Thread Starter
TS
Thanks to everyone for the kind words and for following along, it is greatly appreciated. We're about halfway through now. I'll give any new readers the heads up that the rest of the blog doesn't feature too much skiing unfortunately. If that's what you are after, then you've already seen the best of that. There's plenty of cultural happenings coming up, so plenty still to come. Let's move on to our next zone, Hemu. Again we were here to look at potential skiing in the area but it was a bit of a bust unfortunately. We tried to get out and ski, but the mountains were not happy so we had to listen to them. The snowpack was super rotten and weak and there was no fun, low angle terrain accessible. We looked, but couldn't find any. We spent a lot of time exploring the local area and getting a feel for life in sleepy Hemu. That was an experience in itself.......
Monday 27th March
It had been a busy day the previous day and our nerves were a little on edge, given what we had experienced on the drive in. Before I get into the report on the first day in Hemu, let me give you the lay of the land and tell you about Hemu itself. Hemu is a small village in the Kanas district. Originally I thought we were going to be in Kanas itself (also an actual town as well), but we were actually staying in a resort called the Hemu Hotel. It is a large complex with over 400 beds. It is very popular in the summer time but they want to become a year round resort and this is the first year of winter operation. Traditionally they would close in the winter. So they have stayed open and are running with a relatively small amount of staff.
Originally, they had thought they could start up a cat skiing operation. They bought a passenger cat (Chinese manufacturer) but then realized that they don’t have suitable nearby terrain for decent cat skiing. They do have a massive mountain right in front of them, but it is super steep and there is no way they could get a cat up it, not that you would, as it is very dangerous and avalanche prone at the moment (we’ve seen a few slides come down). So now they have a small slope behind the resort that they have groomed and they had been using the bottom at least, for beginner skiers. They also have a large fleet of snowmobiles and we have been ripping around on those, but the snowpack is so weak and rotten that we can’t really get anywhere on those either (not that we are really keen to ski at the moment, we are here too late for that I think). They have been doing some horseback accessible skiing, but the tracks are now too soft for that as well, so skiing has really taken a back seat. We spent more time training the locals in avalanche safety and doing siteseeing, than any actual skiing. All good though, I’d rather stay safe myself and get home in one peace.
So that should give you a rough feel for the place, so let’s continue on with the story. We had a lovely breakfast (here the steamed meat buns are fresh and delicious, I feel like Kung Fu Panda as I want to eat all of them!) and then jumped in one of the vehicles for a drive down into the village of Hemu. Hemu is a farming community where the locals all ride on horses and the cows roam free. Consequently the ground is shall we say, very fertile? (ie. covered in dung), so it always small like a farmyard and you definitely don’t want to be wearing your smart shoes. It was a Monday so we were invited down to watch the local flag ceremony in front of the main village government office. They do this to start the week, a lot of the villagers come down and then line up in front of a large flag pole and then they hoist the Chinese flag and play some patriotic music.
Then we jumped back in the 4wd and drove to a small house in the village. This was the Lama’s house, the main spiritual man and wisest man in the village. His wife had prepared a local feast for us which was great as it had been at least an hour since we had last eaten (come to China and be prepared to eat an absolute ton of food….). There was fresh bread, butter, a really nice jam, some dried fruits and raisins (very good for the constitution, as it turned out!), lamb butter (wasn’t game for that one), dried cheese (in a pellet, extremely hard and not so good, I regretted nibbling on that one) and some yoghurt and milk tea. The highlight was the welcoming ceremony that the lady gave us. She sang to us and presented us with a token (a white silk scarf each) and then gave us the local drink. This was fermented cow’s milk, thankfully not as potent as the white spirit, but still made you (as the locals say), “feel very relaxed in the legs”. Then we met the Lama himself and he sat with us and welcomed us to the village. He then disappeared (using Lama magic I think) and then we were taken to the local temple.
