What's the best thing to eat in the mountains? Niseko's energy bar "POWBAR" is born from a passion for food

The strong passion of players who love playing in nature creates new products and value.
Here we introduce POWBAR, a different kind of energy bar made in Niseko, Hokkaido. What was the background behind its creation?

The idea: I want to enjoy being in the mountains 100%

"POW BAR."

If you're a STEEP reader, this name will surely bring to mind images of powder snow and snowy mountains. And you're right!
The energy bar "POW BAR" was born in Niseko, Hokkaido, the holy land of powder snow. At the foot of the majestic Mt. Yotei, each bar is made with loving care and attention using ingredients that make the most of the bounty of nature.

The founder and developer of "POW BAR" is Scott Ai.
Scott is originally from Shari, Hokkaido. After working for an outdoor equipment manufacturer for six years, he moved to Niseko and launched the food brand "BIOLIFE LAB."
While working in catering, pop-up shops for vegan baked goods, and events, he researched and developed energy bars, and in 2019 launched the energy bar brand "POW BAR."

To begin with, the problem for me was that I tended to get a stomach ache as soon as I ate anything in the mountains.
It was sad to come to the mountains to enjoy nature and then have a stomach ache. Also, even the energy bars that were supposed to be on-the-go food were never satisfying; some froze in the cold, some were impossible to swallow without water, were too sweet, or required a lot of chewing.

When you're exhausted from expending energy on a snowy mountain and your whole body is fatigued, chewing and digesting food can actually put a surprising amount of strain on your body and make you tired.
I also experience gas buildup and an unpleasant smell, like some kind of chemical fragrance, rising from my stomach while hiking or skiing, and I wondered if this was due to the food I ate. I began to
wonder if my performance would change if I changed what I put in my mouth while I was in the mountains.

There's a limit to how light you can make your gear, and women don't have as much physical strength as men. No matter how much muscle and stamina you build, if what you eat in the mountains is what negatively impacts it, it's all for naught, I thought.
So, I decided to start by getting my body in shape with food. With that in mind, I experimented and went through a process of trial and error, wondering what I should eat in the mountains."

Scott says. The process that led to the creation of POWBAR was actually a small encounter and a big inspiration.
At the time, famous photographer RIP ZINGER came to the ski shop where she was working.
"He gave me some energy paste as a souvenir. When I tried it for the first time, I had an idea: 'This is it! This is what I want to do!'"

Uncompromising Commitment

Scott had a clear idea of ​​what he wanted to do, but he had a strong opinion that he would not compromise on

"What should you eat in the mountains that puts the least strain on your body, can be digested, and will convert it into energy?
Existing energy bars contain a lot of sugar. Using sugar is cheap to make, and it provides a quick, temporary supply of energy. However, when you digest sugar, your blood sugar level rises sharply, and when that level drops, it can cause a lack of concentration and a decline in your ability to think.
This can lead to even the slightest error in judgment on a snowy mountain.

To what extent can food prevent this risk, which also affects safety? Considering the sudden rise and fall of blood sugar levels, I wanted to avoid sugar after all.
Sugar is digested using vitamins, so being in the mountains for a long time can easily lead to stomach upset. I really wanted to solve these problems, so I continued to think about it and went through trial and error for many years.

Another major advantage of POW BAR is that it does not freeze even in sub-zero temperatures, such as in snowy mountains, backcountry skiing, mountain climbing, and ice climbing during the harsh winter. And it's delicious!
Its handy size means you can take it out of your clothing or backpack pocket and enjoy it anytime, anywhere, without it freezing.

POWBAR contents and flavor

The base ingredients are sugar-free, don't freeze, and are delicious. How do you achieve natural sweetness without using sugar?　

So I chose the dried fruit, dates. In the East, it is said that if you eat one date, you can walk through the desert all night. They are so nutritious, and they are especially sweet. Their sticky texture and sweetness are very similar to yokan

POW BAR is made primarily from dates, as well as a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and grains. All of the natural ingredients are carefully selected by Scott

There are currently four flavors available, each unique and packed with flavor. The best way to know how delicious it is is to sample it, but "POW BAR" has been well-received as being "delicious."
According to Scott, the company also supports snow mountain specialists, sports athletes, and artists active in the outdoor field, and skiers such as Katsuno Tenran and Onozuka Ayana, as well as snowboarder Yamauchi Kazushi, all of whom find it useful and use it regularly.

In the backcountry, food is a necessity to save your life. And if what you eat can make a difference in your split-second judgment, your actions, and your climbing and skiing performance, it would be strange not to consider it important

Circulating thoughts and actions

One factor that may have contributed to this is the packaging, which is designed with Mount Yotei in Hokkaido as its motif. The stylish and natural design sets it apart from other energy bars in the market, and its functionality and design have been highly praised. It is now sold not only in outdoor and sports specialty stores, but also in food stores such as the famous Dean & Deluca

Scott recalls,

"When I saw the energy paste that RIP ZINGER gave me, I was surprised that such a product existed in the world. But I also thought that there must be many people out there who, like me at the time, have trouble enjoying themselves in nature, and if I could help those people with the energy bar recipe I came up with, then maybe this could be the work I'm dedicating my life to."

When you think about how your body is made up of the food you eat, what do you choose to put into your mouth?

"With so many food options available, I hope that what we eat can serve as an opportunity to think about a beautiful future for people and the planet. And that together we can change the world into a better place. That's what I think."

To that end, POW BAR values ​​five values ​​as a packaged food

Among these initiatives, number four, "sustainability," is particularly unique.
Like other energy bars, the POW BAR is packaged in plastic. They are constantly searching for more environmentally friendly packaging materials, but for various reasons have not yet found a satisfactory alternative.
As a result, they have joined the "rePurpose Global" initiative, donating a portion of their sales to the organization, as a way of doing what they can for the environment.

rePurpose Global is a platform that promotes "plastic negativity," a global initiative that seeks to recover and reduce more plastic than it uses and emits.
The mechanism is a bit complicated, so if you're interested, you can check it out here, but to put it simply, by participating in this initiative, POW BAR is recovering and recycling 11.25 times the amount of plastic (about the equivalent of one PET bottle) from nature as is used to produce one energy bar.

POW BAR has its own factory in Niseko. By having its own factory, they are not only particular about the ingredients they use, but also consider the amount of food waste and plastic used in the manufacturing process, and adjust production volume while monitoring market demand on a daily basis, making any necessary improvements.
This is something they can only do because they have their own factory. They are always conscious of their impact on the environment and do their utmost to be considerate.

In this way, each POW BAR is packed with delicious energy and passion, as well as a commitment to the natural environment

Let's ask those who have brought just the right amount of food to snowy mountains without giving it much thought, those who have thought it would be fine to just bring what they like, and those who have not thought it was something that required great taste: What will you eat on a snowy mountain from now on?

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The POW BAR & co.
Official website: https://thepowbar.com/
Official SNS: Instagram