I live in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, and spend my winter days skiing whenever I have free time, and on weekends I take my three boys, aged 9, 7, and 4, to ski resorts
Last season, his two oldest siblings took part in the "Chanmero Freeride Kamoshika Open" held at Iwatake, sparking his passion for freeriding. They began to actively ski on the small drop-offs on the side of the course and tree runs that are easy for children to enter, and as a parent, I was thrilled to see them skiing behind and in front of them
They both wanted to ski in more places and improve their skills, so this season they joined the Omachi Ski Club, reflecting their desire to do so.
Since they share a friend from school, they seem to enjoy alpine skiing, where they ski with poles, just as much as they enjoy free running. They quickly transformed from their outfits, free-ski boots and twin-tip skis, to skiing with poles on old GS skis in a hand-me-down dress, and their speeds are only increasing.
I wanted him to experience a variety of things, rather than being tied down to one thing, as he improved. Just as I was thinking this, the opportunity to go to Tomamu came up in January
Let's go to Hoshino Resorts Tomamu!
Hoshino Resort Tomamu, which has everything you need on one mountain, is a great choice for families visiting Hokkaido for the first time
First of all, it's easy to access. There are trains and direct buses from New Chitose Airport, and it takes about two hours by car on the expressway. Traveling is not complicated
The ski resort is large enough, and the layout allows you to move around the slopes without stress. The light snow and moderate snowfall are also great. The variety of activities other than dining and skiing is also something you'd expect at a resort, so kids won't get bored
The ski resort faces east and is made up of two mountains: Tower Mountain, which has a gentle slope, and Tomamu Mountain, which has a moderate slope. During the coldest winter months, the average temperature drops to nearly -10°C, allowing you to enjoy high-quality powder snow
The purpose of this trip was to experience and enjoy the Adventure Mountain here. This is an activity where you ski down 11 obstacles set up on the grounds while skiing, and naturally improve your skiing skills. It's fun to ski with your kids, as it feels like a role-playing game
It happened to be snowing on the day we arrived at Tomamu, so we decided to take the gondola and ski down the first track
"The snow in Hokkaido doesn't harden easily even when you squeeze it."
My second son accidentally let a poop slip on the way from the top of the gondola to the slopes.
Tomamu has one of the lowest average temperatures in Hokkaido, so the falling snow is feather-light and slow to fall. And because the accumulated snow is kept at a low temperature, it flies up in fluffy flakes when you brush it with the tops of your skis.
Now, let's go on a run to warm up our legs before heading to Adventure Mountain.
No problem! Adventure Mountain
Adventure Mountain was established in 2008 as a story-based family slope that offers fun and the excitement of improving your skills. There are two locations within the resort: "Nipo no Yama" on Tower Mountain, which is perfect for beginners to test their skills, and "Chokkari Yama" on Tomamu Mountain, which will satisfy even advanced skiers
The story of Adventure Mountain goes something like this
Nipo, a fairy who lives in the forests of Mount Tomamu, is confronted by Chokkari Daimajin, who is plotting to make Mount Tomamu easier to ski downhill. He cuts down the trees and steals the forest seeds that Nipo had carefully collected to prevent further overgrowth. In order to get the forest seeds back from Chokkari Daimajin, players must chant a secret spell to defeat him
Each time you clear an item, you collect a spell stamp at the goal, and once you have conquered all the items, the spell is completed and you can defeat the Great Demon
When my eldest and second sons found Adventure Mountain, where all the items were lined up, they immediately headed straight for the start
And then, the one who appeared there was... Chokkari Daimajin!!
In pursuit of the Great Demon, participants must overcome a series of obstacles, including "Gakegake," a steep cliff with a large drop; "Super Kabekabe," a series of banks as tall as a child; and "Chokkari Wave and Observation Deck," a series of waves with height differences so great that their bodies are raised and lowered, before climbing all the way to the top of the observation deck
The "Special Stage" brings together elements from all the items in Adventure Mountain. It stands in your way like a final boss. There are stages such as the "Seesaw Bridge" which requires speed control and balance, the "Bell Bell" where you slide down while ringing a bell, and the "Challenge Jump" where you jump over obstacles, but as long as you can clear each stage, there's no problem
As they chase the Great Genie and ski down the slopes, the two find themselves strangely close to him.
They stamp their passes every time they clear a course, and it looks like the spell is finally about to be completed. There's only one space left. They go through the forest maze near the base of the ski resort and ring the bell to clear all the items.
After completing the spell and defeating Chokkari Daimajin, the two were presented with stickers. Until a few years ago, these gifts were given in the form of plant seeds, but apparently they have been changed to stickers since the number of overseas families participating has increased in recent years. Plant seeds cannot be taken outside the country, which is a bit disappointing, as plant seeds would have fit perfectly with the concept
"Let's skate some more!"
After conquering Mt. Chokkari, the two were in high spirits and asked for more. Their mother joined them and they skied around the lower part of Tomamu Mountain and Tower Mountain.
Huh? Isn't he taking the initiative to ski near the forest, finding gaps and diving into them?
Gota Miura appears! Expanding Adventure Mountain
After defeating Chokkari Daimajin, the kids wanted to skate some more, so the next day they decided to skate with a special guest
The guest is Gota Miura, who participated in the moguls at the Lillehammer and Nagano Olympics. He also climbed Mount Everest with his father, Yuichiro Miura, and became a hot topic for his detailed commentary on the Olympic freestyle events
Gon-chan has been the supervisor of Adventure Mountain's courses and items since the 2024-2025 season. A medical doctor, he supervises and designs the items based on affordance theory. He has created a system that allows skiers to naturally improve their skiing by skiing at Adventure Mountain
The stage was still covered in a light snowfall from the previous day, and the conditions were perfect, with snow flying up as we skied. On the second day, I decided to join the kids and Gon-chan in skiing
"You skied down Adventure Mountain yesterday, right? So, before we get to the area, let's ski down the powder snow by the trail first!"
Gon-chan said to the children,
"Go, go!"
"I've been waiting for this!" he said as he chased after Gon-chan
After skiing down a few courses, I was encouraged to go to a place in a forest filled with birch trees. The slope was gentle at about 10 degrees, but the snow was deeper than the course itself. However, the snow was light, so I was able to ski easily
They don't try to go against the fall line, but glide as if exploring the forest. When Gon-chan finds a small gap and jumps, the other two jump after him. With fluffy snow covering their entire bodies, they run through the forest. Even outside the forest, whenever they find a slope with few trees, Gon-chan slides down it
The two follow him, watching his back to see how he is skating and what line he is taking
Before I knew it, I was even more absorbed in skiing than at Adventure Mountain. In addition to the excitement of clearing the prepared courses, I also had my eye on the ski resort and found lots of fun things to play with
It seems like they are truly enjoying spreading the interpretation of Adventure Mountain to the entire ski resort. Even though they are not being taught how to ski, each time they ski with Gon-chan they get used to the environment and enjoy skiing
"They're both great. My kids and the Miura Dolphins kids love being in the forest too. It's fun, isn't it?"
"Yeah!!"
The two replied cheerfully
Finally, we headed to the observation deck at "Chokkari Wave and Observation Deck." We easily rode the waves, pumped up to speed, and climbed up to the observation deck
"You've gotten better, haven't you?"
When Gon-chan and the kids told me that, I nodded so hard I thought my neck would break
The ski resort is equipped with Adventure Mountain and an environment where you can ski freely. During our two-day stay, the children were able to find more fun spots than ever before and also learned some of the complex techniques of ski control according to the snow and slope conditions at the time
Practice makes perfect
I was reminded once again that if given the right environment, children can enjoy skiing freely and improve their skills
Photo/ Key Sato
■Hoshino Resorts Tomamu Adventure Mountain https://www.snowtomamu.jp/winter/adm/
■Click here for the second part of the secrets of Adventure Mountain