What's so fun about MTB? How skiers spend their off-season at Hakuba Iwatake MTB Park

As the snow melts on the mountains and the fresh greenery spreads from the foothills to the tops, creating a beautiful gradient of green, this is the time of year when

some people stubbornly continue skiing in search of remaining snow, even if there is no more snow on the ski slopes or mountains. Others dedicate themselves to off-season training, such as going to jump and jib practice facilities or skiing on brushed surfaces.

On the other hand, many people enjoy activities that are completely unrelated to skiing or snowboarding. These include cycling, surfing, stand-up paddleboarding
(SUP), trail running, mountain climbing, skateboarding, and inline skating. Among these, the number of people who are hooked on cycling, especially mountain biking (MTB), is increasing year by year. Like skiing and snowboarding, MTB is also divided into several categories, but downhill is attracting the most attention. This is a category that is literally dedicated to speeding down mountain trails.

What is so interesting about this activity? What is the appeal? Does it have anything in common with skiing or snowboarding? The easiest way to answer this question is to hear from people who actually do it

So, Furuse Kazuya, a skier and snowboarder from Hakuba who are both deeply into mountain biking, and Minamiura Takashi, talked about the fun of mountain biking while riding up Hakuba Iwatake

Commonalities between MTB and skiing/snowboarding

Takashi Minamiura (hereinafter, Minamiura): I originally did motorcycle trials (*a competition where riders navigate a course with set elevation changes and slopes while riding a motorcycle) until I was in high school.
After that, I quit because I found snowboarding more interesting, but one day I saw an older guy from my hometown doing mountain biking and it looked fun, so I started doing it too. For almost 20 years now, I've been immersed in the joy of riding two-wheeled vehicles.

Kazuya Furuse (hereinafter Furuse): My first experience with running was about five years ago when I ran on Iwatake Mountain as part of an activity experience at a Patagonia ambassador meeting held in Hakuba. It was so much fun that I ended up becoming a digger to maintain the course, haha.

Minamiura: What was it that drew you in so much?

Furuse: It's hard to explain in words, but maybe it's the feeling of speed? MTB is very similar to skiing, and the sensations of R (turns) and G (gravity) are almost the same in many ways. So maybe that's why I got hooked on it, because it felt like an extension of winter fun.

Minamiura: Snowboarding is similar in some ways. It's fun to go down a mountain using gravity and your own strength.

Furuse: When skiing, you're facing forward, so the movements involved, such as angulating your hips and rotating, are directly applicable to mountain biking.

Minamiura: The way they use the terrain is pretty much the same.

Furuse: What's interesting is how individuality comes through in how people ride.

Minamiura: Styles differ from person to person, right? But I think what they all have in common is that you can have fun anywhere on the terrain.

Furuse: Even on ski resorts I'm familiar with, when I ski with different people, I get the feeling that they're going that fast, that they're jumping, and it's exactly the same with mountain biking.
With mountain biking, you can't look behind you when you're riding ahead, so you can only see how they ride by following behind the person in front. Because of the close proximity, the feeling of having a session is even stronger than with skiing.

Minamiura: That's true. When I see running or movements from behind that I can't do or wouldn't have thought of myself, I get really excited and think, "Wow!"

Furuse: Skateboarding and surfing are also fun because they have a sense of session, but the feeling of riding through the forest or going out onto an open slope is perhaps closer to skiing or snowboarding. Just like in winter, it's affected by the mountain conditions, and every ride is different.

Minamiura: The fact that it's not uniform is what's great about it. With skateboarding, the road conditions are pretty much the same. Even just looking at how to turn a corner, there are different ways to turn, and the difficulty of having to adjust to the conditions at the time is one of the fun aspects.

Furuse: It's the same as changing your footwork depending on the snow conditions. If you don't make movements that match the conditions when mountain biking, you'll fall.

This is what you need! MTB is great for winter　

Furuse: Skiing and mountain biking are very similar. The position, balance, rotation, and other movements using the axis feel almost the same. Not only are the physical aspects similar, but the fact that you're constantly aiming for the right conditions is also similar.
Checking the weather and waiting for the dirt on the road surface to dry is also the same from the perspective of judging the snow conditions.

The thing that strikes me most is that the way you move your eyes is exactly the same as when skiing

Minamiura: That's right. You're constantly looking at a constantly moving field of vision. Lately, I've been hearing people around me say that they can't keep up with the skiing, but that's not the case for me at all.

