Location: Maiko Snow Resort
A series introducing ski resorts that are members of the Sustainable Resort Alliance (SRA) initiated by POW and are actively working on climate change and sustainability initiatives. This time we will be focusing on Smile Resort, which operates five ski resorts in Niigata Prefecture. What are the perspectives and actions unique to the location of Niigata Prefecture?
Smile Resort has approximately 70 hotels nationwide and five ski resorts in Niigata Prefecture: Maiko Snow Resort, Yuzawa Nakazato, Muika Snow Resort, Cupid Valley, and Ninox Snow Park. As the name suggests, these ski resorts are characterized by guest-friendly operations that bring smiles to everyone, from children to adults.
And if you're a STEEP reader, you probably know that Maiko, Yuzawa Nakazato, and Muika are famous freeride spots where you can enjoy powder rides and tree runs. Needless to say, it has excellent access from within Tokyo, whether by car or Shinkansen.
What was the background behind Smile Resort's decision to join POW's Sustainable Resort Alliance (SRA)? We spoke with Tatsuya Yagi, executive officer of Smile Resort Co., Ltd., and Toshito Suzuki of Maiko Resort about the group's philosophy and sustainable initiatives.
On-site crisis awareness
What is the current sense of crisis regarding climate change?
“Originally, the ski resorts in Niigata were open for 110 days 10 years ago, but our goal this year is to be open for 100 days.In Niigata Prefecture, even though the temperature is low, the humidity is low. Because it's expensive, we can't use artificial snow machines.Artificial snow machines can only operate in areas with dry air.Our mission is to operate for 100 days and make a profit, but with natural snow alone, we can't really use snow machines for 100 days. There are concerns about whether we will be able to open for business, and whether it will be 90 days in the near future, or even 70 days.There is a real sense of crisis in the field that the season is getting shorter. ” said Yagi.
In fact, Mr. Yagi has the face of a top athlete who is active in kayak competitions. What kind of reality is there in a field of water that is different from a snowy mountain?
``As I kayak, I realize that the water has become more extreme these days, because we enjoy going down currents where the waves are higher than our heads, so when a typhoon approaches, I used to enjoy going to the Yoshino River in Shikoku in search of rapids, but recently the typhoons have gotten so big that the water in the river has increased to the point where it's scary to go down.Even if you go in a canoe, the spray you get is like, ``Wow!'' cold! ``It was supposed to be, but now it's ``Hot! ``Oh my God (lol). We were supposed to be doing water sports to cool down, but now the water is no longer cold, which is strange.''
After all, climate change is disrupting nature in a variety of ways, causing trouble for people who enjoy nature. Now that we are witnessing this reality, what kind of efforts is Smile Resort taking?
I haven't bought it, but I'm positive about making it.
"At Smile Resort, we do not use renewable energy.Currently, renewable green power is more expensive to purchase than regular electricity, so in order to maintain profits as a company, we choose cheaper sources. It has become a reasonable choice to do so.I wish renewable energy would be easier to use with government subsidies.
However, although we don't buy them, we are thinking positively about making them. Although it is small, Smile Solar, a group company of Smile Resort, has 11 solar power plants.
The amount of power generated is approximately 17 million kmh per year (equivalent to 350 typical quad lifts/season operation) from 11 solar power plants nationwide. As for whether it is being used for ski resorts, it is no longer being used. In order to power all of the 70 hotels and five ski resorts owned by the group with the amount of power we generate, we would have to generate twice as much power as we currently do. However, we are developing our solar business with the aim of being able to cover these costs someday."
Mr. Yagi also taught me the following. This is Yukimuro. Yukimuro is a natural refrigerator that has been passed down in areas with heavy snowfall since ancient times. It is a heat storage facility that has been used since ancient times in various parts of the world.
"We're working with Minamiuonuma City on an experiment to see if snow can be effectively used for air conditioning in the summer. We're piling up snow right below Maiko Resort and covering it with sawdust to preserve it. However, it feels like an outdoor snow room.Cupid Valley has one of the largest snow rooms in Honshu, about the size of a gymnasium, and they put 1,500 tons of high-season snow that accumulates in the parking lot into it. , we use snow to cool glamping and dining spaces in the summer."
Cupid Valley also offers an activity called ``Yukimuro Midsummer Extremely Cold Experience'' in the summer. Inside the snow room, the temperature is 0℃ even in midsummer! The children have a lot of fun digging in the snow and swinging in hammocks in the snow.
How environmentally friendly it is to be able to cool your home without using electricity. The natural effect of using snow is a heart-warming story for users who enjoy playing in the snowy mountains, and it makes them want to support Smile Resort.
