About 30 of Japan`s top ski & snowboard pros are descending on Morino Lodge & the Happo Super Park this weekend to do shooting for next year`s biggest ski & snowboard movies. With giant hits built by one of the word`s top park designers, film crews shooting from helicopters, and pro-riders galore, it should be quite the spectacle! You can come watch & shoot pictures of your own. The photo shoots takes place on Saturday, Sunday & Monday from 10:00 – 12:00 & again from 13:30- 16:00. b there or b perpendicular!

It`s Sachi Tanaka & her crew who were staying at Morino lodge last week while filming for their up and coming snowboard flick “Girl” . Sachi rides for k2, Oakley, Nomis & a whole whack of other brands and is one of Japan`s top female snowboarders. The other girls included veteran riders like Mina Shimizu & up and comers like the 14 year old Murai Mimoza & 11 year old Burton rider Miyabi Onizuka. The movie promises to be quite cool as it not only features great snowboarding in locations like Hakuba, Whistler & Hokkaido, but the shredding all  takes place within the confines of a mitten found in the forest behind the lodge. Huh? Yep, the movie has a plot, inspired by an old folk tale in which a lone glove is found by some animals who then enter the glove and proceed to partake in an array of adventures……..in the case of  this movie, the girls are the animals and the adventures all involve rippin on a snowboard. And the coolest thing about this is that the role of the woman who dropped her glove is played by none other than Morino Manager Jen. Jen`s officially a movie star……..and so is Yukie`s dog Kora!  

Here’s a good eating tip for when you’re skiing at Happo. Head up the Alpen quad above the gondola, go inside the Virgin cafe building and head through the back to Restaurant Pilar. Not the normal Japanese mountain cafeteria affair here. Instead theres a great choice of Italian and French fusion course lunches, fine wine and panoramic views of the mountains. Highly recommended!! Almost like being back in Europe drinking plonk and eating crepes and baguettes on le terrace!

Two years back when Happo announced that the  “High Cascade Snowboard Camp” crew was coming to happo to build and manage a new ski & snowboard park we were obviously very pleased. These guys are some of the best in the business and we knew they`d do it right! The layout, the shape of the jumps (no nasty kicks or knuckle ball landings), the way they maintenance it (the park closes from noon till 1:00pm each day so the shapers can work their magic), and the location (with the Northern Alps towering to skier`s left this must be one of the prettiest parks in the world), all make for maximal fun and minimal aching of the joints. Not to mention the close proximity to Morino Lodge means you can be board-sliding your first rail or popping your first method 15 minutes after finishing your cappuccino in the Morino Lounge. The Park is open for the 2010 season until April 11th (its in use for filming exclusively for Japan`s top pro riders until the 18th – that`ll be fun to watch!).  Fortunately there`s a lot more sun in the forecast this coming week, so some tough decisions lie ahead – go for a hike in the backcountry or session the park?

Hakuba rode quite the weather roller-coaster today.   A sudden snowstorm plowed through what had once been a clear and warm spring day.   The sudden 4 degree drop in temps and onslaught of snowflakes stopped as suddenly as it started. Winter’s dying hiccup, perhaps? I hit the slopes at Hakuba 47 to enjoy  the new dusting of  snow and found that I had just missed a huge slalom snowboard race.  The  mountain was packed full of sleek racers, hippie ski bums, and  wildly colorful park punks.  A huge snowboard demo kept everyone kitted up with fun new toys to try.  I was happy just to cruise a few groomers on what had turned out to be a glorious  spring afternoon and let myself be entertained by what the circus had brought to town.

I couldn’t make it out today but Eric, our trusty Wadano lodge manager and faceless being (he’s very shy on the internet) took the camera out and did some easy lines off the back of Happo.It looks like spring kicked in from this afternoon and it will be sunny t-shirt days of park riding and corn backcountry lines until the end of the season in May.

I know Jen just posted for today but I had to post some more pics and vids from my camera cause it was such a cracker! an almost festive atmosphere on the mountain and perfect snow – as the title says, as good as it gets and a fitting finale to a great season of powder. Get your t-shirts and sunnys out cause it’s Spring skiing from here on in!

I have to rank today’s endless powder-smashing as one of my best days on the mountain ever!  A beautiful sunny day, fresh pow as far as the eye could see, and great friends to enjoy it with.  We rode from the first lift until our powder legs simply gave out beneath us.  I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!  Now off to the onsen to bask in the glory of March’s last hoo-rah!