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 repeated rehabilitation, returned to snow in April of that year. By May, he had recovered enough to take a Mobil to the backcountry.
Still, I'm far from my best, so I've decided to distance myself from the FWT competition, which has been my main battlefield for the past few years, and this season I'm focusing on photography.
From that flow, I planned a trip for about a month to fully enjoy the snowy mountains of Japan for the first time in a long time. STEEP also joined a part of it, luring them to the Madarao Kogen ski resort in the gaps in the schedule that was filled without gaps.
The footage from Madarao has already been uploaded to his You Tube channel, Freeride Adventure / Yu's Ski Channel, so check it out.
Take a look back at the photos below.
The shooting date is January 30th. In the early morning, the sea of clouds spreads with the sunrise, creating a fantastic scenery. First shoot. Run through the World Cup course with a total length of 1000m and a maximum gradient of 35° as if it were a gentle slope.
As if the clear sky in the morning was a lie, it started to snow. Yu Sasaki, who skied powder at a different location the day before, commented as if he were an overseas resident, "Is this JAPOW?" In fact, in Revelstoke, where he lives, there was no powder like usual, so he had to go to BC every day.
A few hours after it began to descend, the water piled up to near my knees, and I repeatedly shouted, "Madapau, that's dangerous." The snow on the ground runs. Because it was a very cold day, the falling snow was also superb.
Check out each of Madarao's famous tree courses. Powerful skiing without worrying about a few bushes. The power to step on is strong, so the snow is lightly soaring up.
The second day, January 31st. After all, the snow from the previous day was about 30 cm up to my knees. Ride the single lift 13 lifts to the back bowl of the ski resort early in the morning and ski the tree run areas such as "Powder Theater" and "Powder Wave 2"
From the traverse line "Adventure Isle" that accesses the tree run area from the 13 lift, you can overlook Lake Nojiri located to the west of Mt. Madarao. Yu Sasaki also took out his smartphone and took a picture of the fantastic scenery.
On the 31st, many hunters who had heard rumors of powder visited the ski resort. Lines were carved on the straight slopes in no time, but the tree area was wide, so if you chose the line, you could fully enjoy the fresh snow until before noon. You won't believe it's your first time at a ski resort.
Anyway, Yu Sasaki's turn that the spray went up well. Selected photos centered on overhead face shots
Yu Sasaki fully enjoyed the snow of Madarao Kogen, which resets the next day after skiing powder.
“Even after so much snow has fallen and the skies are completely slippery, the fresh snow will return the next day, which is the charm of Japan’s snowy mountains. It was my first time to visit Madarao Kogen, but it was very cold (on the day of the shoot). And it rains a lot.The terrain of the tree is varied and interesting, and the face shots are bang bang, so it was a lot of fun.In particular, "SAWA" is so interesting that when you slide while doing freestyle movements, your feet will go flat. There is also an open face, and it was a very well-balanced layout. Also, I think it's good that there are many slopes facing north, so it's easy to keep the snow."
and looked back on the two days.
Yu Sasaki
Born in Sapporo in 1986. Lives in Revelstoke, BC, Canada. He is a professional skier and runs a food truck year-round. Participated in FWT, which was his goal, from 2018. As he competes in tournaments around the world, he improves his abilities. His activities have been noticed in various fields, and he has been approached by an overseas film production company, which has been his dream for many years. Currently working on a video project with Revelstoke neighbor Sammy Carlson.
Instagram: yusasaki223
■Information
Madarao Kogen Ski Resort
〒389-2257 Madarao Kogen, Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture
Official Website: https://www.madarao.jp/Official
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Reel video by Heart Films is also available