Yesterday was an exciting and nerve wracking day for me. Yesterday marked five weeks since my knee injury. Five weeks of limping and walking slow. Five weeks of taking it easy and struggling with the stairs every day in our apartment. Five weeks of rehabilitation, physio sessions, stretching, massage, acupuncture. And also five weeks of my body repairing itself, rebuilding and healing and strengthening. So when my physiotherapist said it was time to try boarding again I felt like jumping for joy and shitting my pants at the same time!

Stephen and a good friend we’ve made here, G, said that they’d happily come out with me and ‘take it easy.’ Stephen has always been patient with my learning to snowboard journey, so I was thankful when he said he’d stay with me for my first few times back boarding. G is a great boarder who likes to go fast, so I was also really grateful when she said she was happy to have a cruisy day and give me some tips.

Lots of fresh snow has fallen over the past few days, so conditions are improving, and yesterday morning was exceptionally beautiful, with the sun shinning and the sky blue.

We met up with Sam and Zane and started the day with acai bowls for breakfast at the Wellness Shop in lower Hirafu. They were delicious – a good nutritious start to the day.

We then all headed up the mountain, along with our housemate, Marie. The view from the top was spectacular. You could even see the ocean in the distance behind the mountain ranges. Mount Yotei looked beautiful and grand.

My knee fared much better than I had anticipated, so after 2 green runs in Hirafu we made our way over to Hanazono. That was quite a feat for me, as there was some steep black terrain to cover in order to get there. Everyone was great and waited for me, as I’m not confident enough to tackle the steep runs properly yet, instead sliding down on my heel edge.

Hanazono was fun, but after 2 runs my knee let me know it was time to head home. We made our way back to the base and went out for a celebratory lunch at Big Foot for burgers and beers.

Awesome day all round with great people. I’m so excited to get out boarding again and continue to learn new things and keep progressing. The snow is amazing here!

M.