Ayana Onozuka skis down the popular tree run and fast track at Kawaba Ski Resort, packed with skiing techniques

Located two hours north of central Tokyo on the Kan-Etsu Expressway, Kawaba is the closest ski resort to the Numata Interchange.
Situated at an altitude of 1250m in the base area and 1870m at the summit, it boasts one of the highest elevations among ski resorts in the Kanto region and is a popular spot known for its superb, powdery natural snow. The vast slopes are dotted with a variety of courses that can be enjoyed by
skiers of all levels, from beginners to advanced, and the total skiable distance from the top to the bottom of the resort is approximately 3300m, offering an incredibly long run. The high-quality snow park and mogul course, which has produced numerous athletes, attract skilled skiers and snowboarders who practice and film there every day.

Ayana Onozuka, a bronze medalist in the halfpipe at the Sochi Olympics and currently active mainly in the freeride world championships FWT, visited this charming Kawaba

Although it was February when Onozuka visited, the ski resort was a warm spring day with temperatures exceeding 10 degrees Celsius during the day. "The snow will probably stop moving by lunchtime," he thought, so he decided to enjoy himself to the fullest until lunchtime

In recent years, Kawaba has been undertaking various new initiatives to uncover even more of the resort's appeal. One of these is the "First Track" program, where skiers can ride a snow groomer early in the morning and ski down from the mountaintop. Another is the opening of "OFF THE PISTE," a tree run course that is irresistible to powder and tree run enthusiasts. In
addition to the existing attractions of Kawaba, services that will satisfy even hardcore skiers have been added.
This time, we decided to focus on skiing these new services.

7:30 Enjoy
the ultimate "first track" –

The "First Track" experience takes you up to the mountaintop in a snow groomer before the ski resort officially opens, allowing you to ski down while enjoying the magnificent scenery. This popular activity lets you swiftly glide down the untouched, corduroy-covered slopes.
While reservations are required, the minimum number of participants is one, and the maximum is a generous 25.
The snow groomer is equipped with benches for a comfortable ride. The unique experience of riding in a snow groomer is also a major draw. The ride to the mountaintop takes approximately 20 minutes.
The price is 2000 yen per person (including breakfast voucher).

8:30 New tree run area
OFF THE PISTE

After a fantastic run on the first tracks, the ski resort opened at 8:30. First, we headed to the tree run area, which opened last season and has become incredibly popular this season.
Since it had been sunny for several days leading up to the filming, we didn't encounter any powder snow, but there were untouched patches if you chose your spot carefully.
In other words, if there is snowfall, there is an abundance of powder waiting to be discovered in the vast tree run area.

There are three OFF THE PISTE (OTP) locations, arranged as shown in the light blue area on the map below.
OTP1 is located a short distance down from the Crystal Express, and is a perfect introductory tree run course with a gentle slope and wide spacing between trees. OTP2 has an entrance halfway along the Takate Skyline, and offers a relatively steep tree run.
And OTP3 is located beyond the Swan Express, and rather than running through the trees, it's a free-riding slope with open areas where trees are sparse and the terrain is undulating.

To ski off the piste, you will need to take a special course and sign an agreement. You will need an armband, which you will receive in exchange for signing the agreement, so be careful when skiing!

10:00 The walls and banks make for an interesting
and unique Kawaba-style terrain play experience.

The appeal of Kawaba isn't limited to fast tracks and tree runs. There are walls and banks everywhere on the slopes, making even normal skiing fun.
Located on the Takate Downhill Course, the banks are set to match the S-shaped terrain, like a detour course. You can hit them to create spray, or carve through them feeling the gravity—the possibilities are endless. For
walls, this spot on the map is recommended.

The slopes on both sides of the wall mean you'll never get bored no matter how many times you ski. In some places, you can even jump, so there's plenty of freeride elements to enjoy. Find your own line and ski down

11:00 High-quality
snow park and mogul course

When talking about Kawaba, you can't forget the snow parks and mogul courses that are extremely popular with freeskiers.
Kawaba has three types of parks: "FLUX PARK," "THE EASY PARK," and "THE FREE RIDE PARK."
FLUX Park is Kawaba's main park and boasts a high-quality array of features. With a 10m kicker, a 4m kicker, a hip, a rainbow rail, a flat down box, and a metal ball, the layout will satisfy even advanced skiers, from jumps to jibbing. The fact that the installed features change every month is another point that keeps things interesting.
THE EASY PARK, located at the top of the Sakuragawa course, is right off the Sakuragawa Express Lift. It has four consecutive waves, a narrow box, and a wide box so that even beginners can easily try them out. The Free
Ride Park is at the end of the Crystal course, and it's recommended to enter it after enjoying the walls on the slopes. That way, you can enjoy jumps and slashes on the natural terrain walls and artificially created banks in a smooth, flowing manner.

And speaking of Kawaba, it's home to a mogul course that has produced many Japanese national team members.
Take the Mumyoho Triple Lift to the summit of Mumyoho.
On the right side of the course is a mogul run where top domestic athletes practice. On the left side is a mogul slope that is easy for even amateur skiers to try, making it an ideal environment for practice.

Onozuka, who hadn't visited Kawaba in a while, spoke about its charm

"This is my third time at Kawaba. I skied there once on a day with light, powdery snow and was amazed by Kawaba's potential. This time, I tried the first tracks for the first time. The run was long enough, and my first impression was that this was a very luxurious service. The beautifully groomed slopes felt amazing. What I like about
Kawaba is the variety of courses. The scenery is also great, and the photo I took in the tree run area with Mt. Kengamine, located even further beyond the top of the ski resort, in the background looks just like the Dolomites in Italy! The location felt like it wasn't even in Japan, and it was an exciting sight for me, having traveled abroad.
It's also conveniently located, close to the Kanto area and only about an hour's access from the Yuzawa area where I live.
In addition to restaurants, the facility also has cafes and sweets like crepes, which are great for après-ski relaxation!"

Onozuka skied down almost all the courses from morning until lunchtime, enjoying the many different slopes. After he finished skiing, he had lunch at a restaurant at the base of the ski resort before heading home

Kawaba offers a wide variety of ski resorts, including fast tracks, tree runs, wall runs, banks, parks, and mogul slopes. What's more, its greatest appeal is that it's compact enough that you can enjoy all of these in just under half a day

Photo / Daniel Honda