Rain, rain rain, the weather seems to reflect our mood this morning, its all a bit "after the Lord Mayors Parade". Most of the other halfpipe teams have already left leaving just others and Jossi and Byron Wells. We had planned to train some pipe today but that was closed and the day had the potential to turn into a bit of a damp squib. So James, Becky and I decided to head out for a ski anyway.

James still has the burning enthusiasm of youth so he was mad to get some skiing in. As we stooged around the park locked into the clouds and gently being precipitated on he jumped around. Jibbing the rails and little jumps, riding switch and generally making a nuisance of himself with the boarders by being a good few measures better at it than anyone on the Mountain. Becky took a few lazy hits but missed out the rails to protect her pipe skis. Becky went off to grab a sandwich and we had a Jamaican/Korean lunch and felt a little famous as the young woman serving us our food got her friend to take a picture then excitedly texted her friends to tell them she had a picture of herself with a World Championship athlete.

Back to the hotel when we finally got too wet. In honour of our Moguls athletes we skied a rut line on a piste that dropped through the trees. We actually had no intention of doing this but in next to no visibility I decided to try a run we'd never been down. On a sunny day it would have been incredible, however it wasn't and I am still in a brace with a reinjured MCL. Actually, didn't hurt a bit and the bumps were fantastic, deepish but great shape. It reminded me why I originally competed in Moguls and why it's such an amazing event. I loved it. The downside was my leg did feel a little unstable when we got back and there was a swelling the size of an orange on my calf muscle below the bottom strap of my brace, mmm maybe had it a little too tight then. It's still swollen and I'm hoping it's gone down sufficiently for pipe training tomorrow.

On the subject of Moguls I haven't had a lot of news from Andy or Ellie. I do know Ellie was stoked to get a full competition run a couple of weeks back in Voss - she's putting in a 360 and back flip into her runs for the first time and holding it together. That's a big move forward and should in the short to medium turn really up her score. Today was a training day today and although in another resort they'll be suffering the same conditions as us. In fact Andy sent the following on Facebook:

"It started raining at 2pm this afternoon and has not stopped since, course will be in interesting shape tomorrow they have done all they can covering the jumps and treating the bumps whether it stays is another matter though."

Tomorrow is qualifying and finals for the single Moguls so good luck to both Ellie and Andy.

We finished the early evening off with a little photo shoot wearing the house clothes provided by the hotel. I also asked the guys to let you know a few of their own thoughts on the champs and the trip.

James Machon

"Japan is an exciting and unusual country, and to host the World Championships here for the first time was great. I have never seen an event run so well, the Japanese made sure the condition of the Halfpipe was perfect all throughout the week and the standard of athlete was as high as at the X games. X games gold medalist Xavier Bertoni 's run in Japan was more technical than at the X games and he placed 3rd! I felt extremely proud to represent Great Britain and our team performances here were our best yet. The quality and professional approach to the event from the participants and organizers will hopefully push for Halfpipe to be included in the Olympics, and I can't wait to be a part of it."

Becky Hammond

"The Japanese know how to run competitions. They have around 25 people slipping the pipe every 30 minutes, 4 people running around like headless chickens spraying salt to keep the slope in the best condition possible, and 6 people grooming the run in. They are incredibly organized, precise with timings and generally the friendliest people you are ever likely to meet. To compete at the World Championships was an incredible experience. The standard of the athletes was amazing and to be part of the field and come 15th was a great achievement for me. I'm coming away from the event with a better understanding of what it takes; if you want to succeed and be the worlds best you can't just ski a pipe and think that's enough, you have to train like a true athlete on and off the slope. Thats what the Worlds best do and that's how they became the best!"

Emma Lonsdale

"My first time in Japan has not been a let down! The culture, the food, the people, oh yeh and the skiing! Japan is, I think, the politest country I have ever been to, the people here go out of there way to help you, or at least I assume they are trying to help and be nice for all I know they could be telling me I smell bad every time I walk past?? There culture is very different from ours and I get the feeling that here, in the town in which we were competing, they don't get many westerners (the children all look at me like I am a big white giant) You get funny PJs in your room and I think we are going to go home looking like nodding dogs from bowing to everyone! You get fishy stuff for Brekki lunch and T, I am very proud of how brave I was for sampling lots of local cuisine (after resisting the strange urge of sticking my chop sticks up my nose) I even ate one thing that 5 mins later Jossi found to have live baby things on! Mmmm tasty!

The competition was amazingly well run you didn't even need to take the time to look at your watch in practice because every fifteen minutes the time was announced followed by how ever long you had left of practice "da time is nowr Ereven frifteen, there is 1 rouhr an fohty five minits reft for training." I think the GBR team (re named team Yorkshire) all skied really well and we did our country proud. James and Becky improved massivly during training and James ended up going huge in the competition, I think he may have been a little scared when he watched the footage back. I am happy with my progression here in Japan although a little disappointed about being 0.1 point from final! But thats the nature of competing for you.

Tomorrow we are going to get back on with training, we got rained on all day today, RAIN... I was expecting masses of the fluffiest power ever seen, snorkel required, help I am burried everything's white, kinda powder. We are all headed out to the European Open in a few weeks, so there is no rest time for us. But from amazing people, to heated toilet seats that wash your bum for you and make sound cover up noises, to singing Karaoke till 2am with some of the most talented skiers in the world, this has been an amazing adventure, and we have all learned a lot.

Thanx to Fat Face, movement and Dalbello. I really couldn't do it without them. And a BIG special fluffy thanx to Mr Coach Simon for putting up with me being a Little Madam!"

On a last flippant note.

I tried to fix James up with the Jamaican/Korean food girl but he declined on the basis that he didn't want a relationship right now. Now! We're in Japan, all very noble but he's back in the UK on Saturday. I even said he could use a false name and call himself James 'Makeout' but he still declined. I see we have a lot more lifestyle work to turn him into a professional pipe skier.

Only a couple more blogs to go and then we'll be back home. Back to MISTY old England (or even Scotland).