HAKUBA During the Earthquake – Steve Lee’s Story

April 6th, 2011

The Sunrise over Happo on on the morning of 12 March. Steve and Chris stayed in the the lodge on the right. Image:: Steve Lee

Japan | Steve Lee

On the morning of March 12 Japan’s Hakuba region woke to a stunning day. A major storm had delivered a good dump of overnight snow. It was bluebird, clear cold and crisp. Pre dawn, cameraman Chris Hocking and myself were taking in the spectacular view of Hakuba valley and its surrounding peaks from the top of the Happo One. It would be a brilliant sunrise following a pretty sleepless night in the little alpine hostel at the very top of the ski area.

The afternoon before, around 3pm, we were getting sorted to leave the Phoenix Hotel for an overnight stay on the mountain. I was in the bar checking the weather online when a big chunk of snow came crashing off the roof. The building shuddered, typical when snow sheds. I thought nothing of it. Then people started coming out of rooms and the office checking if others had felt the shake, was it snow shed or a mild earthquake, no one could be sure. Not long after there was a more significant shake, lasting 10 to 15 seconds, confirming the first for what it was, we were experiencing an earthquake.

News quickly came in of a major earthquake in Tokyo and across the NE region. The epicenter was off the east coast and a Tsunami warning had been issued. A similar warning had gone out the day prior following a quake. Nothing resulted from that one.

Steve Lee in deep in the pow at Happo One’s Sakka Trees March ’11

Steve Lee in the Happo One trees. Image:: Chris Hocking

Chris and I made the decision to stick to our planned stay up top. Nothing major had occurred in Hakuba from the quake, lifts were still running apart from the big gondola, which due to the shake had been put on hold. It took us some time to get up using all the smaller chairlifts, in fact we had to have the lift co phone ahead to let the very top chair know we were coming so we could load after closing and make it to the lodge up top. We arrived after 5pm. It was wild weather up the mountain, windy and snowing very hard.

On the way up I had texted family in Australia to let them know of the earthquake, that we were unaffected and were in fact heading up the mountain to spend a night up top and make the most of the expected sunshine and fresh snow in the morning. When we finally checked in and saw TV coverage we could hardly believe the magnitude of the multiple tsunamis crushing and flooding the east coast of Japan, the devastation was unimaginable.

We sat watching, mesmerized.

The night was rough as it blew so hard (and snowed) the building shook plenty. Then about 4am a real shake from another earthquake woke us again. Neither of us slept after that, it was a good feeling as the dawn finally approached. The storm had broken to a picture perfect day, the kind you hang for, with amazing fresh snow to be had. The mountain was busy as it was most weekends. People were out enjoying the day, but the underlying mood was somber.

In the morning news of the growing death toll and issues at the Fukushima Nuclear plant was just breaking. Western media was going into overdrive, a frenzied race to break the news was in full effect. Nothing sells like a major natural disaster!!

Steve Lee ventures carefully in the Hakuba backcountry March ’11

Steve Lee on an early morning run above Happo One resort. Image:: Chris Hocking

Being in a country affected by a major natural disaster and the ensuing media coverage was a real eye opener. Due to media reports family and friends started fretting and were putting pressure on us to get out. However we felt absolutely safe in Hakuba. We were 300km away – on the west coast – from the affected nuclear plants on the east. Prevailing winds and weather were in our favour going east, we’d had no earthquake or tsunami damage. Really was there was not a lot to be concerned about. My main indication was the fact that the region and its resorts were still open for business, food supply in the coming days was normal, life in Hakuba was in effect, normal. However talking to family and friends at home, well they were adamant the whole country was about to go into meltdown and nuclear fall out.

I really question the manner western media reported the whole nuclear incident. Headlines sell, that’s clear. However with something so serious the reporting was largely unbalanced and grossly sensationalised. Being there with my daughter I was clearly compelled to find out as much as I could about our circumstance and safety. If I’d gone with what western media were reporting the race to get out would have been chaotic. Plenty of daily reading on the facts and science gave me a completely opposite outlook to the headlines and media reports. In fact within a week, when the ‘nuke’ story was not worsening, the news cycle just moved on, as it does. Leaving a fair amount of ill informed panic in its wake.

