More Park Construction
On Thursday here in Norikura at the snow park on the mountain, our park crew working alongside the mountain crew have continued construction of a nice kicker. We have been working to clean it up a bit and create a gap for some nice air time. When we’re finished, it should look pretty nice. Hope to see you around up mountain hitting the park. Enjoy yourself and have a safe ride.
New Toilet
We finally finished our renovation of the first floor toilet. It took most of our Autumn to work on some of our renovation projects. Our cool carpenter staff, Seth and B, worked on the projects. The new interior wall colors are mocha and white. We really like the contrast. It has a calming effect. We installed a new big mirror as well. Please check out our new toilet when you come.
Tokyo Trip
I had a business day trip last week. This time I visited A&F for MTB , BURTON to preview next years products, and two MTB shops - Fuma-Shinjuku and The Trail Store. One of the fun parts of my business trip was lunch. This time I had the Stamina BBQ lunch at Traji Aoyama. For dinner, I ate an interesting meal of Hitsumabushi & Miso-Katsu Bento-box in Azusa on the way back to Matsumoto. In addition, I got four dozen boxes of Crispy Cream doughnuts for our staff!
Powder Day
With last nights load of fresh snow, we were ready to get out and hit some pow. Norikura received a good 30cm of snow overnight which helped add to the dwindling snow supply. We have been waiting for a good drop of snow to hit the area for several weeks now. We are hoping for more to come again soon!
It's gonna be a powder day!
Let it Snow!!
We got a blessing of snow this afternoon!
After a day in the ski resort, friends and staff enjoyed the NORTHSTAR snow park while the snow was falling.
There will be powder tomorrow!!
Indy Park Jam Results
Last weekend I was at the 2009 Indy Park Jam which was held at Alts Bandai. It was a great comp and they had 50 kids from elementary school to junior high school turn out to compete. I was the official photographer for the event and had a great time shooting all day on Sunday. Some of our friends Hayato-san and Michio-san run the event every year and also have come to NORTHSTAR the past 2 years for a camp called Super Kids. We are working on the details for this springs kids camp and will post more about that later. For now, just have a look at some of the photos from the event. And check out our very own team rider Anthony Junker who took 2nd.
Sport Climbing
During the winter, it’s a little cold to be climbing outside.
Since we have our own indoor wall in the front lobby, we can boulder, top rope, as well as sport climb.
Recently, we have been practicing sport climbing to get in shape for the spring when we can venture outside to places like the sport routes in the nearby village of Shirahone.
Since we have our own indoor wall in the front lobby, we can boulder, top rope, as well as sport climb.
Recently, we have been practicing sport climbing to get in shape for the spring when we can venture outside to places like the sport routes in the nearby village of Shirahone.
Since we are practicing lead climbing, we climb as if we were top-roping.
We are belayed on a top-rope, but we also wear another rope as if we were lead climbing.
We can safely climb because of the top-rope, but we can practice clipping in with quickdraws and the secondary rope ‘as if’ we were truly lead climbing.
This is one way to begin learning how to lead climb and venture into the world of sport and traditional climbing!
We are belayed on a top-rope, but we also wear another rope as if we were lead climbing.
We can safely climb because of the top-rope, but we can practice clipping in with quickdraws and the secondary rope ‘as if’ we were truly lead climbing.
This is one way to begin learning how to lead climb and venture into the world of sport and traditional climbing!
Upcoming Events & Camps
February is here. It should be the “hottest season,” but we need more snow! We will keep keep praying for snow, and we would like to introduce you to our upcoming events and camps.
NORTHSTAR Park Open!
From this weekend (Sat. Feb 7th), we will open the NORTHSTAR Park. It will be open every Saturday from 4:00PM to 5:30PM. You must wear a helmet (we have rentals) and sign the waiver form the first time you ride in our park. Items include a 6m flat box, flat-down box, and a 6m rail. Come have another park session after the the mountain closes.
NORTHSTAR TEAM RIDER - Anthony Junker
Backcountry Tours
We have been getting many requests for backcountry tours and of course we will offer them. This year, though, it will be as a custom tour. For example: Beginner Tour (includes: 1 night lodging with 2 meals, avalanche training, guide fee, and rental equipment) starts from ¥16,000. Tours will require three to seven people. We also offer an intermediate course with a night at the Kuraigahara hut, located at 2400m in elevation up the mountain. Please contact us from this link here.
NORTHSTAR STAFF - Daniel Junker
SFC Snowboard Camp & Rail Jam / 5 Day Teens Snowboard Stay
This is going to be the 4th annual SFC Snowboard Camp & Rail Jam. Since we have been running the park up in the ski resort this winter, it seems like we will have more competitors than before, and we will have a better comp this year. We are discussing the details now and will post them later. The Rail Jam will be open to all levels. It is OK to do a 50/50 on the straight box. We just want to see everybody pumping and pushing themselves and having a good time. Let’s have a good ride!
How to ハイファイブ
At NORTHSTAR we give a lot of hi-fives. Have you ever experienced an incomplete hi-five – when you totally miss the other person’s hand?
Here’s a cool tip.
When you hi-five, look at the other person’s elbow. You can look for good timing and never miss. That’s a promise
.
You can expect that a hi-five will be waiting from NORTHSTAR staff when you come.
Here’s a cool tip.
When you hi-five, look at the other person’s elbow. You can look for good timing and never miss. That’s a promise
.You can expect that a hi-five will be waiting from NORTHSTAR staff when you come.
Powered by Wordpress | Designed by Elegant Themes