It's muddy, humble, and has no waves. Akira Shibusawa - LEAD Mountain Guide

While the great appeal of backcountry skiing in the great outdoors lies in the many dangers lurking in the snowy mountains, backcountry guides are experts who ensure safety in the snowy mountains while providing an indescribable skiing experience based on their extensive knowledge and experience. We take a closer look at the personalities and guiding of up-and-coming guides who have chosen to be professional guides as their profession and are slowly and steadily delving deeper into this world, step by step

I started a guide company when I turned 30

Shibusawa Hikari obtained her Stage II Ski Guide qualification at the age of 25 (the youngest person to do so!). Starting in the 2024-2025 season, she launched LEAD Mountain Guide, marking a new beginning.

"After gaining a variety of experiences in my twenties, I decided to go independent when I turned 30. LEAD means to 'guide' or 'lead' customers to the mountains. It embodies my desire to create a team that is in sync with our customers and to be a 'pioneer' who travels through the mountains. What is my selling point? What is it? I'm good at wading through undergrowth, fording streams, long, sweaty mountain trips, and other down-home mountain trips...I love them."

"Bush," "fording," "mud," "smelly"...keywords that are the polar opposite of pristine snow-capped mountains come out of his mouth one after the other. He is quite a rare guide in the glamorous and sophisticated BC industry. As I listened to him, I realized that the reason he had the qualifications but hadn't gone independent for a while was because of his own abilities. He supports senior guides, manages safety and carries loads for television filming throughout the year, patrols ski resorts, is a permanent summer mountain resident in the Northern Alps, and leads training sessions at his alma mater... he is in high demand. He has the kind of personality that makes it difficult for those around him to say no when asked. This mobile and thoughtful young man is relied upon from many quarters, and it seems that he has been so focused on meeting those expectations that he has been unable to do his own thing

From the Shinetsu Five Mountains to the Alps

Shibusawa Akira was born in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, overlooking the Shinetsu Five Mountains (Mount Madarao, Mount Myoko, Mount Kurohime, Mount Togakushi, and Mount Iizuna). His father, whose hobby was mountain stream fishing, took him to mountains such as Myoko and Togakushi from an early age. After school, the boy would fish for crucian carp and carp in the Chikuma River. He loved to exercise and played both soccer and baseball with the youth sports club. Fishing is still one of his hobbies, and he has an annual ticket from the Sekigawa Fisheries Association, enjoying the challenge of catching trout with lantern fishing

"In the future, I would like to obtain mountaineering qualifications and work as a mountain stream fishing and river climbing guide in the summer, and as a backcountry guide in the winter."

In junior high school, he was a member of the track and field club, focusing on the 1500m and 3000m middle distance races, and when he went on to prefectural Nakano Nishi High School, he joined the mountaineering club. He wanted to master mountain climbing and mountain stream fishing in the Shinetsu Five Mountains that he grew up surrounded by. However, the club only had one classmate and the advisor.

"In high school, we had to be in a group of four to participate in mountaineering events, which was frustrating (laughs). But there was an individual event exclusive to the Hokushin area, orienteering, where you read a map and paddle through undergrowth to earn points, and I came in first place three years in a row by a long way. I've loved reading topographical maps since I was little, and I'm good at map reading. And I'm also good at paddling through undergrowth (laughs)."

For Shibusawa, the summer mountaineering camp he took as a freshman, a tent-camping traverse of the Hakuba mountain range with his advisor and two other students, was his first real mountaineering adventure.

"It was a three-day, two-night tent-camping traverse that took us up the Hakuba Oyukidake glacier, through the Fukiya no Ken ridge, to Karamatsu, and back to Goryu before descending the Happo-one ridge. I was responsible for everything, from setting up the tents to cooking meals to providing food, clothing, and shelter, which was incredibly rewarding and fun. Then, feeling the vastness of the mountains that stretch beyond the Shinetsu Five Peaks made me want to delve deeper into mountaineering. But, since there were no club members, I would just grab a map and climb nearby mountains by myself after school."

His desire to take up mountain climbing more seriously grew, and he enrolled in the Mountain Professional Department at the International Nature and Outdoor College (INAC) in Myoko City

"At the time, I had no desire to become a guide. But by interacting with the instructors, the mountain guides and other mountain guides, I began to aspire to become like them. Where we were struggling, the instructors were able to move briskly and with ease, and were full of depth as people, and they were just so cool."

In September of his third year, at age 20, he traversed the entire Southern Alps. This, too, took 12 nights, no resupplies, and no stops.

"I started at Hirogawara, the gateway to the northern part of the Southern Alps, then went up Kitadake, Ainotake, Notoritake, and Shiramine Minamirei, then descended from Karasu-ga-take and Aonagi-san to Lake Hatanagi, climbed Chausu-dake, did a round trip to Hijiri-dake, then headed north to Akaishi, Arakawa, Shiomi, Senjo, Kaikoma, and the Houou Sanzan, and then descended to Yashajin."

The names of the mountains flowed out of his mouth in the order he hiked. He must have a clear map unfolding in his head.
"The Southern Alps are more like a circuit than a traverse. I just wanted to walk every ridgeline. Delving deep into nature and walking long distances is at the heart of what I do."

In September of his second year, when he turned 19, he took a break from long-term traverses and went on variation routes with friends, such as the Kitakata Ridge and Kitakama Ridge. In this way, even away from school classes, he independently honed his long-term traverse skills and climbing techniques, and built a map of the Japanese Alps in his head.

