What would you do on a Wednesday you don't work??? Go snowboarding, of course!!!Less than two hours from Tokyo, by shinkansen bullet train, I headed off early this morning with 4 apartment friends for a last hurrah of winter and a day on the slopes. The package deal for a total of $130 got me: round trip train ticket, lift ticket, equipment rental, and gear rental (ski pants, jacket, gloves). The guys I went with were happy to spend some hours in the morning basically teaching me how to snow board. Although I am no expert, I was able to progress quickly and excitedly tried out the new moves on my own.
The day was gorgeous- even a bit too warm at first. It did start to rain during the last hour, but we pushed through and I had endless amounts of energy (thanks Crossfit) to keep going and hang with the group (for the most part).
I was first taught how to scoot down the mountain by digging the back edge of my board into the mountainside and facing straight down the hill. Then I began to lean side to side and therefore zig-zag down the mountain. Finally I was able to turn my board straight and cut a wide 'S' shape- nice and slow.
