The man who created the Kagura BC (backcountry) environment｜Minoru Nakazawa ｜up close to THE MAN

Composition: Tomoyo Nakagawa (editorial department) Photos: Minoru Nakazawa, Takahito Mizutani, Daigo Onozuka, Hiroshi Owada

Prologue

The backcountry environment has changed a lot in the last ten years.
It is not uncommon for skiers to wear safety gear such as helmets and beacons and enthusiastically go to the backcountry.
Among such movements, Kagura in the Yuzawa area of ​​Niigata Prefecture has been attracting a lot of attention in recent years.

At Kagura, when January is the peak season, the No. 5 Romance Lift opens at the top of the ski area, and a different world spreads beyond the top of the slopes.

Commonly known as "Goroma" by regular users, the gate installed at the end of the lift leads to a vast snow field of the Kaguramine mountain range that continues to Mt. Naeba. If fresh snow falls, of course it turns into the finest powder land. If you join a guided tour, even beginners of powder can enjoy the vast backcountry world, so many powder freaks come here frequently.

Kagura used to be a ski resort with a strong image of first skiing and spring skiing. Mr. Minoru Nakazawa, the former manager of Kagura, has made a big shift in the environment, saying, "The powder in the top season is interesting."

From 2005 until his retirement in 2016, Mr. Nakazawa was engaged in ski resort management as the manager of Kagura Ski Resort (Prince Hotel Co., Ltd.).

Even after he retired, he remained at the ski resort as a sales manager with special treatment and worked to further develop the backcountry environment, but in June 2020 he retired completely from the company. Over the 15 years that he has been in charge of the company, Mr. Nakazawa has carried out countless innovative initiatives.

I wanted to know more about them, so I asked Mr. Nakazawa about the evolution of Kagura Backcountry so far. There was the trajectory of "the man who created Kagura".
(Recorded interview in August 2020)

At a time when the ski boom had passed and core skiers became the main customers,
we thought about what we could do with Kagura.

The trigger

Kagura has become a very popular field that attracts everyone from backcountry beginners to experts. In the first place, what was the background behind Kagura becoming a place where free skiers gather so much that it can be said to be a mecca for backcountry skiers and powder skiers?

“Before the powder season came around, the local Mitsumata Tourism Association was doing tour skiing in this area. I thought Kagura was a nice mountain, looking at the north slope and thinking, "It would be great if I skied here."

Since that time, Kagura is fine in spring because the snow and weather are stable, but I wondered if I could manage to get a good shape in winter. It's been about two years since I became Kagura's manager in 2005."

Beginning of gimmick

“One of the things that pushed me forward was when I met Hideo Yoshizawa, who runs a shop called BLACKDIAMOND.

that time, Mr. Yoshizawa had experienced a lot of powder tours in the Canadian backcountry.One day, he brought a foreigner who wanted to do a powder tour with Kagura.Four people. I still remember well that we went to the northern slopes together,

and when I heard that there would definitely be a powder boom in Japan, and that various goods were being sold overseas, I thought, 'Oh, that might be good too.'"

Mr. Nakazawa was thinking about incorporating fat skis into his rental ski resort. He asked Mr. Yoshizawa, "I would like you to open a shop with the concept of renting fat skis and letting them know the fun of powder skiing." Their ideas were the same, and the story came together, and in 2006, Mr. Yoshizawa opened the "Kagura Powder Station."

From that season onwards, Mr. Nakazawa, along with freestyle skier Hideo Yoshizawa and others, skied on Kagura's forested slopes, commonly known as the "northern slopes," and the vast open slopes called "reflectors," showing the deep appeal of the Kagura backcountry. to be rediscovered.

There are actually 3 reasons

“Actually, there are three reasons why I consciously set out to go backcountry. I'm the type who skates hard, so it's part of my hobby (laughs).

The third is the locality of Kagura.

Kagura usually has bad weather until the end of February. It snows a lot, but there were overwhelmingly few customers during the peak season. If anything, it was the beginning of the season in December and the spring ski resort after March, so I thought a lot about how to attract customers in January and February. As a result, it's a good season with a lot of powder piled up, so I wondered if it would be okay to let the upper powder slide while we were open. It's like an idea, but that's how it all started."

Goloma

When talking about Kagura's backcountry, the word "Goroma" always comes up. Goroma is the 5th Romance Lift that accesses the top of the slopes at an altitude of 1,845m to the summit of Kaguragamine at an altitude of 2,020m.

"Goroma has been open since April 1st, 2006. There were tour skis, etc. So, from 2007, the operation started at the beginning of March, and the next year it started a little earlier. We are gradually opening up.

Actually, Goroma was built in 1988, but due to heavy snow and avalanches, the lift operation was stopped after about two years.

Back then, there weren't many people skiing powder. It started running again in 2006, and fat skiing has also appeared, and since around 2011, people who like powder have started going to the top of the mountain.”

