Being a 100% Filipino living all throughout my delicious life in the hot tropics of Metro Manila, my DNA for sure is not coded for winter season and much worse for a winter sport. But with my exceptional passion and spirit to be acquainted with these uncommon affairs, I built up enough guts to master what needs to be mastered about winter and its associated sport.
enjoying the cold with nengkoy and erika
with dr. william smith scott at sapporo hitsujigaoka observatory hill
my dear sister on a fine powdery snow…
my three japan-based “pamangkins”
That is why while I was in Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan, the host of the 1972 Winter Olympics, I took the opportunity to try and pursue the sport of skiing. And true enough, I easily mastered the art of sliding down the snowy slopes of Sapporo.
Just watch the short video below on how I did the various skiing maneuvers. From the Iron Cross, to 540 turn, to the Daffy aerial trick, to the Lincoln Loop and of course the Back Flip aerial maneuver. Given another 2 days, I believe I can win the world cup in both slalom and downhill categories.
But seriously, I think skiing is an extremely difficult winter sport that demands great physical stamina and skill. I actually fell four times while doing a single round of the snow-filled Ishikari Plain at the Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill.
I also learned that falling with the ski on is much easier than standing up from it. It took less than a second to plunge down on my butt but took me more than a minute to stand up and regain my balance. I was not embarrassed though because the few people who were also skiing for the first time were also slipping and tumbling like tired toy soldiers.
And guess what? Right after I finished what seem to be an endless round of skiing, I was sweating so profusely I was craving for a strawberry ice cream! It was never in my wildest dream to ski, but the experience is truly one for the books.
Pinawisan ako. Pramis!
Nengkoy 