The ‘Dream Session’ returns to Hakuba Norikura resort this weekend on March 12th-13th.
One of the highlights of last spring, the event is an open jam format bowl session put on by local ripper and boss of Replant Snowboards, Goro Komatsu. The Dream Session is all about riding a unique skatepark style bowl, the product of many man-hours of digging and shaping. As you can see in Okaken Cinema’s video from last year, this puzzle of transitions and walls gives you options to ride it however you like. Take it easy with some carve lines, or get creative and find ways to get upside down. The hand-shaped bowl park has enough vert for airtime – how you use it is up to you!
2016 Event details here:
To whet your appetite here is a look back at last year’s Dream Session. If this looks fun, see you this weekend!
The boss, Goro Komatsu, hiking his creation:
Brush or board, choose your tool to create. Masashi Nishina making his turns on the canvas:
(left) As you can see, 2015 was a good snow year. Yes, that’s a lift tower. (right) Shredding and shaping.. sometimes at the same time. There’s always a lot going on:
Capita rider and all round nice guy, Noboru ‘Porno’ Konno, shows how to tweak a cross-boned indy while Tailgate Alaska champ Yoko Nakamura films on her phone for her “Yoko-tube” webisodes:
Riding snowskates makes everything harder (according to Terje) and is a bit like riding on a bar of soap (according to me). That doesn’t seem to bother Go Biyajima, as he took the snowskate 50-50 line all the way (from left to right):
Keita Yamazaki floating up for a dreamy backside air:
Earn your turns. Avalanche risk; zero. Stoke forecast; high:
If you want more, here’s the ‘Yoko-tube’ webisode from Yoko Nakamura filmed at the 2015 Dream Session: