I took an 11 hour international flight to Tokyo, connected on a domestic flight to Sapporo before boarding a resort bus to Niseko. I also made sure to wear my compression socks for the journey, for walking around and for skiing. This is the story of my JAPOW, a smile filled tale of snow, food, more snow and epic skiing.
Let's start with some general information about skiing in Japan.
I had a lot of fun skiing in Japan, from the variety of resorts, food and sites to be seen.
Taking some powder turns in the backcountry near Chisenupuri.
With 50 cm of new snow fall, we were told it was an okay day.
We also explored many different resorts: Moiwa, Annupuri, Kiroro, Rusutsu and Sapporo Teine, to name a few. My favourite part of the experience was all the great people and the ski culture. There are often school groups taking lessons at the hill and they are easy to spot, but your ski buddy might lose you in the crowd. Despite the school groups, the ski hills never felt crowded and you will still be able to find first tracks to build your portfolio of smiles.
There are many unique features at all the resorts and we would always take a moment to enjoy the view. The first photo is at the end of the day at Rusutsu with Mount Yotei in the background. The second photo is skiing at Sapporo Teine, exploring the trail between the Highland zone and the Olympia zone. Both resorts make for some unique photos. How often do you get to explore a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster on skis?
The food in Japan is truly original and exploring all the various dishes was just as exhilarating as the tree skiing. All the resorts offered a great selection of soups, curries, rice dishes, desserts and dishes I can't pronounce. The ordering system is different than most western ski resorts -
Most cafeterias are open concept and you can see your meal being made, which is better than any show on the food network.
There are also a variety of sushi options available and we explored many, from sushi boat to small family owned restaurant.
My favourite meal is dessert and finding sweet pastries in the shapes of animals was one of the highlight of my trip. I should note that these animal shaped desserts were only found at various bakeries near the Tokyo Zoo and I got mine near the Ueno station.
The other reason for visiting Japan, aside from the snow, was exploring the culture and heritage sites. (1) is Ameya-Yokocho shopping street were you can enjoy hours of shopping in this outdoor market. (2) is the Pagoda and the (3) Hozomon Gate at the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.
(1) Ameya-Yokocho | (2) Pagoda | (3) Hozomon Gate |
I really enjoyed my time in Japan and I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone planning a trip.
Just in case you thought I was exaggerating about the snow fall levels, 173 cm tall person leaning against a Japanese snowbank.
If you would like to discover more about skiing in Japan, feel free to send us an e-mail at info@sockology.ca or checkout these links -
Powder Magazine - Skiing in Japan for Dummies
Japan Guide - Skiing & Snowboarding
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The trail starts at Moraine Lake lodge where you will be treated to a spectacular array of colours in the lake’s water and the quintessential canoes, all situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. You will need to arrive early to start this hike as it is 20 km return and the parking lot gets very busy.
Canoes on Moraine Lake
As you travel up several switchbacks through the trees you will see many glacier streams that feed into the various lakes in the area. The first part of this hike is in the trees and takes about 45 minutes (3 km) for about 350 meters of elevation gain. You will reach a fork in the trail where you can either head right to the Larch Valley/Sentinel Pass hike or, as we did, you veer left to the Eiffel Lake and Wenkchemna Pass.
Once you leave the forest behind, you are treated to a panoramic view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks and the saddle that makes up Wenkchemna Pass. It is important to be aware of bear activity in the area since this is part of their territory and they use many of the passes to move between feeding areas. We didn’t see any bears on our journey but we did encounter many marmots and Ptarmigan hens.
View of the Valley of the Ten Peaks and Wenkchemna Pass
As we continued our ascent to the pass, Eiffel Lake comes into view and you are treated to a full view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. There was still snow on some of the peaks and we could hear the rumblings of avalanches and rock slides on some of the peaks across the valley. You can turn around at Eiffel Lake or continue on to Wenkchemna Pass. As you travel past Eiffel Lake you are treated to a very pleasant hike through the valley and the glacier streams that run through the rocks until Wenkchemna Pass comes into full view and the scramble begins.
The view of Eiffel Lake and Wenkchemna pass in the distance, Eiffel Lake and the valley of the Ten Peaks, Glacier stream feeding Eiffel Lake and the scramble up to Wenkchemna pass.
The final push to the pass is well worth the effort as you will have a full view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks and Prospector’s Valley in Yoho National Park. The trail can become confusing in the scree so look for the cairns to help lead the way up and down. We wanted to have lunch at the top but the wind gusts were strong and chilly, instead we opted to descend and find some shelter for our picnic.
The top of Wenkchemna Pass
Valley of the Ten Peaks with Eiffel Lake in the distance
Prospector's Valley in Yoho National Park
The descent was just as scenic as the ascent as you now have the opportunity to see the trail from a different perspective.
A different view of the Eiffel Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks
One of the truly astonishing parts of this hike is the vastness of the mountains and the relative size of some of the boulders. On our way back down we passed this one boulder which needed some context for how big it is.
Me 5’7” & the boulder super big
The final treat of the day was the stellar view of Morraine Lake from the trail as we headed back to the Lodge. The spectacular blue of the water can be seen peaking though the trees and signals the final part of the hike.
Trails Details:
Gear Details:
Our founder speaks to RV west about blood clots and the advantages of compression socks on long road trips -
http://www.rvwest.com/article/rv_living/your_socks_may_save_your_life
]]>Blood clots. These two words often conjure up infirmary-type images— dimly lit hospital rooms and the bedridden elderly. What they rarely drum up is the picture of a vibrant young woman at the peak of health and athletic performance. But for Angelika Goncalves DaSilva, blood clots are a very real factor in her active life. And not so long ago, she nearly paid the ultimate price to one.
Alarm Bells in Moab
Back in the fall of 2006, then 28-year old Angelika and her now husband Kent were closing out the mountain bike season in epic fashion—with a 10-day trip through Moab, Utah’s fabled canyon terrain. In top condition following a summer of treks and rides in the Canadian Rockies, Angelika looked forward to tackling the thrills and transcendent vistas of Moab. Little did she know, Mother Nature had another plan.
Angelika - taking a a break on the climb in Moab
Early into the first day of riding, Angelika knew something was amiss. While cruising across plateaus and descents with ease, each climb seemed to press into her lungs with draining taxation. Her breathing resembled that of an out-of-shape couch potato, not that of an extremely fit young woman. The rest of that day continued much in the same cycle—with periods of exhausted breathing during exertion followed by relative wellness during rest. Chalking up her difficulty to sun stroke and elevation, Angelika climbed into bed and into a restless and sweat filled sleep.
View from Porcupine Rim in Moab
Waking early the next morning, Angelika set out to regain her finesse along Moab’s famed Porcupine Rim. Setting out with a riding pal, she started the day feeling great along the trail’s lesser elevations. Early into the first climb however, Angelika began to lag behind her friend—a woman she had rode with for years and enjoyed biking up the ascents with. Her breathing becoming more intensified with each pedal-stroke, it was here, in this mountain biker’s playground, that Angelika began to suspect something was wrong.
The Cause of Alarm
Angelika’s struggles continued for most of the long 19-hour drive back to Calgary from Moab. Along with her breathing troubles, crippling muscle spasms now plagued her left back for most of the journey. Back in Calgary, her symptoms continued during the night and around 3 a.m., Angelika bolted upright in bed in pain and barely able to breathe.
“I’ve always been active and had various crashes on my bike. When I woke up in pain I just thought I had some kind of muscle injury and wanted to sleep it off,” explains Angelika. “But, if I had stayed in bed that night, I may never have woken up.”
Gravely concerned, Kent rushed Angelika to a Calgary emergency clinic. After a long night of emergency room waiting, Angelika was given a terrifying diagnosis. She had formed a pulmonary embolism. The cause? A blood clot that had likely originated in her aching leg had broken free and lodged itself into her lungs, blocking blood back into the heart.
Blood clots lead to more deaths than AIDS, breast cancer, prostate cancer and motor vehicle crashes combined.
(Source: Cohen AT, Agnelli G, Anderson FA, et al. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Europe. Thromb Haemost. 2007;98:756-764 (listed on the World Thrombosis site, footnote #4: http://www.worldthrombosisday.org/issue/vte/#footnote4)
Deadly Side of Blood Clots
Blood clots form when blood hardens from a liquid to a solid. Those that form and remain inside a vein are called a thrombus. Blood clots can occur in many locations throughout the body and for many reasons. When formed in response to injury, blood clots are innocuous little helpers, working to stop potentially dangerous bleeding. But when they occur in or travel to critical locations, like your lungs and brain, they can be lethal.
Typically blood clots like Angelika’s form in the veins located deep within a limb, and usually in the leg (known as ‘deep vein thrombosis’ or DVT). Like Angelika’s experience, most DVT clots are characterized by pain and swelling of the leg. The terror these clots can induce begins when a clot breaks free and travels to and lodges within the lungs as a pulmonary embolism blocking blood from the lungs back into the heart.
Together DVT and pulmonary embolism are known as venous thromboembolism (VTE)—one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.
(Source: http://www.worldthrombosisday.org/issue/thrombosis/)
The Path to Prevention
As with many pulmonary embolism patients, finding a cause for Angelika’s initial blood clot proved difficult for her doctors. Lacking any attributable genetic factors, Angelika was told her clot was a likely combination of the long Moab drive and possibly, her birth control. Prescribed the blood thinner Warfarin, Angelika quickly recovered and got back to her busy, sporty life. With her life back in full speed and her passion continuing to build for mountain biking, Angelika decided to stop taking the Warfarin—weighing the increased risk for bleeding-out as too great for her injury prone and often remote activities.
Like any outdoor adventure junkie, Angelika’s sports have a way of kicking back at times. And sometimes those kicks break bones. In 2011, a few years after her pulmonary embolism, Angelika took a massive tumble while riding resulting in a severe ankle break and subsequent surgery. Shortly after surgery a familiar and unwelcome visitor returned—like the post Moab incident, Angelika could barely breathe.
This time, she didn’t hesitate to rush into ER - a decision that likely saved her life again. Again, her doctors insisted on a lifetime of blood thinners. Angelika decided she must find another way. Her goal? To prevent future blood clots while continuing to live her adventure-bound life as safely as possible. Her doctor’s answer? Compression socks.
The Road to Better Compression
With her solution in hand, Angelika set out to source her first pair of compression socks, which much to her dismay, required a trip to her local pharmacy.
“Just going to the pharmacy makes you feel sick. Which I wasn’t,” says Angelika.
Further making for a grim situation was the sad line-up of socks staring at her from the pharmacy display. Expensive, ugly and made of sweat-inducing nylon, the options looked more “granny” than “mountain trail-gunner” or “young fashionista”. Unimpressed, Angelika knew she had to find something that performed, felt good and looked great.
“I couldn’t find any fashionable compression socks without compromising function. There had to be a better way,” Angelika says.
Given the staggering incidence of VTE and pulmonary embolism among people of all ages, Angelika knew she likely wasn’t alone in the quest to find functional and fashionable compression. Inspired, Angelika set out to bring the best, most stylish compression manufacturers together under a single roof. And so Sockology was born.
10 million people are affected by life threatening blood clots every year.
(Source: http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/22/10/809.full.pdf+html)
No Longer Your Granny’s Socks
Sourcing the most fashionable and functional compression footwear from Europe and the US, Sockology socks stand out by virtue of resembling anything but compression socks. From eye catching patterns, vibrant colours and sleek monotones to cozy natural fibers like merino wool and athletic performance features, compression socks are as equal a match for the boardroom as they are the trails.
Fashionable compression socks for everyday wear
How Compression Works
Made with highly engineered fabrics, compression wear works by essentially ‘squeezing’ large venous areas of the body, such as arms and legs, to increase blood flow around the body. With increased blood flow, the chance for blood pooling and the formation of blood clot formation is significantly dropped.
Who Should Wear Compression?
Blood clots do not discriminate. They affect people of all ages, races and ethnicities, and occur in both men and women. While certain factors can increase the risk of developing deadly blood clots, every person is essentially at risk. While compression may not be necessary at all times for everyone like Angelika, most people will benefit from their use during certain situations.
“If you know you’re going to be sitting down for a long time, like flying, or going to the gym, those are great times to wear compression,” says Angelika.
Benefits of Compression
The benefits of compression are many. Beyond blood clot prevention, compression can help to:
There are several practical steps to lower risk of blood clots: https://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/dvt.htm (scroll to bottom)
Supporting Blood Clot Awareness
Beyond supplying better-looking compression, Angelika’s ultimate goal is to raise awareness about blood clots and the role compression can play in their prevention.
“We believe that compression is the ‘heart and sole’ of healthy choices and we strive to educate more people about their lifestyle options,” says Angelika.
Sockology is an e-retailer of high-fashion and high-performance compression socks geared at supporting the health of runners, cyclists, skiers and everyday living.
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Merino wool – Is the fibre obtained from a specific lineage of sheep. The Merino breed was originally from Alentejo in the south of Portugal (1). Today Merino sheep are found in various regions of the world, with Australia being a leading producer, and their fleece is still considered to be the finest and softest of any sheep (2). Wool is different than hair or fur because it is crimped, it is elastic and it grows in staples (clusters) (3). These unique properties of wool make it ideal for spinning and also provide some of the basis for it use in the manufacturing of clothing such as socks. Merino wool is super fine, approximately 16 microns, is able to absorb moisture, is insulating, is fire resistant and is hypoallergenic (4).
Alpaca fleece – Is the fibre obtained from an alpaca which have been bred in South America for thousands of years. Today alpacas are bred in various regions of the world, with regional contribution from the USA, Australia and New Zealand (5). The alpaca fibre is partly hallow, has a diameter from 20 to 70 microns and comes in 22 natural colours (6). Alpaca fibre provides excellent insulation, is naturally water-repellant and difficult to ignite while also being light and stronger than sheep’s wool (7). Many textile manufactures will blend alpaca fibre with wool to create cloth for clothing.
Bamboo fibre – Comes from the starchy pull of bamboo plants and was traditionally used in China and Japan for structural elements (8). The manufacturing of bamboo to obtain bamboo fibres can be either mechanical processing or chemical processing (9). Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial, biodegradable, breathable and cool and soft to the touch. The use of the bamboo fibre in textile manufacturing produced a soft feeling product and is able to absorb and evaporate sweat. The use of bamboo in the manufacturing of socks was increased because of the bamboo’s fibres ability to help with moisture management and the fact that it is able to help in temperature regulation.
Although the exact sources of these fibres vary, they all share one thing in common – they are natural. It is amazing to think about all the wonderful uses for these fibres. Go and explore the feel of these fibres to see if one works best for you.
Plantar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis) is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves pain and inflammation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia, that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes.
When the shock absorbing plantar fascia is strained it can become damaged and inflamed causing pain and stiffness
The Plantar Ease works by firmly supporting the Plantar Fascia and the Achilles Tendon and applying pressure that encourages blood flow upwards to reduce swelling which ultimately minimizes pain and discomfort.
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Particularly enticing this season is the fact that fashion designers have deemed accessories worthy of a bit more attention than usual. Multicolored shoes and socks, especially, have been seen trotting up and down the runways, demanding respect. And so they should, since - let’s face it – winter will only grow colder and colder. With that in mind, we’re urging you this fall to rock the sock. But not just any old sock…oh, no… none other than the compression sock. So, put a little spring in your step as you rock your fall runway.
If you’re wondering how to match the compression sock to your fabulous new Fall 2014 wardrobe, let’s break it down for a thorough examination.
Fabulous Fall Dresses
You’d most certainly agree that dresses should not be worn on top of trousers, because the first go with hosiery and the latter go with socks. Kenzo and Giorgio Armani beg to differ, and it’s good that they do, because this is where compression socks and stockings come in. They’ll complement your dress beautifully with vibrant colors and they’ll keep the blood flowing so that the chilly autumn gales don’t wear you out.
Modern Take On Fun Patterns
Everyone remembers the polka dot, checkered and rainbow socks of yesteryear, even fashion designers. It seems they’ve decided to go back to basics and to pull the swinging ‘60s out of darkness and into the spotlight. Take a modern touch on this 60’s trend with a stylist compression socks, you could wear these colorful beauties with a classic jean combo.
Over-sized knits and chunky sweaters
Larger-than-life knits offer warmth and comfort as the days gets chillier. Wearing a knit sweaters looks even better when paired with a leg hugging pair of compression sock and a sexy boot combo - keeping warm without compromising style is a win-win.
Tremendous shorts
You are aware, no doubt, that fall often brings a warm breeze that offers the perfect opportunity to rock a sock and short combo. You get to show off your legs and wear high heels while transitioning seamlessly from day to night with temperature regulation and style all-in-one. Let’s face it you’ll be banking on those legs to draw attention, because it’s not time to cover up just yet.
Sneakers
If you've been waiting for the chance to wear flashy sneakers all year, then your time to shine has finally come. Designers seem to agree that we all need comfortable footwear, and have opened the floodgate to multicolor mayhem. We don’t need to tell you what that means for compression sock rockers across the world. If you’d like to join them, make sure the socks match your outfit and join some friends on the trails.
No matter what fall style you’re rocking, make sure your socks are ready to support you.
Sockology Inc. would like to thank the following people for their support:
Melissa for modeling