LOCATOR essential for backcountry & ski trips
For many people, skiing is synonymous with traveling. Travel by car or public transportation, travel to rural areas, and enjoy the local mountains, snow, food, and people. Backcountry skiing includes even more of that adventure element.
ARMADA's LOCATOR is the perfect ski to be your travel and adventure companion.
Among the ARMADA brands, it is positioned as a lightweight ski that is suitable for backcountry skiing and has performance that will satisfy even ski enthusiasts.
Boasting the brand's lightest weight, it's perfect for skiers who walk for long periods of time or hike from the foothills. Normally, when weight is emphasized, glide performance tends to suffer, but this is not the case, which is the great thing about LOCATOR. As for the gimmick, the core material is made of a lightweight and strong material called carbacoa. In the case of LOCATOR, this carvacore is used thinner than normal skis, so it is even lighter. Instead, a thick linear carbon sheet is used as a reinforcing material from the top of the nose to the tail. The core material is thin, making it both light and strong.
L=152,162,172,182cm
D=116-88-109(172cm)
R=20.5m(172cm)
99,000 yen
L=157,164,171,178,185cm
D=127-96-117(178cm)
R=21m(178cm)
104,500 yen
L=162,170,178,186cm
D=131-104-122mm(178cm)
R=22m(178cm)
110,000 yen
L=166,173,180,187cm
D=136-112-128mm(180cm)
R=24m(180cm)
115,500 yen
There are skiers who travel all over Japan and the world using such LOCATOR.
That is Kawaguchi TKY Takaya. After taking a leave of absence from university, Kawaguchi flew solo to Whistler, Canada to go skiing. Not satisfied with Whistler, he also traveled to Yukon and Alaska, discovering the depth of travel. He has traveled to 20 countries on ski trips and 50 countries including his life's work of surfing. In the 22-23 season, Kawaguchi skied Mt. Kurodake in Hokkaido and Lofoten in Norway in March, Rishiri in Hokkaido in April, Shiretoko in Hokkaido and Mt. Fuji in May.
He was probably the one person who used LOCATOR the most last season. Let's hear about his journey to the estuary with LOCATOR.
Being light allows you to conserve your physical strength and gather information.
I usually spend half of the season working as a guide at Nozawa Onsen, and the other half of my time traveling.
What makes LOCATOR so compatible with travel is that it is lightweight. There are many situations in travel where lightness is the right thing to do. For example, the weight limit on airplanes is 20 kg for LCCs and domestic flights, and 30 kg for international flights. If you want to bring more baggage, you will have to pay an additional amount. We are making a major contribution to ensuring that we do not cross that border. Also, the light weight makes a big difference in the level of fatigue when carrying it around. If you don't feel tired from traveling, you can enjoy your trip even more.
Visit Kurodake and Unknown Peaks
At Mt. Kurodake, where I traveled in March, I mainly used the ropeway to access the skiing points and enjoyed a relatively light backcountry experience. Unlike Niseko and Sapporo, it's not a place where it falls heavily, so you can enjoy the creamy quality of the snow. I have several other boards, but since March I've only been using LOCATOR96. It may seem a little thin, but there is no problem at all. LOCATOR is easy to hike, and since it's a top rocker, it floats pretty well. In addition to Mt. Kurodake, I chased other places where it had snowed, looking at the map and looking for good spots on unknown peaks to ski. The real pleasure of traveling is not to plan too much in advance, but to explore different places.
Traveling through Lofoten with one car and a locator
Lofoten in Norway is a spectacular place with a huge mountain massif of the Alps submerged in the sea.
As the culture of Nordic skiing has developed from everyday life, some people wear skis while walking their dog or just like running. In recent years, gear that allows you to climb deeper into the mountains has been developed, and I think the number of people doing backcountry skiing is increasing. In Norway, I rented a car and traveled around looking for slopes I could ski on.
When I found a good spot, I would park it on the side of the road and walk for about three hours to ski. Lofoten has about 200cm of snow, so it doesn't have a climate like Japan where it falls heavily, but since it's in the Arctic Circle and the temperature is always below freezing, the snow is frozen forever. I think the only places that can compete with the quality of snow in Japan are Alaska and the west coast of Norway. That's how good the snow is. LOCATOR96 is also your partner in Norway. The benefits of having lighter skis are immeasurable. You can enjoy the scenery while walking, and if you think, ``That side of the ridge looks good,'' you can quickly go there and gather information.And best of all, your legs won't be tired even when you get to the drop point, so you can concentrate on skiing. You can do it. After all, this is ARMADA's LOCATOR, which values slippage and therefore sought lightness.
