JAPAN SLED MISSION 2016
Junichi has been a mechanic for snow cross racers in Japan and knows his sled stuff well. Unfortunately, he had a terrible head-on collision with his vehicle on the way back from a race that nearly killed him and left him slightly paralyzed. After many years of rehab he is now walking and has use of most of his body. When I met him in person he was walking with a cane, but was gracious enough to come meet me and arrange sleds for us to rip on.
When I planned this trip a few months back, I was assuming that there is always insane snow in Japan. I forgot to realize that El Niño may have a different effect on this country. Back in California we had just been dumped on with meters of great quality snow.
My Japanese friends were telling us not to come due to lack of snow. “Don’t come,” they kept saying, but we were locked in. I came here with the intention to snowboard and ride the alps and squeeze in a few sled days! Luckily, it turned out that the snow really just came late. By the time we arrived it had stacked up enough to be pretty darn good for riding!
With a little language barrier problem I was able to leave the Japan alps where I had been snowboarding for Tokamachi. I took a bus from Hakuba to Nagano, then a train to Tokamach- about a 6 hour journey when it was all said and done. Upon arrival at the station where Junichi met me, there was another hour-long ride by car to his secret stash in Tokamach.