Our government travel advisory offered good advice and was in line with what the Japanese government was saying. Again vastly different to media reports at home, which criticized Japan’s government reports. While certainly serious, the threat to health from radiation was always low to nonexistent outside of the exclusion zone, which is still at 20km. The radiation issue, while sensational media, was not and still is not the major concern to the population compared to the situation along the NE coastline, where towns and cities, including their inhabitants, were completely wiped from the map. With about 28,000 people dead or missing and more than 166,200 living in shelters on high ground above vast plains of mud and debris, they have a long hard road ahead.

The flow on effect of the disaster to the resorts of Japan and Hakuba in the following week was close to a complete loss of business. Tokyo airport was still somewhat chaotic and most incoming guests had cancelled. The season was in effect done business wise. Condition wise it was the complete opposite, in fact it was as good as it gets.

Faceshots! Steve Lee on the final day Hakuba 47 – puuking snow -is it a dream?

Steve Lee, 16 March, the final day at Hakuba 47.Image:: Chris Hocking

We remained in Hakuba a week post quake, and certainly made the most of the amazing conditions. With less and less crew on the mountain and conditions sublime, it was strangely lonely. The final day skiing is hard to explain and even imagine. It was dumping snow, waist deep pow, freshies everywhere. Chris and I rode Hakuba 47 with perhaps 20 others. Disturbingly wonderful.

The root of the chaos is the Pacific Ring of Fire. Which is a 40,000 km horseshoe shaped tectonic plate that is clearly on the move, causing the major earthquakes in Chile, February 2010, Christchurch in January and Japan. About 90% of the world’s earthquakes and 80% of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.

The earthquake on the 11th of March was Japan’s strongest ever recorded – A 9.0 on the Richter scale it was so fierce it moved Japan about 3m and dropped areas of the east coast 1.2m. Tokyo shook so long and hard many locals, who are very used to earthquakes, believed during the event that their time had come, whether inside buildings feeling sure they would collapse or outside in the street thinking the ground would open and consume them. There was in fact very little loss of life from the actual earthquake, we are yet to know the total numbers lost from the ensuing Tsunamis.

The people and residents of Japan are certainly resilient, and life goes on. From its affected cities like Tokyo to the smallest towns up the east coast the clean up and rebuild is in full swing.

The 2011 season certainly came to a dramatic and early close. No doubt those who enjoyed time in Hakuba or Japan this season will remember good times and great snow. We enjoyed fantastic skiing and shot some great images right to the final day. I’m lucky to have in my memory just how good Japan usually is. I hope the images here educate and or remind you all of what Japan has to offer. So please, when you are planning your 2012 northern winter escape put Japan at the very top of the list. Not only for the very best snow and powder you can imagine, but for the beautiful people of Japan who certainly deserve all of our support.

I’ll be back, guaranteed.

Some references sites, facts and interesting reading.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Fukushima_Daiichi_two_weeks_on_2503111.html

http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=572797982

March powder frenzy at Hakuba’s Happo One. Steve Lee was the 1st on the mountain.
Steve Lee, Happo One, Skyline bowl. Image:: Chris Hocking

Steve Lee waist deep in the pow at Happo One’s Sakka Trees March ’11

Steve Lee, Happo One. Image:: Chris Hocking

Powder country Japan – Hakuba

Dawn, Hakuba Valley. Image:: Chris Hocking

Steve Lee in the pow at Happo One’s Sakka Trees March ’11 Classic powder at a classic Japanese resort.

Steve Lee, 16 March, final day at Hakuba 47. Image:: Chris Hocking

Daddy daughter day at Happo One in Hakuba. March 2011

Steve & Layla Lee, Happo One. Image:: Chris Hocking

Layla Lee in the pow at Happo One’s Sakka Trees March ’11

Layla Lee, Happo One trees. Image:: Chris Hocking

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