Furuse: Running on dirt, moving your eyes, gathering information, and reacting instantly is not something you do every day. I think a car is going at about the same speed as skiing, but it's completely different. You really notice how much your eyes work, especially at the beginning of the season.

Minamiura: I think you use your eyes more when mountain biking because you have to look around at a lot more things. Small roots can be slippery and dangerous, haha.
With snowboarding, it's easy to find a wall and jump off, but it's really difficult with mountain biking.
With mountain biking, your feet are off the pedals, so I think that's what makes it difficult to get a sense of unity with the bike. It's also heavy, so it's hard to control.
Plus, you can traverse steep slopes with snowboarding, but you can't do that well with mountain biking. You just have to ride the big slope all the way. You just have to go.

Furuse: That's true, in those situations you have no choice but to point your body and bike towards the fall line.

Minamiura: But that moment is irresistible. When you're going down a slope, it's just like snowboarding. Even though you know you can't stop immediately even if you brake, you have to keep going. It's fun, isn't it?

The benefits of starting a new activity. Year-round positive effects

Furuse: Unlike winter, there's a sense of freshness, and I'm rediscovering the joy of improving. I can do things I couldn't do before. That simple thing is incredibly fun. Mountain biking reminded me of the feeling of challenging myself with something I've never done before and overcoming it.

Minamiura: That's right. At first, there's so much room for improvement, and it's really fun. But as you become able to do more things, just like in winter, the risk of injury also increases.
I once tore a ligament in my shoulder and had surgery, which affected my winter training as well. The cost of one injury is even greater than in winter.

Furuse: If you fall, you'll at least bleed, right? Even so, I don't feel like I'm doing off-season training for winter at all. Well, in the end, I think it's the best off-season training I could ask for...

Minamiura: I don't really think of riding my MTB as off-season training for snowboarding. It's so much fun that it's become a part of my life. When there's snow on the mountains, I snowboard, and when there's no snow, I ride my MTB. That's all there is to it.

Furuse: It's the difference between sliding down a mountain and running down it. If you think of it as training, it just doesn't feel right.

I think life is more interesting if you try to find ways to make yourself feel like winter is here, to feel comfortable in the situation you're in

Minamiura: I'm busy all year round, with fun, haha. Especially in spring, because I can do both.
As I was taken to well-maintained trails, just like with snowboarding, the desire to see new places grew and grew, so just like in backcountry, I would scout out the foothills, carry my bike up the mountain and ride. Seeing places without paths and collapsed terrain, and imagining the lines I would ride is no different from backcountry snowboarding.

Furuse: I'm still mostly being taken on those unpaved trails, and I haven't been able to explore them on my own. Riding at Iwatake or Fujimi is like skiing down a ski resort in winter. On the other hand, riding on unpaved trails is backcountry. I was told that when I first started riding MTB, but I've only recently come to understand that.

The two riders rode at Hakuba Iwatake MTB Park

Hakuba Iwatake MTB Park has a course where you can ride your mountain bike from the summit to the base of the mountain on a gondola. Its greatest attraction is the 3,672m downhill course, which boasts an elevation difference of 521m from the summit at an altitude of about 1,300m. With a variety of locations, including an open course where you can enjoy the summer Hakuba mountains and a forest course that runs through the trees, it can be enjoyed by people of all levels, from professionals to beginners. We asked Furuse and Minamiura about the appeal of Iwatake

Furuse: "What's interesting about Iwatake is that it has flowing trails. There are berms (smoothly sloped sections that make cornering easier) and banks everywhere, so if you're into skiing or snowboarding, you'll be able to easily imagine pumping your legs through the corners.
The berms are so well-maintained that you might even think you could skateboard on them. The fun of pumping your legs through them is something unique to Iwatake. I think it's very accessible even for first-timers."

Minamiura: "For skilled skaters, it's a great place to practice techniques and improve your skills by memorizing movements. The course is long and well-designed. I think you can do a lot of different things depending on your ideas. And above all, it's in a great location in Hakuba."

They also offer rental MTB plans that allow you to experience downhill riding, and on weekends, many people come from all over the country.
Why not enjoy the course, known as the "holy land of MTB," during the snow-free season? Riding through the snow-free ski resort courses is a more exhilarating experience than you might imagine.

■Hakuba Iwatake MTB PARK

Photo =Go Ito
Cooperation =Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort