Japan // Skiing Hokkaido Pow on Yotei

We managed to catch the last 747 into Sapporo .We had to run to the gate but the wheels of our plane managed to touch down on the island of Hokkaido just as the snow began to fall like thick sheets from the sky. Other foreigners in the airport wandered around, dragging their ski bags behind them asking for a ride to Niseko. They had cancelled the train due to the foul weather. The van we had rented had been given away but we were assured that the tiny Toyota they had scavenged from the lot of cars was superior. The polite rental agent assured us that four people and their mountainous piles of gear would fit no problem in the tiny car. We all fit, barely. A car crash at any speed would have been catastrophic. We eventually spun and slid our way to Niseko which was the base of our Japan Skitacular. For the next three days the snow never stopped. We skied in the trees of Yotei, Kiroro, and Sheribetsu. The snow plastered trees created a surreal landscape and the fresh snow was less dense then we expected. Eventually the storm came to an end and we decided to tackle Mount Yotei. A volcano whose heights dominate the surrounding area. With 80 mile an hour winds on the summit only two days before, I fully expected to find a sastrugi covered icicle. And a teeth chattering rodeo from top to bottom.