February 12, 2011

A closer look at the little town of Hirafu in the bottom/center. Picture taken from Mt Niseko... Mt Yotei towers in the background.

Some additional pictures from Hokkaido and Mt Niseko here: Hokkaido- February 2011

February 11, 2011

Hole in the sky. 

I usually don't take pictures of people skiing (prefer snowboarding). However, I thought this picture came out quite well. It was completely random. I had brought my camera up to the top of Mt Niseko hoping to take a few pictures. It was cloudy, but I wanted to capture some of the terrain. As I got about halfway down the mountain, the sun broke through a patch of clouds... and a skier happened to be cruising by right as the rays of light were shining down in his direction. Pretty cool!

February 8, 2011

Going down?

Looking down from the top of Mt Niseko... a snowboarder prepares himself to make the descent down the steep face. Mt Yotei in background.

February 5, 2011

Riding giants...

Looking down on Mt Yohei (active volcano) from on top of Mt. Niseko. With views this beautiful, it's hard to pay attention when you're riding.

February 4, 2011

About halfway down Mt. Niseko... looking at Mount Yōtei (羊蹄山) in the background (active volcano... similar in looking to Mt Fuji). As you're coming down the mountain, there are breathtaking views all around you.

February 1 - February 2, 2011

Exhausted at Niseko, Japan.

This is what exhaustion looks like after a day of snowboarding chest deep powder. By the end of the day, I could barely move my legs... but it was totally worth it!!

Looking at some fresh powder lines going down a hill in Niseko. A bit of sun showing through the sky (it had snowed for 3 days straight... there were snow banks bigger than a bus). This was a nice little break in the otherwise cloudy day.