In 2006, when Goroma reopened, it opened in late March, avoiding the peak season. After a few years, the opening of the business was gradually brought forward, from late February to early February to the beginning of January. was at the discretion of

around the gate

Since 2015, when Goroma started moving on New Year's Day, gates have been installed at the entrance to the backcountry, and staff have been assigned.

“The gate itself was installed for the first time in 2012. I guided customers on the website, but the police gave me instructions.

a result, the gates were closed and the ropes were used again the following year.Though visitors kept coming in. At that time, everyone was walking through the ropes on their own accord. It was the current situation.”

Perhaps in light of this situation, since 2013 it has become mandatory to submit a climbing notification when entering the backcountry, and to contact the office when returning from the mountain.

“Even so, there were many backcountry accidents in 2014, including fatal accidents. That is why the media began to become aware of the dangers and accidents of backcountry skiing. It was

a time when we were facing headwinds, but the deputy chief of the Minamiuonuma Police Station at that time was very supportive. After many discussions with the people involved, we came up with various ideas, and the current system of building gates again and having people check in and out came in. It took about two years, but that was in January 2015. did".

Evolution never stops

Starting with the installation of gates and staff in 2015, it was after Mr. Nakazawa became sales manager from the position of manager that the backcountry approach began to accelerate.

The following year, with the cooperation of K2 Japan, BCA beacon checkers were installed at the gates, a BCA beacon training area was set up on the slopes, and workshops were held to teach how to use the beacons.

In addition, we have continued to promote safety awareness initiatives such as patrolling the backcountry area, installing signboards to encourage risk avoidance, installing distress prevention poles and guide ribbons along the Kaguramine ridgeline, and starting to rent distress response GPS devices TREK TRAK. Kagura's backcountry has steadily expanded and evolved under Mr. Nakazawa's hand.

"Thanks to K2's use of Kagura for test rides and events, I was able to get acquainted with Yuichiro Miura, Niseko's Akio Shintani (*1), and various other experts, and give them advice.

first, we started without a gate or anything, and tried to keep people from going outside with ropes, but everyone was going through the ropes, so we had to do something about it . It was the current situation at the time that the customers were fooling around and entering BC at their own risk.

you should keep doing it

Even so, the fact that Prince Hotels, a well-known company, is directly connected to Japan's top ski resort, Mt. Naeba, and actively develops backcountry ski slopes Now that I think about it, I might have been warned, "Don't do that," but was there any opposition from management at the time?

“Strangely enough, I was never told anything (laughs). Well, after setting up a gate and being able to manage safety.

Naeba has a lot of mid-slopes where you can get caught in an avalanche when you leave the course, so it's tough, but Kagura is relatively less dangerous than Naeba, so maybe you thought it was okay to ski? That may have happened, but either way, the patrol will not be in time after all. If one person enters, everyone will enter, so I can't pay attention anymore.

If that's the case, just leave it alone and be careful when customers enter because it's your own responsibility.

If there was a request for help, I should leave at that time. Because mobile phones work too. I wish I could get a solid rescue cost from the person who requested it. Outside the course is outside the ski resort management. No matter how careful you are, people who like it will still go, and if you complain too much, there will be a lot of people who will react and escalate, so you should let them skate at their own risk.

In other words, our stance is to tell customers, "You can go, but let's follow the rules to ensure safety." It feels like it led me in the direction of "protect yourself by yourself". It's just our way of doing it, but we made it a situation where we have to submit a proper mountaineering plan and have them enjoy skating on their own responsibility."

as a matter of fact

“Even now, there have been more than a few accidents, but the police and the fire department haven’t said anything about it, and they have been supporting us

. Rescue helicopters will soon fly in. The police say that accidents are nothing but accidents, but accidents do happen in the mountains, whether it's winter or summer.We should communicate with each other to avoid accidents. As long as you do everything you can to reduce the

Like Niseko, I think it's good to have rules that emphasize safety in that way.

The best thing to do is to be very careful about where you should not go. In Kagura, the risk of avalanches is not as high as in Niseko, but unlike Niseko, the mountains are so big that you can get lost.

More than 90% of accidents are lost. Right now, we are doing various things such as setting up poles, but we have to strengthen that area a little more. However, I don't think it's a good idea to be overprotective, but I think it's better to clearly indicate that you shouldn't go there, and then have them enjoy themselves with a strong sense of safety. I think so. It's the same as mountain climbing in summer, so I think it's good to choose a mountain that suits your skill level and have them ski.

After that, follow the guide to participate in the tour and have them slide safely. I think that's the basics of backcountry. Kagura does not require a permit for guiding, so we have many backcountry guides. Basically, anyone is welcome to come, so I hope everyone can enjoy Kagura's wonderful backcountry skiing safely and freely."

