2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide - 21

IINTERNATIO NAL TRAVEL
by Debbie Stewart

Vice President - International Travel, FWSA

"OPERATION VACATION" is in effect! Far West Ski Association International travelers vacation for many reasons,
many experiences inspire you to create life-long lasting memories. The FWSA International Travel Program offers our members
opportunities to have unique experiences, whether while on the annual ski week trip or an adventure trip every other year. Our
goal is to provide unique and unexpected experiences while giving the active traveler great opportunities for excitement, fitness,
thrills and the adrenaline rush while allowing everyone to have meaningful stories to reminiscence. While bonding with fellow
travelers, this gives us many occasions to learn about others. You will acquaint yourself with the local culture and have a better
understanding, broaden your perspectives, and expand your horizons with a worldwide view including gratitude and mindfulness.

2019 International Ski Trip
to Hakuba Valley, Home of the
1998 Nagano Olympics
Many FWSA members had Japan on
their bucket list...and it was very successful. We had 41 participate in the Niseko
Pre-trip on the island of Hokkaido. A
group of 73 people enjoyed skiing the Hakuba Valley ski resorts. On our first day,
we had private mountain guides orientating
our mem- bers to one of the nine ski areas
to choose from. After our ski adventure, 44
people loved the extension trip to Kanazawa, Kyoto and Tokyo.
Japan is "The Land of the Rising Sun",
while still immune to the forces of globalization. They strive to keep their country
unique; aim to stay culturally distinct and
rich with their ancestral traditions and rituals. The people are kind, considerate, helpful and very charming. The country consists of multiple islands with many microclimates in which we experienced several.
Japan is home to many religions. We visited
and toured several Buddhist Temples,
Shinto Shrines, Tea Houses, beautiful gardens and parks where we were lucky to
have the cherry blossoms bloom early this
year for us!
During the basic Ski Week, we offered
a day tour to see the famous Snow Monkeys, a sukiyaki lunch in the charming
town of Obuse and visited the Zenko-ji
Temple. The world famous Jigokudani Wild
Monkey Park is home to about 200 wild
monkeys who spend their days soaking in
the natural hot springs, keeping warm from
the harsh winter. The park was opened in
1964 and is the only place in the world to
see snow monkeys bathing in the wild. We
traveled to Nagano City, the home to Zenkoji Temple, designated a national treasure
and has a history of over 1,400 years. It is
one of Japan's most revered temples and
houses the first image of Buddha brought
to Japan in the 7th Century. Our Japan trip
was very special and one to be forever remembered!

Davos, Switzerland
will be the Destination of the
2020 FWSA International
Ski Week!

photo courtesy of Destination Davos Klosters

Far West Skier's Guide 2O19 - 2O2O

2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2019 - 2020 Far West Skier's Guide