The Lama was in the temple and we looked around and he performed a blessing on all of us which involved getting hit over the head three times with a magic plank of wood (thankfully covered in soft cloth). Concussion is the path to enlightenment and combined with my wobbly legs from the fermented cow’s milk rocket fuel, I was well on my way to the heavens! Fun times! The Lama posed for some photographs with us at the steps of the temple and we were on our way. Then we went back to the hotel for some much needed 3rd lunch (hobbits would be very happy here).
We changed into our ski gear after lunch and headed back outside. Then a fleet of snowmobiles came around the corner, about 7 sleds and their drivers, in all. It was quite the scene. They were brand new Ski Doo sleds and all the drivers were kitted out in proper sno-mo gear. They looked the part, but could they actually ride? That question was answered in the first 5 minute when we nearly rolled going around the first major bend….. my driver didn’t lean (and consequently neither did I), so over we almost went. I’m not a fan of snowmobiles in general (not a fan of the noise, the smell of them and just how dangerous they can be, I’m ok if I’m driving, but I just can’t relax when someone else is driving). He was also super aggressive and went way too fast for the trails were on (very rough and often off camber, not groomed trails but tracks put in by the snowmobiles themselves).
I quickly changed onto another sled but it was not much better. These guys haven’t had any training (I guess Ski Doo were supposed to come out and train these guys when they bought all the sleds and they never did) so they are all self-taught. They are doing well with what they have then, but definitely need to be shown how to handle a sled properly and drive more conservatively when they have guests riding with them, but also they need a proper network of groomed trails. The other challenge is that the locals use the snowmobile tracks as paths for their horses, so I think they would always get pretty beat up (also covered in poop as well). They do have a decent groomer, so maybe in high winter season; they could get out and regularly groom the trails? Anyway, our trials and tribulations with local snow mobile drivers would continue, as it had done in Aletai…….
They wanted to take us to a small hill at the base of the big mountain, to do some skiing. The snow felt rotten to me and I was not sure I wanted to go anywhere near the bottom of the big mountain, so I suggested we stop for a minute. I got my probe out and pushed it into the snow. There was a little bit of resistance in the first 30cm’s of the snowpack and then the pole just dropped about 60cm’s to the ground. It was rotten, faceted snow. That was not good. We probed all around us and it was the same everywhere. I really didn’t want to be going anywhere near a mountain that had a snowpack like that. We turned around and went to another area. Again, I got my probe out and found the same snow. Then I dug a quick pit, down to the ground. At the base of the snowpack was large depth hoar, about 4mm in size, quite large grains. That put me off wanting to go skiing. I was keen to learn more about the snowpack though and do some stability tests on different aspects. So we called it and headed back to the hotel.
After a break, we went over to the bottom of the bunny hill for a look around there. Maolin’s good friend Mallequin, a local snowboarder, hunter and guide, was at the ski park. He was snowboarding and we stopped to meet him. He had some homemade skis and we were keen to try them. They are cut from local wood, heated and bent up at the front and then they have horsehair nailed to the bottom. The horsehair gives good grip on the uphill and is very smooth on the downhill. They have leather straps for bindings. They use a large wooden pole as a brake and a rudder, but typically they do not turn. They say it is inefficient and slows you down too much. The local people have been using these skis for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, traditionally for hunting. They would find an animal track (say a deer), then follow it. The hunters are able to move faster than the animal who will be struggling to move through the deep snow. They then chase the animal to exhaustion and they are able to take it down. The government has protected all the wildlife in the area and has banned hunting (and the cutting down of trees without special permission), so the manufacturing of the traditional skis is dying out. I hope that if we bring Western tourists to the area, we can help to keep the local ski industry going.
We all had a quick go on the groomed run. The leather bindings were a little too small for my massive hooves, they did stay on my feet but the skis were quite wobbly. On the uphill, that is where the skis really excelled. They glided really nicely, were very light (nice to tour in my hiking boots) and the horse hair gave great grip. I have never felt so light on my feet going uphill. Going downhill was really sketchy; you had to be really focused. Because I couldn’t get the leather straps very tight, my skis wanted to wander off, so going downhill definitely was a challenge. I liked the uphill better (never thought I’d ever say that). Overall, it was super fun and I was stoked to finally try these handmade skis that were one of the top items on my China bucket list. Tick! Grant and Maolin both tried them and then the skis were gifted to Maolin by Mallequin (Maolin had given Mallequin some of his old Armada skis in exchange for the handmade skis). That was a nice way to end the day. We had another nice dinner that night and we ate with some of the local leaders of the area.
