Best Trip, EVER

By the Kid:

Uh…ok…talk about how this year’s Christmas was? Well…it was pretty cool. Christmas Eve we ate the traditional Christmas duck, opened presents (which were all the best), went to church, loaded up the big rental van and left at 2 am, Christmas morning. Pick people up, continiue driving…I slept the whole time while listening to my new CD player and CD. We finally got to Arai, got our stuff out of the van and everything and went up the mountain for the first run. It was warm and sunny, to the point where I was wearing a t-shirt and the gortex. The snow was soft enough for good carving, but sticky enough to make really good snowballs while speeding down a run. The second day was a bit colder, it snowed and we got powder, also good for snowboarding through. On the final day, it was so cold I only did one run, but in that one run I went through more untouched powder then the whole trip. The powder was way too soft to make into snowballs, but it sprayed high and far if you were going fast enough and stopped suddenly. Last bit of the run, I thought it would be fun to go through some truly untouched powder, and about 5 feet in I saw why. I sunk farther in the powder until I was up to my waist, and it took about half an hour and the help of a Japanese person to get out and down the hill, but it was pretty funny. Then, after two canned hot chocolates, it was time for lunch. The whole trip, we had eaten somewhere different almost every meal, and each place had some really good food. Two of the places we had gone had Filipino mariachi bands, which was pretty interesting. After lunch we checked out, loaded the van once more and left, only to eat good Chinese food later for dinner. At almost 10:30 we got home from a really good Christmas snowboarding/ski trip; best so far…and I think that’s it.

By the Dad:

can’t believe it, i think the curse may have been lifted, or off on vacation or whatever. i actually had three great days in a row, everything went reletively smoothly, and we had a great time. we drove all night, starting at 2 a.m., picked up mike and his group, and headed up to the resort. got there at about 7 a.m., my room wasnt’ ready, so i couldn’t get an early check in, i was going on three hours sleep, i was tired. so we went snowboarding. got to the top of the mountain, it was hot. we had to shed some layers, ended up snowboarding in t-shirts and jackets. we were laughing, throwing snowballs as we screamed down the mountain, joking about getting heatstroke while snowboarding. the weather was perfect, the sky a deep, clear, digitially clear, blue. it was a bit icy in spots, but my new board kicks the ass and saved me a few times from biting the ground. i love my new board. we went to lunch, ate, i got my room and slept the rest of the day, woke up, dinner, and back to sleep. next day was cold and snowy, meaning fresh powder. ripped it up the whole day, then slept, then up and had a good dinner. last day was colder and snowier. visibility sucked and it was freezing, which was perfect. deep deep deep powder, it was like floating on clouds. i was catching air, and when i didnt’ land it, it didnt’ matter, cause it was so soft and wonderful i just rolled and popped back up and kept going, hardly breaking flow. it was sublime. the trip back was pretty good. overall, i enjoyed every minute i spent. usually about the second day things suck and i hate it and want to not be wherever i am. not this time. first time in my life, i think. definately best time ever.

By the Mom:

I got my perfect Christmas after all. Our annual Christmas ski trip was amazing. We left almost immediately after Christmas Eve Mass and drove through the night. The expressways were traffic free and starlight lit our way into the mountains. Our first day at Arai, the cerulean sky was clear. Clouds shrouded the Sea of Japan in far in the distance. The runs were fast; the snow was smooth, like skiing over frosting. I skiied better than I have since I was a teeneager. The three of us were laughing, speeding down the mountain, criss crossing each other’s paths and throwing snowballs. After a short nap, we headed to the resort’s Christmas Feast, which included everything from prime rib and rack of lamb to sashimi and diakon salad. We lingered over dinner for three hours laughing and talking. A Filipino mariachi band played unique versions of Frosty the Snowman and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Overnight brought us a ton of fresh snow and a chill to the air. After skiing, my daughter hit the pool and I spent an hour or so in the onsen (hot spring baths). As last year, it was an almost spiritual experience (see the entry Luxuries). The healing waters of the hot spring did more than wash away the dirt – it washed away my aches and pains, my sorrows and fears and several years. There is nothing so refreshing as lying naked in steaming water as fat snowflakes catch in your eyelashes and fall on your face. Another three hour dinner/conversation over amazing Chinese food finished the day. The third and final day of the trip was positively Arctic, with freezing winds and blowing, drifting snow. The powder was extraordinary, and despite the weather we headed out one last time. Throughout the trip my daughter was amazing to watch on her snowboard; she was so graceful. I was extremely proud of her, but she did take off ahead of us. My loved one is accomplished as well; it took my breath away just to watch him riding on the walls. He stayed with me, and in the silence, with the snow falling, it felt like we were the only people on the mountain. I felt more in sync with him as we sailed down the mountain, weaving in and out, than I ever have. We were two people with the same beating heart.