*Sigh*. It is already the end of February…

Good evening.

This is MatchaMatchaDonDon.

I went back to Tokyo for a few days for work (and for fun). When I returned to Hakuba, I was greeted by a beautiful landscape as always.

I would be overjoyed if it was all white, but it is not like all the snow disappeared either.

Let say I was expecting for more though.

Nevertheless, we started the day with a refreshing landscape this morning.

Here is Mr. SomethingImo, carefully setting up the safety net in front of a hazy (and brown) Hakuba backdrop.

As he’s such a handsome guy, I’m thinking of challenging him to a death match and rip his face from him next time I run into him.

The snow condition on the slopes is rather icy, but I’ve got to give props to the snow grooming squad’s hard work in making the slopes smooth.

If you carve the edge of your board into the slope, you will be able to curve quite nicely.

At first glance, the slopes look well groomed, but when descending the mountain, there are some rocks that have floated to the surface.

We try our best to pick these up on our first morning patrol.

MatchaMatchDonDon is the type of guy who gets excited when picking up rocks.

You never know, within these rocks there may be a diamond hiding its face.

If I polish this rock, will it shine like a diamond?

If Goryu’s new staff polish this rock, will it shine like a diamond?

But this rock doesn’t look like it will shine, even if polished, so I just went to a nearby cliff and threw it off.

And it rolled away without a sound…

On the expert course, there are areas with rough blue-shaded ice.

This is an area which gets polished despite us not willing it to be.

This may be a good place to practice for the Deer Valley Mogul skiing World Championship.

For those not attempting to practice on the moguls, please make sure not to miss the entrance to the Woody course.

For those who do end up missing it, you may end up rolling away without a sound…

There was a blue sky until mid-morning, and the clouds are high in the sky.

Now that it’s the end of the extended weekend, most visitors are gone, putting the slopes in a peaceful state.

For those experiencing their first time in Hakuba Goryu, what do you think about our ski resort?

What a pity on this 3 day weekend! We got rain, fog and strong winds.

Even reading this sentence makes me feel sad.

I would be pleased to hear you say that you enjoyed the weekend, but I suppose many of you didn’t get a very good impression of Goryu because of the bad weather.

On top of that, a lot of visitors may have come from other ski resorts because of the lack of snow over there.

I feel bad for those who came for the 3 day weekend. But one of these days, it might be a clear and sunny day, it might snow like crazy creating a thick layer of powder snow, it might be a calm day to lay back and enjoy the landscape… There’s a chance you might come during a perfect day, so I hope to see you again soon!

(the weather is ever changing in Hakuba Goryu, because it is located high up and there are often strong winds.)

In the afternoon, as expected the weather turned bad. It became snowy on top and rainy at the bottom of the mountain.

Here, the weather can switch in a blink of an eye. That is Hakuba Goryu for you.

However, this rain-like snow was quite strong. It felt really soft on the Expert Course despite all the bumps.

(As always) I forgot that I was on patrol duty and I skied down the deserted Expert Course.

Then I came back to the Gondola’s drop off station, excited to see what the weather would be like tomorrow.

Someone wrote tomorrow morning’s weather forecast on the white board.

What? You’re telling me it was not the last snowfall of the season? More snow to come?

It might only be 15cm but I will gladly take it.

Please, it is not Spring yet, there is still time to snow!

Here is Mr. SomethingImo, carefully tidying up the safety net in front of a hazy (and white) Hakuba sky.

The dude is so handsome, God damn it~

By the way, people called for us a lot recently on the slopes.

“Looking forward to your next patrol blog!”

“I am reading the blog everyday!”

Thanks a lot guys, you are awesome.

“Are you MatchaMatchaDonDon?”. Some of you came straight up asking me.

We would be extremely thankful if everyone is able to get to know us ‘Goryu Patrol Members’ through this blog, even if it is before coming to the ski resort.

However, as this blog is just a bunch of writing and photos, so there may be some who hold their own personal image of us.

But in the end, we are just people who love skiing.

If it weren’t for me being Mr. Honest, I would end up saying that I am an old man who solely relies on mixing medication with energy drinks.

MatchaMatchaDonDon seems to be seen as a mischievous, young and fresh patrol member who sometimes misunderstands the weather report; but in reality I have more of a dirty, down-to-earth personality.

If I were to compare my dirtiness to a character in the detective film ‘Dirty Harry’, I would more resemble the young villain Scorpio.

Now, maybe I should sing ‘row row row your boat’ in the school bus while on the way to the ice cream factory.

(I think its about time I went home now…)

Though we may be a bit of a unique bunch, it would still make us happy if you call out to us when you have the chance.

We look forward to a day of safe skiing tomorrow!