- Matt
Monday 27th March
It had been a busy day the previous day and our nerves were a little on edge, given what we had experienced on the drive in. Before I get into the report on the first day in Hemu, let me give you the lay of the land and tell you about Hemu itself. Hemu is a small village in the Kanas district. Originally I thought we were going to be in Kanas itself (also an actual town as well), but we were actually staying in a resort called the Hemu Hotel. It is a large complex with over 400 beds. It is very popular in the summer time but they want to become a year round resort and this is the first year of winter operation. Traditionally they would close in the winter. So they have stayed open and are running with a relatively small amount of staff.
Originally, they had thought they could start up a cat skiing operation. They bought a passenger cat (Chinese manufacturer) but then realized that they don’t have suitable nearby terrain for decent cat skiing. They do have a massive mountain right in front of them, but it is super steep and there is no way they could get a cat up it, not that you would, as it is very dangerous and avalanche prone at the moment (we’ve seen a few slides come down). So now they have a small slope behind the resort that they have groomed and they had been using the bottom at least, for beginner skiers. They also have a large fleet of snowmobiles and we have been ripping around on those, but the snowpack is so weak and rotten that we can’t really get anywhere on those either (not that we are really keen to ski at the moment, we are here too late for that I think). They have been doing some horseback accessible skiing, but the tracks are now too soft for that as well, so skiing has really taken a back seat. We spent more time training the locals in avalanche safety and doing siteseeing, than any actual skiing. All good though, I’d rather stay safe myself and get home in one peace.
So that should give you a rough feel for the place, so let’s continue on with the story. We had a lovely breakfast (here the steamed meat buns are fresh and delicious, I feel like Kung Fu Panda as I want to eat all of them!) and then jumped in one of the vehicles for a drive down into the village of Hemu. Hemu is a farming community where the locals all ride on horses and the cows roam free. Consequently the ground is shall we say, very fertile? (ie. covered in dung), so it always small like a farmyard and you definitely don’t want to be wearing your smart shoes. It was a Monday so we were invited down to watch the local flag ceremony in front of the main village government office. They do this to start the week, a lot of the villagers come down and then line up in front of a large flag pole and then they hoist the Chinese flag and play some patriotic music.
Then we jumped back in the 4wd and drove to a small house in the village. This was the Lama’s house, the main spiritual man and wisest man in the village. His wife had prepared a local feast for us which was great as it had been at least an hour since we had last eaten (come to China and be prepared to eat an absolute ton of food….). There was fresh bread, butter, a really nice jam, some dried fruits and raisins (very good for the constitution, as it turned out!), lamb butter (wasn’t game for that one), dried cheese (in a pellet, extremely hard and not so good, I regretted nibbling on that one) and some yoghurt and milk tea. The highlight was the welcoming ceremony that the lady gave us. She sang to us and presented us with a token (a white silk scarf each) and then gave us the local drink. This was fermented cow’s milk, thankfully not as potent as the white spirit, but still made you (as the locals say), “feel very relaxed in the legs”. Then we met the Lama himself and he sat with us and welcomed us to the village. He then disappeared (using Lama magic I think) and then we were taken to the local temple.
The Lama was in the temple and we looked around and he performed a blessing on all of us which involved getting hit over the head three times with a magic plank of wood (thankfully covered in soft cloth). Concussion is the path to enlightenment and combined with my wobbly legs from the fermented cow’s milk rocket fuel, I was well on my way to the heavens! Fun times! The Lama posed for some photographs with us at the steps of the temple and we were on our way. Then we went back to the hotel for some much needed 3rd lunch (hobbits would be very happy here).