While traveling like this, it's a lot of fun to go into the backcountry at points you've found yourself, but it's important to prepare topographic maps and track the weather history of the surrounding area in advance to minimize risks. It is kept to a minimum.
A spectacular island where you can enjoy skiing and surfing
In fact, I work as a Rishirifuji Ambassador, traveling to Rishiri Island every year to promote travel and immigration.
Rishiri Island also looks like a mountain floating in the Sea of Japan.
Lofoten is an archipelago, but Rishiri has one of the most spectacular views in Japan, with a triangular mountain floating on its own. It is a long hike that takes me about 7 to 8 hours to reach the top of Rishiri Fuji. The wind is strong at the top of the mountain, blowing the snow away. The scenery is spectacular and it's a perfect location for photo shoots, but if you want to enjoy the quality of snow that is truly Hokkaido-like, we recommend the slopes at the foot of the mountain. It takes 2 to 3 hours of walking to get there, so the power of LOCATOR is fully demonstrated here as well. I also surf as a hobby, so being able to skate and ride the waves is one of the reasons I recommend it (lol)
Rausu-dake, where I walked carrying LOCATOR
I went to Shiretoko in May, and the snow had already melted, so I brought my surfboard and went to enjoy both skiing and surfing. I had skied Mt. Kaibetsu and other mountains in Shiretoko before, but I had never skied Mt. Rausu properly, so I had always wanted to ski there if I had the chance. It's the third week of May, when the Shiretoko Pass opens. There was less snow than usual, so I felt like I was just barely skiing, and I hiked mostly by putting my skis on my back and paddling through the bushes, and when the snow came out, I put on my skis and hiked up, then paddled through the bushes again... It was a mountain hike.
The only mountain you can ski in your hometown of Shizuoka
Despite traveling all over the world, the only place I can ski in my hometown of Shizuoka is Mt. Fuji. Surprisingly, people in Shizuoka Prefecture don't climb Mt. Fuji, but it has become an annual tradition for me to climb Mt. Fuji on skis. Mt. Fuji tends to be avoided by mountain climbers, but since it is a single peak at 3,778m, the scenery is truly spectacular. And you can also see the sea. The same goes for Shiretoko, Rishiri, and Lofoten, but many of the mountains I go to slide toward the sea. Maybe it's because I also have roots in surfing.
By the way, last year I also went to Sapporo, Niseko, and the Tohoku area in January and February. During the heavy snow season, we also recommend ARMADA's WHITE WALKER and SHORT PANTS. At Nozawa Onsen, where I usually ski, you can access various slopes efficiently by gondola, so it feels like traveling through the mountains for just one day. I also use LOCATOR when skiing in the backcountry at Nozawa Onsen. LOCATOR is useful everywhere, whether it's heavy snow in Shinshu or light powder in Hokkaido.
This is the one for climbing and sliding. Skis that make your trip more enjoyable
Overall, the Locator is a light and easy to carry ski. However, it doesn't neglect its gliding performance and allows for authentic gliding. In fact, I think skiing allows you to conserve your physical strength and concentrate on skiing. Traveling requires a lot of luggage, and the snow quality and environment vary depending on the destination. As long as you have a LOCATOR, you can handle any situation, and it will be easier to climb snowy mountains and move around while traveling. As a result, you can have a comfortable and enjoyable ski trip.
■Profile
Kawaguchi TKY Takaya●Takaya Kawaguchi
is from Shizuoka Prefecture.
His grandfather and uncle in Niigata were principals and instructors at a ski school, which led him to experience skiing at an early age. After entering university, he flies alone to Whistler with no family to go skiing. He traveled to the Yukon and Alaska, and during his stay there, he discovered the appeal of travel, and since then, along with surfing, which is also his life's work, he has been traveling in search of places where he can ski and ride waves. He is often based in Nozawa Onsen as a guide in the winter until January, and continues to travel domestically and internationally.
ARMADA
Official website: https://armadaskis.jp/