Our third day in Niseko began with excitement. Snow was falling all day, but it wasn’t the famous dry Japanese powder people talk about. Instead, it was the wetter, heavier snow that the locals say is very normal for early March. Still, a snowy ski day is a good ski day.

As usual, we started with the wonderful buffet breakfast before Dakota and I bundled up and headed straight out into what had become a full-on snowstorm. The visibility wasn’t great, but that only added to the adventure.

Our mission for the morning was simple: get to the very top of the mountain.

On the way we came across one of the most unusual chairlifts either of us had ever seen. It’s a single-seat chairlift, and the locals call it the “pizza box.” Just one rider at a time. Dakota hopped on and rode it like a pro, disappearing into the snowy sky while I followed behind another way up. It felt like something from an old ski movie.

From the summit we began the long journey down, skiing run after run until we eventually made our way back to the condo for lunch.

After a little rest, Dakota and I headed back out to try something we’d been curious about: affogatos. She ordered a matcha version and I went with the traditional coffee version. Both were excellent, and we quickly agreed that affogatos are a pretty perfect ski-day treat.

Later that evening we cleaned up and walked over to R Pizzeria for dinner. In what felt like perfect symmetry for the day, Dakota—who had ridden the “pizza box” chairlift earlier—ordered an absolutely enormous pizza. Wendy and I found some gluten-free options that were surprisingly great.

It was a simple, wonderful day: skiing in the snowstorm, discovering quirky ski lifts, good food, and plenty of laughs.

Now it’s time to get some sleep because tomorrow will be the longest travel day imaginable. We’ll leave Niseko, head to Tokyo, then fly to Los Angeles, and finally make our way to San Diego—all in a single day.

But before all that travel, we’ll remember this day as the one where Dakota rode the pizza box… and later celebrated by eating a pizza.