Smile does not use fuel in the summer
Smile Resort Group operates camping, glamping, forest adventure, etc. during the ski resort's green season. In fact, Mr. Yagi was the one who set this up.
``When I started the camping business 10 years ago, there was still snow during the May holidays, so I was wondering if I could open a campsite during Golden Week, but now there is no need for that.There is not much snow. Since then, we have been able to operate smoothly in the summer.We no longer expect there to be snow in the Golden Week season.It feels a little lonely, but we will continue to do business in the midst of this. When the ski season goes from 100 days to 90 days, green days go from 200 days to 210 days.Let's use that to our advantage.
As with the use of air conditioning in the snow room, we consider sustainability initiatives not only during the winter, but throughout the year. During Smile's summer months, we want to offer things that can be enjoyed using the power of nature without using fuel, such as camping sites attached to ski resorts and forest adventures. It's not about go-karts or swimming pools.''
The experience of playing in nature makes it easier to feel the benefits of nature. Also, it is easier for everyone to visit ski resorts during the green season than during the winter. It is also important to consider the troubling trend of decreasing snowfall from the opposite perspective. By making good use of the green season, there will definitely be more opportunities to communicate the importance of nature and sustainability.
It is also important to make efforts to reduce energy consumption and prevent CO₂ emissions.
``I think it's important not only to make big efforts to buy and produce energy, but also to make immediate efforts to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions on an individual level. We put a sticker on the door asking, ``Please close the door as the building is heated.'' This alone makes a big difference.It not only saves energy, but also makes guests more aware.
I love renovations, and I'm constantly renovating hotels and glamping facilities, and I'm taking the initiative in doing things like using individual air conditioning as much as possible to save on electricity, and using exposed wood in hotel rooms. Wood is ultimately better than plastic, and it's warmer and feels better, right? ”
Mr. Yagi is well known for his love of DIY, and at the Muika Onsen Hotel, the number of warm rooms that utilize natural materials handmade by Mr. Yagi is steadily increasing (lol). This makes you want to stay overnight. Mr. Yagi, please tell us which room you are in! Yagi also seems to be making DIY buffet boards for summer glamping facilities and restaurants.
Approaching ski resort users
What does Smile Resort Group's ski resorts do to directly engage guests?
mountain clean
``Actually, we are still in the early stages of developing our message to guests during the winter season. However, after the season ends, we invite the general public to do a mountain clean (picking up trash) in Maiko.'' Mr. Suzuki, who is on site at Maiko Resort, told me.
Discarded plastic bottles, empty cans, cigarette butts, and trash are scattered all over the grassy ski slopes. Even if the snow melts, the trash will still remain. In order to protect the surrounding natural environment and maintain comfortable ski slopes, various efforts are necessary in seasons other than winter.
I would also like to mention that this Mountain Clean has been so popular that it filled up in about 5 to 6 hours after we started accepting participants for the past two times. This shows the love Maiko users have for Maiko and their high level of environmental awareness. Well, maybe that's not all. Is it because it comes with delicious food and participation benefits? (Laughs) Even so, it has to be ``Hanamaru'' as ``an initiative that I can do.''
"YUKIGOI OUTDOOR MARKET"
Furthermore...
``In the fall, we also hold a camping event in Maiko called the ``Yukikou Outdoor Market.'' It started in 2020, and is a unique event where users gather together to pray for lots of snow this year while enjoying camping and shopping. Last year, in collaboration with Bookoff, we had a used gear purchase booth and encouraged people to reuse it.
I think it's a very effective way to participate in events and raise awareness of sustainability while having fun. I hope that it will grow into a major event that allows people to think about environmental issues more closely in the future. Please come and visit us!
Additionally, Smile Resort Group ski resorts are running a campaign called the ``Snow Serious Generation Support Project,'' offering discounts on lift tickets for those aged 18 to 22. This is an initiative aimed at expanding the user base that will play a role in the future, and I think that in the future we can encourage sustainability by including events that are particularly appealing to young people."
In fact, CAST Co., Ltd., which operates STEEP and the ``Yukikou Outdoor Market,'' is also deeply involved as an executive committee member. STEEP also introduces it well every year, and many STEEP users come every year (I'm sure). While experiencing the beautiful autumn nature of Maiko, you can also contribute to the environment through sustainable actions and make friends who love snowy mountains. You can also meet Yagi-san and Suzuki-san! Why not come and see us at the next event?
Value and expectations of SRA
Regarding Smile Resort Group's membership in the Sustainable Alliance (SRA), Mr. Suzuki said...
