Backcountry skiing in the snowy mountains offers the great appeal of enjoying free-flowing skiing in the great outdoors, but it also harbors various dangers. Backcountry guides are experts who, while ensuring safety in these snowy mountains, provide an unforgettable skiing experience based on their extensive knowledge and experience.
This article delves into the personalities and guiding styles of up-and-coming guides who have chosen this profession as their career, slowly and steadily stepping deeper into this world.
The origins of a worryingly unprofitable guide
"We will take you to quiet areas with as few people as possible. Even if you have backcountry experience, if this is your first time using our services, you will participate in a half-day 'Introductory Tour' so we can assess your skills before you join a tour that we propose at a later date." This service
is not recommended for people who are only seeking pleasure and adrenaline. This guide is perfect for people who want to settle down, face skiing and their physical abilities, and embrace skiing as a lifelong sport. At first glance, the system may sound complicated, but it is a kind and thorough curriculum that allows both parties to safely and surely improve. You might worry that if you keep the group size to a minimum and only offer half-day tours, you won't be able to make a living, but he laughs it off.
"It's fine. As long as I can enjoy skiing, make a living, and survive (laughs)."
Masaaki Sato was born in 1976 in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, to a family of part-time farmers. He is currently based in Hakuba Village, where he moved when he was 20, but during busy seasons such as rice planting and harvesting, he returns to his hometown to help his parents with farm work.
"Rice helped me grow, so I want to continue to be involved in rice farming. When I was little, it snowed a lot in Ueda, and I often went skiing in the mountains behind my house
They were the so-called plastic ski boots. When I started elementary school, I tagged along with my uncle, who was a lift attendant at Yunomaru Ski Resort, and made my debut on the slopes. My father was also a skier, so he would take me to Sugadaira to ski
Focusing on basic skiing with an eye on the technical selection
Wanting to continue skiing, he enrolled in Ueda Chikuma High School, which had a ski club. His home slope was Sugadaira Plateau, a sacred place for sports training camps and a place with a deep history of skiing. With a high percentage of sunny days, he honed his skills by skiing day after day on the hard, narrow, and steep advanced courses. During a joint ski camp with other schools, he was made to leapfrog over the moat of Ueda Castle, and the thought of "quitting the club" crossed his mind, but he continued because he wanted to ski.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Japan Sports and Recreation College (JaSRA) in his hometown of Sugadaira, aiming for the National Sports Festival. He only made it to the qualifiers at the National Sports Festival, but wanting to become an even better skier, he obtained a licensed assistant instructor qualification as soon as he turned 20 and started working at the Hakuba Happo-one Ski School. Then, he began practicing basic skiing with the aim of competing in the technical competition.
"I could see the Northern Alps from my window at home. In October and November, they would turn completely white, and I would go to school while looking at the mountain range, thinking, 'It's already snowed in Hakuba.' I had always longed to go to Hakuba, with its wide, large slopes, and I came to Hakuba in 1998, the year of the Nagano Olympics. At first, the snow was so soft that I couldn't ski at all. In Sugadaira, you can ski if you just use your edges somehow, but in Hakuba, the soft snow creates resistance, and it's hard to ski the way you want. I really felt the depth of skiing."
After working as an instructor at Happo-one for about 20 years, he moved from job to job as a company employee, and at the age of 33, he started going to the mountains to seriously pursue a career as a rider and guide.
"After getting my guide certification, I used to work as a mountain guide in the summer. But summer clients have such diverse needs—they want to see flowers, they want to take pictures—it was a bit too difficult for me, so I stopped guiding in the summer. Now I work in the mountains carrying luggage for TV crews and maintaining hiking trails and replacing signposts for the Otari Village Mountain Guide Association. When I don't have mountain work, I also do part-time jobs like replacing roofs at a sheet metal shop."
There are probably countless people who continue to work as guides without any knowledge of plants or cameras. I sensed that Sato is a guide who wants to meet his clients' demands at a high level.
