Last weekend, a group of us packed up two vans with snowboarding equipment and snacks and headed towards Niigata. This area is known for its glorious snow, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I hadn’t seen this much snow since Pennsylvania!

We got lost in Hakuba trying to find our hotel, but the views were so spectacular we didn’t mind. It was a mystical blanket of white in all directions.

We finally found our hotel in Myōkō, Niigata. A few got to test the slopes, while the rest of us relaxed at Morino Lodge Myoko. The lodge has a fantastic common area (with an eating area, lounge area and a bar). It was always open and made us feel at home. And the free breakfast spread was a wonderful surprise.