Winter's Winding Down

Although there is still snow on the ground, the winter is finally ebbing away, making way for warmer weather. The occaisional flurry of snow still falls, but the last of the big dumps has already come and gone. Slowly the rice paddies are reappearing from their white winter blankets, and the snow is retreating from the quiet streets of Ono.

This has meant a sad end to my cross country skiing exploits. Despite there still being several inches covering the pitch, baseball training has already recommenced and the school snow mobile has been laid to rest in its summer home, where it will remain till next winter. Although I was still getting lapped by 13 year old girls, I felt I had progressed to a reasonable level and next winter I plan to give those first years a run for their money.

However, up in the mountains, it is a different story. The snowline is at a healthy level, and the resorts are still recieving small top ups. This can only mean one thing: spring skiing. The sun is out and the snow is soft. What better way to while away the increasingly lengthening evenings and graduallly warming weekends than cutting up sugar snow, and riding the off piste corn.

A long awaited trip into the unknown with our Japanese backcountry guide is planned for next weekend, but this weekend we're off to the famous city of Osaka for some hustle and bustle.

Variety is the spice of life.