Cortina Ski Resort – This day was easily a one of my top 5 days in trees and days on snow…EVER.  New snow was waiting for our crew of hoodlums and we made sure that it didn’t go untouched.

Bryn Hughes has joined us from the Great White North (Whistler, BC) along with Austin Ross, Rossignol rider and pro at straight up being aweomse.   Bryn and Austin are after some epic lines, something worthy of publishing and something ridiculously Japanese.  Bryn and Austin probably two of skiing’s most driven participants both killing it and gettin’ er done in the trees of Japan.  Sitting over Bryn’s shoulders poaching a peek or two at some of his shots i’m blown away shot after shot….and Austin and the entire evoTrip crew certainly make Bryn’s job a little easier as they have been bombing line after line with ear to ear grin’s pasted to their aces.

This place is so incredible, definitely the best trees i’ve ever lapped.  They are so perfectly spaced out and we really lucked out with some fresh snow not to mention Japan even lived up to its name as the house of the “Rising Sun” cause we even got some sun shining through those trees!  Granted, some of the trees are off limits, and it appears to me that the locals do NOT like powder.  Hmmm…. sounds like the ingredients for fresh lines?!  So the stuff we were hitting most of the day was on the backside of Cortina Ski Resort and those trees are insane…..but towards the end of the day the guys had their way with some of the “off limits” trees on the frontside. It was good.

Oh, i almost forgot about the ridiculously awkward lodge. If this ski area wasn’t able to boast the “most snowfall” in the valley in a given season and apparently the “steepest inbound tree runs” in the valley, i’m not so sure what would happen to this place.  You’ll be cruising through this quaint little village and all of a sudden you round a corner and there it is at the base of the main chairlifts, in all its glory.  Apparently there is a chain of these things all over the place.  It was built back in the boom when these places were going off and they couldn’t find enough beds for tourists but since, things have slowed down dramatically… so here she sits large and glorious and well…. large and glorious.

After the first couple days i wasn’t so sure if we were going to get to experience those epic lines i’d seen in the movies and magazines…but i think the photos and the video clips from today should speak for themselves.

Aside from the deep powder up top, the guys in the Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore costumes, an obscene lodge, and the do it yourself pizzas i think i’ve pretty much seen most of what Japananese mountains have to offer….still need to get souvenirs but i think we got what we were coming for. ….OH YEAH, its not over.  2 more days of slashing some pow in Japan.  Rumor has it that there will be another dump this evening. Until then we are off to Jeff’s (www.poachninja.com) for a killer feast, some Rockband and some nice food comma.

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evoTrip | Day 4 – Practicing our 3 “P’s” from evo on Vimeo.