Snow Caravan travels the archipelago in search of good snow | Backcountry Guide Naoki Kawada - BC Caravan -

While the great appeal of backcountry skiing in the great outdoors lies in the many dangers lurking in the snowy mountains, backcountry guides are experts who ensure safety on snowy mountains while providing an indescribable skiing experience based on their extensive knowledge and experience. This article takes a closer look at the personalities and
guiding of up-and-coming guides who have chosen professional guiding as their profession and are slowly and steadily delving deeper into this world, one step at a time.

Dark history that you don't want to know

"My teens and twenties are a dark time for me, so I don't really want the world to know about them (laughs)."

Shortly after the interview began, Kawada began by saying, "Even if his past is a dark history that goes against his ideals (although the author doesn't think it is a dark history), he has obtained the JMGA Ski Guide Level II certification, said to be the most difficult qualification for a backcountry guide in Japan, and makes a living as an outdoor guide all year round. The effort and hardship behind this is immeasurable. I'm sure there are customers and readers who can empathize with him." With this sentiment conveyed, I continued the interview

Kawada was born in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture in 1978. While the BC Guide introduction series typically has him start skiing at a young age, Kawada spent his childhood completely unrelated to snow

"I suffered from childhood asthma and was physically weak, so I wasn't good at exercise. I was forced to go to swimming lessons to try to make myself a little stronger, but I hated it. During my school days, I had nothing to be proud of, nothing to devote myself to, and I just lived each day aimlessly."

After failing his university entrance exams and taking a year off, he became troubled by his life and became withdrawn. A high school friend, unable to bear seeing him like that, told him, "You can't keep doing that!" and took him out. That place was a ski resort in the prefecture

"The ice was so rough I kept falling down the slope and my whole body was covered in bruises. I thought I'd never come back here again. But I had nothing to do at home, so I went skiing two or three times when my brother and friends invited me. Eventually, I got the hang of it and it gradually became more fun. I'm so grateful to my family and friends."

The roller coaster-like snow bum days of youth

He learned about resort work in a part-time job information magazine and ended up staying at a hotel run by a ski school at Echo Valley Ski Resort in Nagano Prefecture for a season

"I spent that winter at Echo Valley, and the following summer I went to New Zealand to ski with my part-time job money in hand. The next two winters I went to Sumikawa Snow Park and Eboshi Ski Resort in Zao, Miyagi, the following year to Ishiuchi Maruyama, and the year after that to Niseko. I continued living the snowbum life like that until I was about 26."

The magic of snowboarding takes him from a reclusive life to New Zealand. His delayed youth is like a roller coaster ride. However, he can't make a living by just snowboarding. He realizes that he needs to find a stable life, and begins working as a temporary worker for a major automobile manufacturer

"I was assigned to the Tahara Plant in Aichi Prefecture, which faces the sea. The nearby sea is called Irago and is a popular place for surfing, so I became hooked on surfing."

Kawada runs SUP tours exclusively during the summer with his company, BC Caravan, and has recently become obsessed with whitewater river SUP and river surfing

"Shower climbing and mountain climbing are both fun, but ultimately I like riding. I ride my board all year round, in different locations and seasons."

On an unstable board, he draws out his physical abilities and feels the snow and waves under his feet. At such times, he forgets time and is able to simply face himself with a clear mind. He was offered a position at a major automobile manufacturer, but something didn't feel right, so he left the company at the end of his contract. Then, with the Lehman Shock, there were large-scale layoffs, and he laughs, "I was lucky to escape the disaster."

Life has begun to turn

Around that time, I met up with a senior instructor who had been with me at Echo Valley during my first year as a snow bum, and that was when my life started to turn around

"I was invited to work for Power Zone, an outdoor guide company in Aichi Prefecture. In fact, I was working as a temporary worker and guiding shower climbing at Power Zone on weekends. At the time, I couldn't speak a word, couldn't create a good atmosphere, and didn't have the skills to work on site, so I was a complete failure, but I genuinely enjoyed being able to spend time with smiling customers."

With the encouragement of senior guides and the company president himself, he was hired as a full-time employee at Power Zone and was put in charge of mountain climbing and BC tours

"In the winter, I used to go to Takasu Snow Park in Gifu Prefecture almost every day to work as a backcountry guide. I went to the same mountain almost every day for six years. Now, as a reaction to that, I'm running a caravan as a touring tour (laughs)."

　It takes an hour to hike up from the top of the lift at Takasu Snow Park to reach the 1,709m peak of Dainichi-ga-take. Four ridges extend from the peak in all directions, allowing you to choose your preferred slope depending on the sun and wind conditions. The chances of clear skies are good, and it's a superb tree run through the lightly snow-covered beech forest inland. Because the terrain is complex, the guide's skills are put to the test when it comes to pleasant riding with as little hiking as possible

"It's no exaggeration to say that the foundation of my career as a BC guide was cultivated during my six years at Takasu. How to read the weather, how snow quality changes with wind and temperature, how to maintain a safety margin, and how to balance hiking and riding. Looking back now, I think I was blessed with a good environment, terrain, and snow quality. I was thrown straight into the snowy mountains without being trained by a mountain guide, so I was very scared at first. So I studied, explored, and absorbed everything in my own way."

