Thursday, February 16, 2012

snowboarding in kagura

last week, we got together with a few friends and decided to hit the slopes!


our resort of choice... kagura in nigata prefecture. this resort is on mount naeba and has a tonne of beginner runs (with intermediate bits) which sounded perfect!! it was fairly easy to get to on the shinkansen and we were on the slopes in no time!


we lunched in this airy restaurant serving japanese-inspired italian food. the food was alright but the view was spectacular. since daniel spent the morning hanging out with me (ie. moving very slowly) he squeezed in a few power runs while we sipped on our coffees.


the illusive dragondola (gettit? dra-gondola?!? lol) it leads you across the moutain to yet another massive ski resort!


doing what i do best, rollin' in the snow!!


our pals on the romance ski lift.. don't you love the name?


did i ever tell you that i started snowboarding after a failed ski attempt in my swiss days? back then, i picked it up from a ski instructor in school but i didn't move much at all, which was so depressing.. but last new years' day, my brothers and daniel decided to go snowboarding. on a whim, i agreed to go along as long as i didn't have get on skis. and i've never looked back ever since!


i did it so i could go along to ski vacations. also, i really appreciate the stunning views and serenity at the top of the snowy mountains. and i love swiss chalets, crackling fire, hot chocolate (or ramen in japan) and roasted marshmallows and all that jazz that comes with skiing. but im slowly starting to have fun zooming down the mountains too!!


i usually jump to conclusion very fast but am really glad i gave this whole thing a second chance..

have you ever fallen in love eventually after some initial misgivings?
i'd love to hear your stories!

xx

6 comments:

  1. Gosh I miss snowboarding. I even have my own board and boots which are in storage now.:( hopefully we can go on a ski trip with the kiddos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Boarding hi-five!!! Glad you stuck to the sport! I had a rough start to the snow-boarding too. Fell countless of times and was this close to giving it up, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It still ain't easy but I love rolling in the snow and the apres-ski life after a supposed hard day in the snow. Hehe :)

    One thing I sure miss about snowboarding in Japan is the onsen and the oiishi Jap food!

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Pamz TT

    really!? i think your little ones would be fab on the snow! when you learn young, you are sooo much better!

    shame i only picked it up so much later!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Lady J

    totally! the onsen and food really makes the difference. i remember in the middle of my ski attempts in leysin... i had a cold ham sandwich. i really wanted something warm and hearty!! :)

    i never complain with a bowl of shoyu ramen!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i started with snowboarding and tried skiing once. omg. my hands and legs were all over the shop. gave up after half a day and has gone back to snowboarding ever since. only time i wished i was on skis is when we need to traverse trough a long lonely FLAT run.... could do with some poles.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Janice

    man! tell me about it! so frustrating!!

    now i make daniel go on short skis so he can push me on the flat when i stick out my hand to "call for taxi"! :)

    ReplyDelete

leave me a little love note. xx