2 hours north of Kanetsu Expressway from Tokyo.
Kawaba is the closest ski resort from Numata IC. With an altitude of 1250m at the base area and 1870m at the summit, it is located at a high altitude among ski resorts in the Kanto area, and is a popular place for the finest smooth natural snow.
The vast slopes are dotted with a wide variety of courses that can be enjoyed by both advanced and beginner skiers. High-quality snow parks and mogul courses, which have produced many skiers, gather skiers and snowboarders with high-quality skiers and snowboarders for high-quality practice and photography every day.
Ayana Onozuka, a halfpipe bronze medalist at the Sochi Olympics and currently active in the freeride world championship FWT, visited this charming Kawaba.
Ayana Onozuka Sochi Olympic halfpipe bronze medalist. She is also enthusiastic about teaching young skiers who will lead the next generation and training ski classes for elementary school students.
Although it was February on the day Onozuka visited, it was a warm spring day with temperatures exceeding 10°C at the ski resorts during the day. "I'm sure the snow won't run by noon," so I decided to enjoy it with all my strength until noon.
In recent years, Kawaba has been making various new efforts to discover more appealing aspects of ski resorts.
One of them is the fast track where you ride a snow groomer early in the morning and ski from the mountaintop. Another is the opening of the tree run course "OFF THE PISTE", which is unbearable for powder & tree run lovers. In addition to the charm of Kawaba so far, there is a service that will satisfy even the core skater.
This time, I decided to focus on those new services.
superb one "Fast Track" that monopolizes the slopes in the early morning
A fast track where you can climb the slopes before the opening of the ski resort to the top of the mountain with a snow compactor and ski while enjoying the magnificent scenery.
It is said that you can dash through the corduroy slope without anyone's line, and it is one of the most popular initiatives. Although it is a reservation-only service, it can be operated with a minimum number of people of 1, and the upper limit is wide, with a maximum of 25 people.
A bench is provided inside the groomer for a comfortable ride.
The ride experience, which you would not normally get on, is also attractive. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the summit. The price is 2000 yen per person (breakfast ticket included)
8:30 New tree run area
OFF THE PISTE
The ski resort opens at 8:30 after skiing the best fast track.
First, head to the Tree Run area, which opened last season and is gaining popularity this season. It had been sunny for a few days before the shooting date, so we didn't get to see any powder snow, but if you choose a location, there is no track.
In other words, if there is a snowfall, there will be more powder sleeping in the large tree run area than it will eat up.
There are three OFF THE PISTE (OTP) locations, and they are laid out like the light blue area on the map below.
OTP1 is located a little further down from the Crystal Express, and is a perfect course for introductory tree runs, with gentle slopes and wide spacing between trees.
OTP2 has an entrance in the middle of the Takate Skyline, and you can enjoy a relatively steep tree run. And OTP3 is ahead of the Shiratori Express, and rather than running through the trees, it is a free-riding slope with sparse trees and undulating terrain.
When skiing OFF THE PISTE, it is necessary to take a special course and sign an agreement. When skiing, you will need an "armband" that you will receive in exchange for your signature on the course, so be careful when skiing!
Kawaba terrain play with interesting walls and banks
The charm of Kawaba is not limited to fast track and tree run.
There are walls and banks all over the slopes, and it's fun just to slide normally. Located on the Takate Downhill Course, banks are set up to match the S-shaped terrain like a detour course.
You can hit it and raise the spray, or you can carve and feel the gravity while penetrating. This part of the map is recommended for the wall.
No matter how many times you slide on the wall that rises left and right, you will never get tired of it. Jumping is possible depending on the place, and the elements of freeride are fully packed. I want to find my own line and skate.
11:00
Snow park & mogul course
Speaking of Kawaba, don't forget the snow park and cob course that are very popular with free skiers.
There are three types of parks in Kawaba, which are "FLUX PARK", "THE EASY PARK" and "THE FREE RIDE PARK".
FLUX Park has high quality items that can be said to be Kawaba's main park.
10m kicker, 4m kicker, hips, rainbow rail, flat down box, iron ball, etc. The layout will satisfy even advanced players from jumps to jibs. The fact that the installation content changes every month is a point that you can enjoy without getting bored. THE EASY PARK at the top of the Sakuragawa course is right after getting off the Sakuragawa express lift.
There are 4 consecutive waves, narrow boxes, wide boxes, etc. so that even beginners can try it easily. And the Freeride Park is at the end of the Crystal Course, so it is recommended to enter after enjoying the walls inside the slopes. Then you can enjoy jumping and slashing on natural terrain walls and artificially created banks.
Speaking of Kawaba, Mogul course has produced many representatives from Japan.
Take the nameless peak triple lift to the summit of the nameless peak.
On the right side of the course, there is a mogul barn where the top players in Japan practice. On the left side, there is a bump slope that is easy for general skiers to try, providing the perfect environment for practice.
Onozuka, who visited for the first time in a while, talked about the charm of Kawaba.
“This is my third time at Kawaba. Once, I skied on a smooth powder day and was surprised by Kawaba’s high potential. This was my first time on the fast track. The first impression is that.The neatly compacted snow grooming bar feels great.I like that
Kawaba has a wide variety of courses.The scenery is good, and it is further back from the top of the ski resort. The photo taken in the tree run area with Mt. Kengamine in the background makes me think of the Dolomites in Italy!The location, which is not in Japan, was an exciting sight for me who traveled abroad.Kanto
area It's a very good location because it's close to the station and can be reached in about an hour from the Yuzawa area where I
live.In addition to the restaurant, there are cafes and crepes that are great for after-skiing. will also be healed!"
Onozuka skied almost all courses from morning to noon and enjoyed a variety of slopes. After skiing, we had lunch at a restaurant at the base of the ski resort and headed home.
Kawaba where you can enjoy various variations such as fast track, tree run, wall play, bank, park, and cob slope at one ski resort. What's more, it's compactness makes it possible to fully enjoy all of this in less than half a day.
Photo/Daniel Honda