The day after the three-day weekend.
The weather had been great during the break, so I’m sure a lot of people hit the moguls. That must mean the bumps have gotten deeper! I had no choice but to go. So, I left Mahoroba at 4 a.m. and arrived at the parking lot at 6. A quick prep, and I was off on the bike. Reached the base of the mogul lane right at 7 a.m., 50 minutes later. No one around.

I changed into my ski boots and got started right away. It’s been a long time since I used my NTN setup. Originally, I had planned to come light?on NNNBC gear. But then I thought: even if I could ski the mogul lane on NNNBC gear… what’s the point, really? That line of thinking swung the decision toward NTN. I knew it would be harder than T4s, no surprise there.

With NTN, it’s harder to make that classic “B-tele icon” shape. Or is it? Maybe it just feels that way because I always use walk mode. If I used ski mode normally, the shin pressure would naturally lift the heel, bringing the knees forward into that pointed stance while keeping the upper body more upright. That’s today’s experiment, anyway.

Let’s see?watching the footage later, will you be able to tell any difference? Hmm, not sure.
In the end, I did six or seven runs and felt completely satisfied. Just as the usual regulars arrived by bus, I wrapped it up. Around 8:30, I think.
“You’re leaving already!?” Of course they’d ask that.

Lowered the saddle on my mama-chari and cruised down in a refreshing descent. Cranked the A/C in the car and was back home by 11:30. Made it just in time before my fishing guests arrived?mission accomplished.

Next time at Norikura, I might move up to the upper stage. The moguls are tempting… but it could also be fun to smooth out the rough condition and ski them with NNNBC gear.

July 22, 2025