Kagura BC environment is activated

In 2005, even if the weather was fine, there were only one or two people skiing in the mountains. Now, under favorable conditions, more than 100 people are skating outside the gate. I wonder how Mr. Nakazawa, who created this kind of Kagura, sees the current situation.

“When I look back, I realize that you can’t get results unless you actually try. The number of people has increased since the beginning of the New Year.In particular, the number of visitors has increased steadily from the beginning of the new year to February.After the

gates were installed, we checked all the mountain climbing plans and counted the number of people entering the mountain, but in recent years, The total number of visitors to the mountain during the season is around 6000 to 7000. When the number exceeded 7000, we imposed a regulation asking them to turn on the beacon, and since then the number has settled down to around 6000.

But I think it would be nice if more people played in the mountains. People who are serious about mountain skiing climb directly up the mountain, not in the backcountry where you enter from the ski resort like Kagura. I think that's the style for advanced skiers, so if you want to enjoy skiing on the slopes and also enjoy the powder, please come to Kagura and go all the way to the top.

When the weather is nice, especially from the end of February to the end of March, the snow-capped Mt. It's completely different. Of course, skating is good, but it's also nice to have fun skating in the majestic nature of the mountains while looking at the various scenery, and when you get home, you'll have a lively conversation with a smile on your face, saying, "Today was fun." I think so."

work done

The other day, Mr. Nakazawa received a letter of appreciation from the Niigata Prefectural Police for his contributions to disaster prevention measures in recognition of his contribution to Kagura's backcountry safety education and rescue activities.

"I don't deserve to receive such a thing. I love backcountry, so I've spread it to this point. If I didn't spread the word, the number of people climbing mountains wouldn't have increased, and the accident might not have happened." No. The more people there are, the more accidents.It's strange that a person who promotes backcountry activities is awarded for his rescue activities in accidents."

Mr. Nakazawa smiles wryly, but in fact, in the 15 years from 2005 to 2020, he has implemented a variety of innovative initiatives and has made Kagura's backcountry more exciting.

In addition to the above-mentioned initiatives, we installed fat ski racks on the gondola and renovated Wada Hut, which had few guests during the winter. With measures such as providing fast-track service to guests, Wadagoya has now transformed into a ``very popular powder lodge where it is difficult to get reservations on weekends''. It also actively attracted backcountry guide clubs and created employment in the guide industry.

Appeared in pamphlets and posters of Kagura Ski Resort as a slipper model, showing off her photogenic powder riding. Her appearance has become a strong message and has influenced the industry and general skiers. He has expanded Kagura's snow business with his various skills.

“There may be people who see it that way, but half of it was just me playing (laughs).

that , I took on various projects such as building a new rest house, replacing a lift, building a summer slope using Pislab mats, and refurbishing parking lots and changing rooms.

In that respect, I had the opportunity to freely talk about my thoughts and feelings, such as skiing with the top management of Seibu Holdings and interacting with them outside of work. I think I was very blessed with various realizations.

Rather than the backcountry, I think that kind of initiative could have contributed to the ski resort as a whole.”

landscape of the future

Mr. Nakazawa, who has realized various innovative things in the current of the times where it is difficult to do new things, what kind of landscape will he see after the 15 years of intense and intense work?

"I would be troubled if you said, 'When Mr. Nakazawa retires, there won't be any skating models.' I wondered if it would be okay, but not to whom.

Yes, I think it would be nice to have them wear a helmet. There are still people out in the backcountry without helmets.

Are you ahead? It works properly (laughs). Yes, Mt. Myoko is nice. The altitude is also high, and I think it will be interesting if you do it properly. Now, the backcountry movement is becoming popular, and I'm interested."

The number of Kagura powder and backcountry enthusiasts should continue to increase in the future. I hope that the reforms so far will continue to evolve, and that a safe environment will be maintained.

And this is not the end for Mr. Nakazawa.

Finally, I'll tell you secretly, the best place

Finally, we asked Mr. Nakazawa, who knows Kagura's backcountry more than anyone else, about the place where he felt most comfortable.

“If the conditions are right, everything is fine. The north slope is good, and you can ski long distances in the triangle direction. There are slopes and a tree run, so advanced users can enjoy it.

If you're an intermediate skier, I think it's fun to ski long and comfortably on the wide slope of the reflector and escape to the top of Tashiro's 8th Romance without going along the stream.

There are a lot of fun things, but what I think is actually the best...

There are many fun things to do. You have to hike for about an hour, and there are some really nice slopes that you have to climb back up. It's a spot known to those in the know, but it's a secret. As long as the weather is nice, it's fun! ”.

*1 ) Climber living in Niseko, Hokkaido. Avalanche Prevention Council Niseko Avalanche Survey Director

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[Trajectory of Mr. Nakazawa's approach to BC]　

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