A BC guide highly recommended by Mr. Kuroda
In March 2018, Sato obtained his Ski Guide Stage II certification and began working as a backcountry guide in Hakuba.
"I worked for five or six years at Minato Futagi's 'Port Snow' and Mamoru Takahashi's 'Power Zone.' Naturally, there were all sorts of clients. Although I would do some preliminary interviews, I felt it was risky to go into the mountains with clients based solely on their one-sided information."
After leaving 'Power Zone,' he only guided people he knew personally, such as those introduced by acquaintances. He didn't advertise publicly and refused first-time visitors. He was dedicated to maintaining a safety margin. However, international mountain guide Makoto Kuroda encouraged him to become independent and open his doors to everyone.
"Thankfully, Mr. Kuroda is a senior colleague who has helped me a lot, teaching me mountain etiquette since I had only ever skied, and introducing his clients to my lessons. His encouragement was very strong, and this season I created a website and started my own company."
Kuroda, who encouraged Sato, had this to say about him:
"Mr. Sato is obviously a good skier, has great stamina, and has no problems with any of the things that go beyond guiding, but I think his good personality makes him well suited to being a guide. I don't think he's the type to be fawned over by the media, but I think he'll be a guide who will be well-received by customers who know what they're doing
I also like the fact that they understand that safety, not risk, is what they're selling. They understand that they're not just showing amazing places, but taking customers to fun places."
Mr. Kuroda is an international guide who contributes to the development of young people as a lecturer at the International Nature and Outdoor College and an examiner for guide qualifications. He has seen hundreds of aspiring guides, and he gives his stamp of approval
"The house we bought second-hand in Hakuba is called 'Tabiya' by the neighbors, so we named our business 'Tabiya'. It's written in kanji as 'Takubiya'."
When asked if it means an original ski shop that pioneers the mountains and doesn't compare itself to others, Sato replied with a laugh, "Well, when I asked an AI, it said, 'What do you think of this Takubiya?'"
I want to teach beginners and intermediate skiers how to ski on snowy mountains
As mentioned earlier, at Takuhiya, first-time customers are required to participate in a half-day "Introductory Tour." There, their skill level is assessed, and the next class they should take is determined.
"Otherwise, you can't protect yourself, and the customers will struggle. Taking the right steps is crucial. Skipping steps will result in incomplete skills and knowledge. While many companies in Hakuba offer advanced and expert tours, I want to focus on teaching beginners and intermediate skiers how to properly ski on snowy mountains. In reality, the intermediate level is quite broad, and many people hit a wall. Ultimately, I want to be in a position to push intermediate skiers who haven't yet reached the expert level." Assessing
each customer's physical strength, skill level, and personality, and tailoring the instruction to their individual needs, inevitably leads to small, elite groups.
"When I'm guiding alone, the maximum is three people. If it becomes four or five people and I feel uneasy, I immediately assign a sub-guide."
With a long background as an instructor on the Happo Ridge, one would think that Happo would be his main guiding area, but it turns out that his main area is Tsugaike Kogen in Otari Village
"At Tsugaike, you can gain altitude by gondola and choose from a variety of slopes. Direction, length, gradient—there are plenty of options. You can check the snow conditions on different slopes as you walk, gather information for the day, and then make a plan. Sometimes I take regulars who are tired of Hakuba to Shiga Kogen. Shiga is wonderful on a snowy day."
Why doesn't he go to Happo-one, a popular spot where he spent his formative years in his 20s and 30s and is very familiar with?
"I'll go if it's just for fun, but I rarely take clients there. It's far too risky to suddenly ski down a large slope with so many skiers. There are also a lot of guides and skiers, and I don't want my judgment to be clouded. I don't want to be biased and make a bad decision that could cause an accident. For that reason too, I avoid crowded places. Clients come to relax and refresh themselves during their leisure time, so I want to guide them to the quietest mountain areas possible. I also keep the group small. If 10 people ski down the same slope, there won't be any room left to ski."
