll be having an end of season wrap-up event Friday, March 28th, held at our own Roots Cafe from 12PM to Midnight…check us there or see our events blog…

February coming to an end….

25th Feb 2009

We have not received our usual expected snowfall this month, however, we are still having a great time on and off piste lately! If your interested in booking some ski or snowboard lessons, we now are able to accommodate to many walk-in lessons with the busiest part of our season being behind us. Our instructors are just as eager as ever to get out there and show you around the mountain!

We’ve had some dry spells with snow lately but we are always optimistic and patiently awaiting the next batch of fresh snow to come our way!

We’ve experienced a great season so far and looking forward to what the rest of the season has to offer. We’ve had clientele from all over the world with us this season and look forward to meeting many more!!

Our instructors have been experiencing great days on the mountain as instructors and great days in the backcountry with friends as well.

All of our instructors are English speaking with some speaking as many three languages fluently. We see that this helps us cater to many nationalities in more ways than they expected with us…..

It is always interesting to get all of the Evergreen Outdoor Center staff together since places we call “home” are so varying!!

We’ve all had too much fun here in the Hakuba Alps and never want the fun to end!!

Well that’s it and that’s all for now…..

Back to it…

5 Feb 2009

The madness that is a ski school in one of the best mountain ranges in Japan is starting to wind down and now we have time to start uploading some photos from the last month…first up, photos from our own Canadian Ski Instructor Jesse Braverman…thanks Jesse for the amazing shots!

The BIG Christmas Dump!

Dec 26

Finally the snow has come! We had 50 cm of new snow on the ground today but high winds up top have meant that the gondolas are not running and only the lower lifts are running. This should mean great tracks tomorrow once the lifts open to the top.

We will be opening our new ski school office at the side of kokusai run on Happo One as soon as Kokusai and Sakka lifts open for operation. This should be in the next few days now that the snow is once again down to the valley.

See you up this way soon for some great lines.

Instructor Training

Dec 10

This seasons instructors got their first taste of Japanese snow today with their first instructor course kicking off today. It was a great day had by all and some new lessons learned! Snow was as good as the senery!

Hatsu-suberi

Nov 21

Heavy snowfall over two days left its white mark on Hakuba and one day before the long weekend Goryu opened its doors…and of course we were there to join in the November powder gorging! Evergreen has a base at Goryu skifield offering Ski & Snowboard lessons in English daily…contact us for details. Warming is expected and its been raining in the valley today but the skis and boards are waxed and the gear is out and ready!