Snowboarding Fun…

We had planned to go to the mountains with friends a couple of weeks ago but we had to pull out but we all still wanted to go, so just the three of us went this last weekend. We are lucky where we live, it takes about an hour and half to get to the mountain but we have to use the shinkansen (bullet train) which means the train costs are expensive, if it wasn't for that we would certainly be going more often.

This time we tried a new resort, Yuzawa Nakazato and I have to say, it is our favourite resort so far! It is aimed at families, so there is loads to do even if the kids are not skiing/snowboarding yet. They have kids rooms to hang out in, plenty of sledging places. A great mini slope for absolute teeny beginners and plenty of green beginner slopes that are wide and gentle.

In the morning we didn't get there in time for Ebi-kun to join snowboard school so Yasutoki showed him the ropes, the basics and I had a bit of free skiing time. For those who don't know, when I was 17 I had a bad skiing accident where I broke my leg (some bloke skied into me on a black run, then he got up and left me lying there!) I was on crutches for almost a year and told that I would never walk without a limp - luckily they were wrong about that! This means that I really don't like skiing if it is crowded, that is one of the reason why I liked this place so much!

In the afternoon, Ebi-kun joined snowboard school and Yasutoki (who is a snowboarder) and I got to go and have some free ski/board time. When I lived in Iwate, I tried snowboarding but at the end of the day I just didn't 'get it', ski's suit me better, maybe because I learn't to ski at a young age?

After the first lesson, which was a big group, he had only been down the slope a couple of times and not been on the lift but he has already got the basics down…

We finished at 4.30pm and got picked up by the owner of the B&B we were staying at. The train station is literally at the bottom of the ski slopes which is perfect to get there and back and there is a free shuttle bus that goes to the shinkansen station. We stayed at Vingt Neuf which was lovely, the owners speak English, they have a super cute dog which is always a bonus and the food was great! It is a set evening meal and a buffet style breakfast.

Sunday morning we put Ebi-kun into school again, this time he was in one group but they moved him to another, so he was in a group of 3, the smaller group made a huge difference, he also got to use the lift. We met up for lunch then in the afternoon we took him to the top of the mountain. Even though we were using the beginner runs they have little offshoots, like the one through the woods…

And they have a slalom run - where I fell, first time since the leg breaking incident, it was kind of good to fall again, it of quashed that niggle that if I fell again it would end in disaster! 

Sunday was absolutely beautiful, perfect skiing conditions, the boys on the lift…

Oh to be 8 years old again, he picked it up so quickly, unlike skiing that he tried last time, he belongs on a board…

Proud mama moment, he rocked!

And yes, he crashed in style too! We were all shattered at the end of the day but it was so much fun, can't wait to go again!

I also tried my hand at filming when skiing, not the easiest thing to do and it is a bit jumpy in places but at least it didn't end up with someone in an ambulance…

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