“Actually, I was surprised to see that Maiko came in 10th place in POW’s survey of ``Ski resorts that I would like to see become greener.'' , I'm very grateful.The fact that we do mountain cleaning may have been appreciated by users, but we don't just pick up trash, we still litter a lot, so we need to reconsider our etiquette at ski resorts. I also want to create opportunities to receive them.
There is a lot to learn from looking at the efforts of various ski resorts to address climate change. It gave us an opportunity to consider ways to separate garbage and prevent food loss, to consider whether we could use Maiko Farm to produce locally produced food for local consumption at hotels, and we were able to come up with fresh ideas, such as replacing tableware with natural materials. It was a valuable learning opportunity for us to see how everyone at the Alliance is actively working on the environment during the Green Season, and to gain knowledge and ideas that we can do many things that connect the Green Season to winter. It has become.
In the future, I would like to thoroughly communicate POW's ideas and current status reports on climate issues to the staff. I believe that efforts to address climate change on the ground begin from there. I'm really looking forward to the training sessions after the season ends."
“Neige” is a ski school for people with disabilities unique to Smile Resort.
When looking at Smile Resort from a sustainable perspective, there is a major content that cannot be talked about without it. Neige is a ski school for people with disabilities run by Smile Resort. It is an NPO that supports everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, to enjoy skiing to the fullest through ideas and ingenuity. Based in Yuzawa Nakazato, they run programs that allow people with disabilities to experience skiing.
You can take the program on-site at either Maiko or Muika. Cupid takes the essence of Neige and conducts it within the framework of inclusive outdoor activities.
With the message "You can do it! Snow can be enjoyed by anyone - all it takes is a little courage," people in wheelchairs, children with visual impairments, developmental disabilities, and Down syndrome, and others enjoyed snow and skiing with big smiles on their faces. I'm here.
Mr. Yagi's feelings towards Neige are special.
``When we purchased Yuzawa Nakazato as Smile Resort, there was an NPO called Neige that was struggling to operate at the time.The CEO of Smile Resort had been thinking about doing something for people with disabilities since he was young. My previous job was working at a facility for people with disabilities for about 15 years, so I decided that I would definitely like to work with Neige.
The reason behind this is that everyone should be able to enjoy this wonderful ski experience equally, and I don't want everyone to be unable to do it just because they have a disability. With Neige, families have more options for fun time, and they can experience things they couldn't before and smile. This is where we believe and believe that our value lies.
Instead of saying, ``I can't go to ski lessons because I have a child with a disability...'', instead of saying, ``Let's go skiing because children with disabilities can have fun too!'' '. This initiative has spread beyond Joetsu City, with an increasing number of elementary and junior high schools coming to Smile Resort Group's ski resorts. Of course, families with children with disabilities also enjoy coming and become repeat visitors.
In the end, business sales are also increasing. Not only that. By supporting guests with disabilities, staff members' empathy, observation, and imagination are strengthened, improving their hospitality skills. There are also benefits like this. Neige's efforts began before the SDGs came out. Now, before we knew it, we were putting the SDGs into practice. It seems like the SDGs came later (lol),” said Mr. Yagi with a big smile.
This is a wonderful sustainability initiative in which one of the 17 goals of the SDGs, ``10_ Eliminate inequality among people and countries,'' has been realized at a ski resort. When it comes to sustainability goals for ski resorts, we tend to focus on large-scale, glamorous initiatives such as renewable energy and in-house power generation. However, holding the hands of the children in front of you on the snow and making their families smile and happy must be an action of great value that cannot be compared.
the person who taught me
PROFILE
, Executive Officer of Smile Resort
Tatsuya Yagi serves as an executive officer of the group's ski resort management companies, including Smile Resort Co., Ltd. He is also a director of the NPO Neige.
“I don't have a fixed desk and always try to sharpen my senses outdoors.In the winter, I aim to ski for 100 days.When the snow melts, I switch from skiing to kayaking and enjoy nature. I am fully enjoying the blessings I have.”
Additionally, she is a medalist at the Canoe Freestyle World Championships.
PROFILE
Hospitality Operations
Shunto Suzuki
It's been 6 years since I came to Niigata Prefecture. During her university years, she was fascinated by winter sports in Hyogo Prefecture and decided to work at a ski resort. After that, she got a job in Hospitality Operations and is currently on loan to Maiko Snow Resort. ``Currently, I'm involved in ski resort sales throughout the year in various departments, and I'm happy to be able to help maintain an environment where I can continue to enjoy my favorite winter sports.''
Information Smile Resort
◆Official website: https://www.smile-resort.com/
◆Official SNS: Instagram
Interview cooperation/ Smile Resort / POW JAPAN
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