Photo/ Keiji Tajima @heart_films
Yu Sasaki came to Japan from Canada for the first time in three seasons.
He ruptured his Achilles tendon in early January 2022, and after extensive rehabilitation, returned to the snow in April of that year. By May, he had recovered enough to go into the backcountry on his mobile.
However, he is still far from his best, so he has decided to distance himself from the FWT competitions that have been his main battlefield for the past few years, and this season he is focusing on photography
As a result, we planned a trip of nearly a month to fully enjoy the snowy mountains of Japan for the first time in a while, and STEEP joined us as part of it, squeezing in some time between our packed schedules to take us to Madarao Kogen Ski Resort
The footage filmed at Madarao has already been uploaded to his YouTube channel "Freeride Adventure / Yu's Ski Channel," so be sure to check it out
Let's take a look back at the photos below
The photo was taken on January 30th. The sea of clouds spread out with the morning glow, creating a fantastical scene. This is the first photo. The 1000m long World Cup course with a maximum gradient of 35° is run as if it were a gentle slope
The clear morning sky was a lie as a thick layer of snow fell. Yu Sasaki, who had skied powder at another location the day before, commented on the continuous snowfall, "Is this JAPOW?", a comment typical of someone living overseas. In fact, in Revelstoke, where he lives, there was no powder like usual at the ski resort, so he had to go to BC every day
Just a few hours after it started snowing, the snow piled up to my knees, and I kept saying, "It's crazy!" The snow that had piled up on top of the ground was rolling. It was a very cold day, so the falling snow was also superb
Check out each of the tree courses that are famous for Madarao. The strong snow makes it easy to fly up the slopes
On the second day, January 31st, the snow from the previous day had piled up to about 30cm, reaching up to my knees. First thing in the morning, I took the single lift 13 to the ski resort's back bowl and skied down tree-run areas like "Powder Theater" and "Powder Wave 2."
From the traverse line "Adventure Isle" that leads from Lift 13 to the tree run area, you can look down on Lake Nojiri, located west of Mt. Madarao. Sasaki Yu also took out his smartphone to take pictures of the fantastic scenery
On the 31st, many hunters who had heard rumors of powder snow were visiting the ski resort. Lines were quickly carved into the virgin slopes, but the tree area was wide, so if you chose your line, you could enjoy the fresh new snow to your heart's content until just before noon. It was hard to believe that this was their first time at the ski resort, as they had a keen sense of smell and were able to hit the powder
Yu Sasaki's turn had a lot of spray. I selected some photos focusing on overhead face shots
Sasaki Yu thoroughly enjoyed the snow at Madarao Kogen, where even after skiing on powder, it was reset the next day.
"Even after all this snow has fallen and skied down, the next day it's back to fresh snow again - that's the charm of Japan's snowy mountains. It was my first time at Madarao Kogen, and it was very cold (on the day of the shoot) and it rained a lot. The tree topography was varied and interesting, and we had loads of face shots, so it was a lot of fun. "SAWA" in particular was so much fun that your feet got sore when you skied while incorporating freestyle movements. There were open faces and the layout was very well balanced. I also liked that there were many north-facing slopes, which made it easy to maintain the snow."
He looked back on the two days and said,
Yu Sasaki
Born in Sapporo in 1986, he currently resides in Revelstoke, BC, Canada. He is a professional skier and also runs a food truck year-round. He has been competing in the FWT since 2018, which was his goal. He has been improving his skills by competing in competitions around the world. His achievements have caught the attention of many, and he has even been approached by an overseas film production company, which has been his lifelong dream. He is currently working on a film project with his Revelstoke neighbor, Sammy Carlson
Instagram: yusasaki223
■Information
Madarao Kogen Ski Resort
〒389-2257 Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture Madarao Kogen
Official website: https://www.madarao.jp/
Official SNS: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |
Reel videos by Heart Films are also available