I want to be a bridge that connects people with snow

With the support of his fellow guides and with his achievements in the field, he was able to obtain the JMGA Ski Guide Stage II, the most difficult qualification for backcountry skiing in Japan. Around that time, the president asked him if he would like to take over as manager. However, when he told the president that he wanted to work hard in the field, he was forced to quit because it did not conform to the company's guidelines

In December 2014, he became independent and founded "BC Caravan." If you look up "caravan" in a Japanese dictionary, it is defined as "a group of merchants who travel in a caravan, loading their camels with goods, through desert regions, etc. The name of the business embodies his desire to become a bridge that connects people with snow, just as he travels in search of good snow. Incidentally, Kawada's favorite car is not a Nissan Caravan, but a Toyota Hiace

At the end of December, he boards a ferry in a Hiace van with the bare necessities of life and heads to Hokkaido. During the harsh winter months until the end of February, he works as a guide in the Satoyama area around Asahikawa

"Until a few years ago, I used to sleep in my Hiace van, but now I rent a monthly apartment in Asahikawa city and use it as my base. The Asahikawa area has consistently low temperatures, even in the countryside, so there's plenty of snow and it's easy to avoid bad weather. There aren't many people, so you can ski on good snow without stress. Asahikawa is famous for Mount Asahi, but in the middle of winter the weather can be rough and it's susceptible to the wind, so unless the conditions are right you can't ski on good snow, so I only go on days when I know I'll regret it if I don't go today (laughs)

Most of the guides in Hokkaido are easygoing people, and we are fortunate to have horizontal connections, exchange information, explore together, and have an easy environment to work in."

There are probably some local guides who find travel guides annoying. Kawada is loved by local guides because he never forgets to respect the locals and is humble. Another reason is that Kawada himself is a member of the Japan Backcountry Ski Guide Association, and attends seminars and other events, interacting with guides from various regions

"We'll go anywhere with good snow, not just Asahikawa. We'll go to Nayoro in the north, or Niseko or Kiroro in the center. Our selling point is our agility. Customers who aren't used to our agility are often surprised."

What would guests think if a guide told them on the morning of the day, "We've changed our destination to that mountain after all!"? I think most people would expect the guide to think, "Great! We'll be able to ski on good snow!" To begin with, there are parking issues in Satoyama, and since guests are picked up from hotels or train stations and driven in a single vehicle, it is the driver and guide himself who has to go through the trouble of changing to a more distant location. What kind of snow does Kawada consider to be "good snow" that is worth going to such lengths to ski on?

"In a nutshell, it's snow that anyone can ski on without stress. Deeper isn't always better. If it's too deep, you can't pick up speed and make good turns, and if it's shallow, you'll hit the bottom. With just the right amount of snow, it's nice and cool and comfortable. But if it's too cold and dry, the snow crystals will get stuck in your soles and your skis won't slide. This is Caravan, in pursuit of the perfect balance of snow that everyone will love."

The tour continues

As the temperature rises in March, the caravans begin to head south, crossing the Tsugaru Strait and traveling through the mountains of northern Tohoku, including Mount Iwaki and Mount Moriyoshi, before arriving at the Hakuba area in the Northern Alps

"Hakuba in the spring is certainly attractive, with fewer foreign visitors and less high pressure. With access to high altitudes by ropeway, a wide range of mountain activities, and the ability to efficiently choose any route, it's a field like no other. I have nothing but respect for the guides who work in Hakuba. Perhaps because they work in a fairly risky mountain range with huge mountains, heavy snow, complex and steep terrain, they are highly sensitive to risk and adept at using the terrain. I learn a lot from watching them guide, and I'd like to emulate their attitude of sharing snow information."

In mid-April, when the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route starts moving, I head up to Tateyama. I don't go down to town until the end of May, and I become a resident of Raicho-so

"Until now, I've toured various mountain ranges, including Mt. Chokai and Mt. Gassan, during the remaining snow season, but I've finally settled on Mt. Tateyama. I retreat to Mt. Tateyama every spring, but I still haven't fully utilized its vast fields. There are so many different courses, and the slopes are packed into an area that can be covered in a day. The mountain huts with hot springs are also comfortable, and the opportunity to interact with fellow mountain climbers from all over the country is another reason I keep going."

During the season, he is constantly focused on the mountains, constantly checking the snow conditions and changes in the weather, or he becomes extremely anxious. He wants to be as close to the fields as possible, so he doesn't go home very often

"The skill of a guide is to work in one mountain range and find good snow there. But I want to interact with the locals and actively seek out good snow. And it would be great if I could experience the culture and history of the area."

Because it's ordinary, it's closer to the guest's perspective

In June, when he returns home from Mt. Tateyama to his wife, he switches from snowboarding to SUP and begins his river caravan. This annual cycle is the daily routine of the BC Caravan

"I'm not a rider or climber with a proven track record of skiing or climbing, I'm just an ordinary person. That's why I think I can provide a service that's closer to the guest's perspective. My guiding style might not be suitable for people who have a clear desire to summit or go to a specific line. People who simply want to ski on good snow and be happy. I would be happy if I could bring a smile to the faces of people like that."

This young, reclusive man with asthma and a weakness for exercise is now one of the few young BC guides in Japan. Kawada never boasts about the efforts and hardships he has endured up to this point. He is incredibly humble. He is a hard worker who started out as a snowbum and is a late bloomer

That's why I think he values ​​communication with his customers and is able to provide attentive, detailed guides. Looking at Kawada's smiling face, with his jet-black hair from dealing with water all year round, it's clear that what he calls his dark past is what has made him who he is today, and that this is also a shining example of the charm of BC Caravan

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