Meeting his master, Daisuke Sasaki

During his summer vacation in his third year, before setting off on his traverse of the Southern Alps, he worked as a permanent summer mountain guide on the ridge of the Northern Alps for 50 days, from Marine Day on July 10th to the end of August. It was around that time that he began to think about making a living as a guide

"In my third year, we went to Mount Hotaka in the dead of winter for a winter mountaineering training course. Our instructor was international mountain guide Sasaki Daisuke, and there were just two other students, myself and others. I received intensive, almost one-on-one instruction, and when we came down the mountain after three nights and four days, Daisuke asked me, 'We're going on a ski tour in Myoko now. Do you want to come, Shibusawa?' I immediately replied, 'Yes,'"

After the customers had finished skiing, it was my turn and I was told, 'Shibusawa, ski down with all your might,' so I did, and he said, 'You've only been skiing for three years, but you're doing great.' That night, while we were drinking, Daisuke said to me, 'I'll take you to Denali,' and I'd always wanted to be there, so I said, 'I'll go!' (laughs)

After graduating from vocational school, Shibusawa spent the winter of the 2016-17 season training to become a ski guide at Sasaki's guide company, Bankei.

"Daisuke told me to study under him, so I worked as a sub-guide for one season. I learned a lot, from tail guiding to portering when staying overnight, to driving vehicles to the foot of the mountain. I was allowed to stay with Daisuke's parents, who live next door, and the three of us would eat meals together (laughs)."

On weekdays when there were no Sasaki Bankei tours, he reflected on his own basic skills as an instructor teaching children skiing at the Snow Dolphin Ski School at Sapporo Teine Ski Resort, which Sasaki introduced him to.

"It was like I was the only one among the instructors who had never properly learned to ski before (laughs). I was clearly the worst by far
." He says that his master, Sasaki Daisuke, has hardly taught him skiing techniques or guiding on snowy mountains.
"He never gave me any advice like 'Try this here'. It was like he had to watch my every move closely and memorize it with his body, in a very Showa-era style."

In May 2017, Shibusawa was selected as part of the support team for "The World's First Arctic Adventure: Denali Skiing," which was broadcast on NHK. He was inspired by the shared experiences and activities with renowned mountain guides, including international mountain guides Naoyuki Kato and Makoto Kuroda, who were part of the filming and support team, as well as leading Japanese alpine climbers Kazuya Hiraide and Takero Nakajima

At that time, he only managed to carry his luggage up to 4,300m where he set up a medical camp, and did not reach the summit, but he was captivated by the allure of the gigantic massif of Denali. He subsequently summited Denali twice on his own in 2019 and 2023

Daisuke Sasaki, whom Shibusawa called his mentor, evaluated him in this way and decided to accept him

"I've known him since he was a student, and I've always thought he'd make a great guide. No matter what happens, he never gets upset or upset, and his emotions are consistent. He always thinks positively. Above all, he has a great personality. His qualities as a guide are also impeccable. He has strength and stamina, and he actively spends a lot of time climbing mountains, always striving to improve."

He decided to guide in his hometown of Hokushin

In the spring of the year I spent the winter at Bankei, the ski guide stage I exam was held in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture. The examiner at the time was Nakano Toyokazu, a guide based in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.

"I'd known Nakano since my student days, and he asked me, 'Have you decided on your next winter?' and I was taken care of by Nakano's 'IN Field' for about five years. He took me to various mountains that I could see from my hometown, and I was able to build the foundation for being a backcountry guide."

After obtaining his Stage II Ski Guide certification in 2020 at the age of 25, he was entrusted with running IN Field's level-specific tours. Now that he's independent, the role of sub-guide at IN Field has been taken over by a junior from his alma mater.
So how did he manage to obtain his Stage II Ski Guide certification at such a young age? Even if you have the physical strength and personality, it's a highly challenging hurdle that requires time and accumulated experience.

"There was a lot to remember, but I didn't find it difficult at all. Skiing allows you to walk freely around the mountains. This means you have to consider a lot of things, such as the weather, snow quality, terrain, and customer reactions. It was fun and rewarding to be able to freely create the tour I thought was best while taking into account all these factors. When the weather was bad and the snow conditions were poor, the other participants seemed to be scratching their heads, but I found it even more enjoyable. Even when I found myself in a difficult situation, I didn't dwell on it. Instead, I was flexible and optimistic, thinking, "Okay, if this doesn't work, then try this!" I guess you could say that tough situations make me even more motivated."

"I'm an optimist," he laughs, but optimism in the mountains, where life and death are at stake, can only come from unwavering confidence.
Shibusawa has decided to base his activities in Shinanomachi, a town next to Nagano City, where he was born and raised, and he lives in a rented house. Incidentally, he is still living alone, in a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend, with whom he has promised his future.

"Shinanomachi is close to the mountains, but it doesn't snow as much as Myoko, so it's a nice town to live in. Plus, you can see the mountains well. Surrounded by Mt. Myoko, Kurohime, Madarao, Takatsuma, and Togakushi, it's easy to guide people around the mountains. It's exactly halfway between Myoko-Arai, where it snows a lot, and the dry inland Togakushi, and Nagano, so I can quickly change the guiding area to suit the weather that day. For example, if the high and low tides in the west have been decided and it has snowed too much on the Sea of ​​Japan side, I can head inland, and move out in the morning to find better conditions."

There are two types of BC guides. One is someone who loves or is good at skiing or snowboarding and has entered the world of snowy mountains. The other is someone who loves the mountains in all four seasons and has acquired a ski or snowboard that is highly maneuverable. Needless to say, Shibusawa is the quintessential latter type. He is a mountaineer who has come to ski from down-to-earth mountaineering, from bushwhacking orienteering to long-term unsupported traverses and mountain stream fishing. That's why he doesn't get discouraged by the odds, and the tougher the situation, the more reliable a leader he becomes

LEAD Mountain Guide
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