On the day of guiding, his routine from waking up in the morning to going to the site is an essential part of his daily routine. And he asks that, if possible, he be allowed to contact clients about the meeting place on the morning of the day itself.
"I get up before dawn and shovel snow in front of my house with a snowblower, checking the amount of snow and the moisture content of the snow. Then I go to my computer and check the snowfall using Powder Research, look at live cameras at ski resorts and on national highways, and check the data from the anemometers that Kengo Moriyama, the avalanche management manager at Hakuba Happo-one Ski Resort, has installed in various places (which will be made publicly available starting this season), and then decide which area to enter the mountains. Only then do I contact customers to let them know where to meet."
When spring arrives and the snow becomes stable and granular, the distances we travel increase, from Tsugaike across the ridge to the valleys. And sometimes we even venture beyond our home mountains.
"Mount Nabekura, Mount Kurohime, and Mount Sado in northern Nagano are also great. Of course, once April arrives, we'll climb Mount Tateyama as well."
A late-blooming contrarian goes his own way
His contrarian nature, which makes him hate doing the same things as everyone else, permeates his choice of clothing and gear.
"For about 10 years, I wore Mammut clothing, but last year I switched to the British brand 'Rab.' It's designed with the wearer in mind, uses good materials, is well-made, and yet inexpensive. The fact that it's field-tested in rainy England makes it highly reliable, which is also appealing."
When he was younger and just starting out in backcountry skiing, he didn't have much money and couldn't even afford to buy gear. Seeing his predicament, Mr. Matsumoto of the Hakuba ski shop 'Rappy' supported him by saying, "Then use this." Around the same time, 'Rappy' started carrying Rab last year. Now it's his turn to give back, and as the sales manager for Rab Hakuba, he's determined to spread the word about Rab to customers. He
also made a fresh start with his skis, switching from Blizzard to 'WAPAN,' a promising new Japanese brand made in Colorado, USA.
"Last season, I tried out the 'I' with a 122 center and the 'Ro' with a 105 center at Tsugaike, and I really liked the feel of them. Along with the change in skis, I switched my boots from Tecnica to 'Dynafit'."
Having started his own company, he has revamped his clothing and gear and is making a fresh start. The 48-year-old, a late bloomer as an independent guide, is likely to be busy from now on.
"Just because I've made a website doesn't mean customers will come, so I think I'll probably spend more days hanging out with Shin Matsubara, as before (laughs). I think it's hard to pinpoint the best spots at any given time unless you go out and check out various slopes, so playing around is important (laughs)." He
takes a small, elite group of beginners and intermediate skiers to quiet mountain areas. Dressed in clothing and skis that no one else has, he generously shares the skills he has cultivated on the icy Sugadaira and the fluffy Hakuba.
"I'm not good with large groups, so I want to continue being the kind of person and company that nitpicks and focuses on the smallest details. People call this a niche business model, but I'm just being contrary (laughs)."
【Profile】
Masaaki Sato
Born in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture in 1976. He is the representative of "Takuhiya," a guiding service based in Hakuba and Otari. He dedicated himself to competitive skiing from childhood through high school, progressing through basic skiing before entering the world of mountaineering. With approximately 20 years of experience working at the Hakuba Happo-one Ski School, he is highly regarded for his easy-to-understand lessons on mountain skiing techniques. He gained experience in mountaineering at places like "Power Zone Hakuba" and became independent in the 2024/25 season. His specialty backcountry areas include Hakuba, Tsugaike, and the Otari Village area. He holds certifications from the Japan Mountain Guide Association (JMGA) as a Mountain Guide Stage II and a Ski Guide Stage II. He is a former SAJ Certified Instructor.
Qualifications: Japan Mountain Guide Association (JMGA) Certified
Mountain Guide StageII
, Ski Guide Stage II
TABIYAOfficial
Website:https://tabiya.jp/
Official Social Media:Instagram