Or do they exhibit fractally generated spacing by natural iterative processes that the brain is able to compute and predict…Something to ponder when hurtling through them. Have you ever tried skiing through a plantation? Here are some more pics of randomly spaced trees from the Finns. Conditions have been great and another 40cm is coming tonight.

Half of Morino and Wadano lodge joined us today for a day of lapping easy trees at Cortina. Once again the snow gods smile on Cortina which gets a decent 30cm since yesterday morning whilst Hakuba village only gets 5 or 10cm Thanks to Heikki, and the Finns, staying at Wadano lodge for their pics!

This post is a bit late but here it is anyway – More “as good as it gets” conditions a couple of weeks back!

If you had the Japanese pegged as quiet, polite and conservative, you would be right most of the time… but The Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival proves that when the Japanese let loose, they can out-wild anyone! Combine slippery snow with buckets of sake and an excuse to beat each other sense-less with fire and you have a recipe for a wild festival indeed. The fire festival is one of the three most famous fire festivals in Japan, held every January 15th to pray for a plentiful harvest, health and good fortune in the coming year. The festival dates back to 1863, and though the location has changed, the festivities remain the same. During this festival the twenty-five and forty-two year old men from the village play a very important role. An old belief in Japan dictates that, for men, these years are unlucky ages, and these men must construct the shaden (shrine) from beech wood that reaches a height of 18 meters. Every year it takes 100 villagers to build the shrine. The trees are cut down in October and brought down from the mountain, through the village, on January 13th. After the shaden has been constructed, the priest from Kosuge shrine performs a ceremony to endow it with a God. Along with the shaden there are an average of five tôrô (dedicatory lantern poles) erected every year. These poles are made by a family in the village to celebrate the birth of the first son. The tôrô are offered to the Gods in a prayer for health and good fortune. The festivities begin with the lighting of the fire by the twenty-five and forty-two year old men. A small group of men carry a torch, which is lit by striking two stones together, from the Kôno residence to the […]

Bottomless powder in the trees as usual. A good afternoon session! 50cms just fell again so it’s groundhog day again.

We are proud to announce that Morino Lodge has teamed up with Evo and Just Fares to give away the trip of a lifetime! You’ve seen the footage of the classic Japanese powder tree skiing right out our back door, you’ve dreamed about the delicious cuisine and nightlife Japan has to offer, you’ve fantasized about seeing those famous hot-tubbing monkeys ….and now’s your chance! You (and a very lucky friend) could be flown to Japan where you’ll both be welcomed in our legendary lodge… But that’s just the beginning! A number of sponsors have stepped up to round out the trip to make it a once in a lifetime ordeal. If you ski or snowboard, Salomon Skis or Salomon Snowboards will hit you with a full gear setup. And don’t worry, Oakley had you covered for a free outwear setup and the best optics known to mankind. Dakine is throwing in luggage and Under Armour Mountain has your base layers worked out. Did we mention Bern Helmets is providing lids? You’ll be completely dialed to let loose for 5 days of incredible skiing and exploring everything that Hakuba, Japan has to offer. Oh yeah, and don’t worry about ground transportation. Covered. Plus you get $500 spending cash to cover your meals… does it get better? Winner (and their best friend) will get: * Round trip airfare to Japan from LA for two provided by JustFares.com * 5 Nights of lodging for two including breakfast at the Morino Lodge * 2 Outerwear kits provided by Oakley * 2 Ski setups provided by Salomon Skis or 2 snowboard setups provided by Salomon Snowboard * 2 Helmets provided by Bern Helmets * Layers for 2 provided by Under Armour Mountain * Round trip ground transportation from airport to Morino Lodge * Spending money […]

A winter of consistent cold dry powder continues. Friday was one of those dreamy days, when the sun comes out after days of snow! A great day in the Hakuba BC from Dan Cockburn on Vimeo. A great day in the Hakuba BC from Dan Cockburn on Vimeo.

Mathieu has a tough job at Morino Lodge: Trying to keep up with all the new snow!   Today the flying Frenchman decided to mix work with pleasure…