We changed into our ski gear after lunch and headed back outside. Then a fleet of snowmobiles came around the corner, about 7 sleds and their drivers, in all. It was quite the scene. They were brand new Ski Doo sleds and all the drivers were kitted out in proper sno-mo gear. They looked the part, but could they actually ride? That question was answered in the first 5 minute when we nearly rolled going around the first major bend….. my driver didn’t lean (and consequently neither did I), so over we almost went. I’m not a fan of snowmobiles in general (not a fan of the noise, the smell of them and just how dangerous they can be, I’m ok if I’m driving, but I just can’t relax when someone else is driving). He was also super aggressive and went way too fast for the trails were on (very rough and often off camber, not groomed trails but tracks put in by the snowmobiles themselves).
I quickly changed onto another sled but it was not much better. These guys haven’t had any training (I guess Ski Doo were supposed to come out and train these guys when they bought all the sleds and they never did) so they are all self-taught. They are doing well with what they have then, but definitely need to be shown how to handle a sled properly and drive more conservatively when they have guests riding with them, but also they need a proper network of groomed trails. The other challenge is that the locals use the snowmobile tracks as paths for their horses, so I think they would always get pretty beat up (also covered in poop as well). They do have a decent groomer, so maybe in high winter season; they could get out and regularly groom the trails? Anyway, our trials and tribulations with local snow mobile drivers would continue, as it had done in Aletai…….
They wanted to take us to a small hill at the base of the big mountain, to do some skiing. The snow felt rotten to me and I was not sure I wanted to go anywhere near the bottom of the big mountain, so I suggested we stop for a minute. I got my probe out and pushed it into the snow. There was a little bit of resistance in the first 30cm’s of the snowpack and then the pole just dropped about 60cm’s to the ground. It was rotten, faceted snow. That was not good. We probed all around us and it was the same everywhere. I really didn’t want to be going anywhere near a mountain that had a snowpack like that. We turned around and went to another area. Again, I got my probe out and found the same snow. Then I dug a quick pit, down to the ground. At the base of the snowpack was large depth hoar, about 4mm in size, quite large grains. That put me off wanting to go skiing. I was keen to learn more about the snowpack though and do some stability tests on different aspects. So we called it and headed back to the hotel.
After a break, we went over to the bottom of the bunny hill for a look around there. Maolin’s good friend Mallequin, a local snowboarder, hunter and guide, was at the ski park. He was snowboarding and we stopped to meet him. He had some homemade skis and we were keen to try them. They are cut from local wood, heated and bent up at the front and then they have horsehair nailed to the bottom. The horsehair gives good grip on the uphill and is very smooth on the downhill. They have leather straps for bindings. They use a large wooden pole as a brake and a rudder, but typically they do not turn. They say it is inefficient and slows you down too much. The local people have been using these skis for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, traditionally for hunting. They would find an animal track (say a deer), then follow it. The hunters are able to move faster than the animal who will be struggling to move through the deep snow. They then chase the animal to exhaustion and they are able to take it down. The government has protected all the wildlife in the area and has banned hunting (and the cutting down of trees without special permission), so the manufacturing of the traditional skis is dying out. I hope that if we bring Western tourists to the area, we can help to keep the local ski industry going.
We all had a quick go on the groomed run. The leather bindings were a little too small for my massive hooves, they did stay on my feet but the skis were quite wobbly. On the uphill, that is where the skis really excelled. They glided really nicely, were very light (nice to tour in my hiking boots) and the horse hair gave great grip. I have never felt so light on my feet going uphill. Going downhill was really sketchy; you had to be really focused. Because I couldn’t get the leather straps very tight, my skis wanted to wander off, so going downhill definitely was a challenge. I liked the uphill better (never thought I’d ever say that). Overall, it was super fun and I was stoked to finally try these handmade skis that were one of the top items on my China bucket list. Tick! Grant and Maolin both tried them and then the skis were gifted to Maolin by Mallequin (Maolin had given Mallequin some of his old Armada skis in exchange for the handmade skis). That was a nice way to end the day. We had another nice dinner that night and we ate with some of the local leaders of the area.
- Matt
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