The three grand prize winners have been selected for a photo contest held in collaboration with the "yukiyama app," an app that enriches snowy mountain life through snowboarding, skiing, and other activities, and enables communication and information sharing at ski resorts. Here we take a closer look at the winners
The first winner is "Naoyan"
"Naoyan"
──Please introduce yourself
I'm a skier who mainly enjoys free runs, powder, and parks at Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort
──What's your best memorable day this season?
My best memory of this season was landing my first rodeo 360 in the park at Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort in the spring!
I was so happy to exchange a fist bump with Taka-san, a senior skier who coached me for the past year.
--Please tell me how to use the yukiyama app.
Checking skiing distance and maximum speed.
──Couldyou tell us what you recommend about your home resort?
At Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort, the powder during weekday night skiing is amazing, and the park quality is the best in the Yuzawa area!
--Pleasetell us about your goals for next season, what you want to improve, tricks you want to try, and your enthusiasm.
I want to do a Cork 360 next season.
──Finally, a word from you!
"I am honored to have been selected! I will work hard during the off-season to make next season a fun one ⛷"
Naoyan's Instagram account features impressive night riding at his home slope, Ishiuchi Maruyama
The second winner is "Masaaaaaaaaaaaaru72"
"Masaaaaaaaaaaaaru72"
──Please introduce yourself
I'm an old man who loves skiing and golf
──What's your best memorable day this season?
My best friend passed the SAJ1 level at Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort 🤣 Happy!
--Please tell us how to use the yukiyama app.
● Check information about nearby snow-covered mountains
● Connect with friends
● Save your own skiing history
● Log of app users (photos, comments)
● Gather information about events at ski resorts
──Couldyou tell us what you like about your home ski resort? I
consider Asarigawa Onsen Ski Resort to be my home resort. As for what I like about it, I think the slope, course width, and course length are all just right for practice and getting in some good runs!
──Pleasetell us about your goals for next season, what you want to improve, tricks you want to try, and your enthusiasm.
This year I've got all the necessary equipment, so I'd like to try something a little more trendy😅
──Finally, a few words!
I am deeply honored and moved to receive the prestigious STEEP Editor-in-Chief Award. Thanks
my best friend, I resumed skiing after a 27-year hiatus.
My friend introduced me to the app, and at first, I used it to check my own records. As I continued to use the app, I was able to explore ways to enjoy skiing on my own, gather information, and experience many things. And there were so many smiles along the way. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the snow-covered mountains, including the people who run the app, the many users, and everyone who has helped me to encounter so many smiles through skiing. Thank you very much!
Masaaaaaaaaaaaaru72's Instagram account features fantastic night skiing and night views at Fu's Snow Area
The third winner is "❆ hitsuji ❆ 🐑💨💨 🐕💨"
"❆ hitsuji ❆ 🐑💨💨 🐕💨"
──Please introduce yourself
I've been skiing for 26 years. I'm a weekend recreational skier who travels several hours each way to the snowy mountains every weekend with the sole purpose of having fun and enjoying the slopes.
The number of days I ski has been increasing year by year, and my goal this season is 65 days of skiing.
──What's your best memorable day this season?
The trip to Grand Snow Okuibuki Ski Resort on New Year's Eve last year, which I took with my eldest son, remains my most memorable experience of this season.
We visited ski resorts in Nagano, Yamanashi, Gifu, and Shiga prefectures, and this was our first time at this resort, which we visited on the fifth day of our trip. When we arrived late at night, it was already snowing heavily, so the next morning we started by clearing snow off our car. Unfortunately, the slopes were already groomed in the morning, but the heavy snow continued throughout the day, and the slopes were covered in soft, fresh snow wherever we skied. In the afternoon, even more snow fell, and the ski-only courses were so soft and fluffy that we were knee-deep in it. My son and I plunged into the fresh snow, and we had a blast getting buried in it all day. What surprised me most was how well my son skied in the fresh snow for the first time!
──Please tell me how to use the yukiyama app
I discovered the yukiyama app last year. Before that, I was using a different app to record my skiing, so I initially started using it to keep track of my runs. When going skiing with a group, we used the group function to let each of us ski freely while keeping track of each other's locations and meeting up at the right time.
When I first started using the app, I wasn't aware of the SNS function, so I was just uploading photos and writing comments as a record of my skiing. But then people started giving me likes and comments, and that's when the scope of its use expanded dramatically.
Now, I use it as a tool to get reliable and up-to-date information. I refer to other users' photos and comments to decide on my weekend destinations, and conversely, I try to upload photos and comments as timely as possible to provide information that can be used as a reference for others' destination choices, or to deliver real-time information that can be enjoyed even if you can't go to the snowy mountains. I
also like skiing alone, and I often lose myself in the game and ski for days without even eating lunch, but it's nice to see that there are other people doing the same thing (laughs). I think the biggest appeal of the yukiyama app is that you can meet many friends who share the same goals. I had many new encounters this season! (^^)
──What are the best things about your home slope?
My home ski resort this season is Yachiho Kogen Ski Resort. Located on the eastern side of the Yatsugatake Mountains, it's a relatively high-altitude ski resort at 1830m.
Compared to other ski resorts, it's small and intimate, a former town-run resort, but its greatest appeal lies in its high percentage of sunny days and the excellent snow quality due to its altitude. Although natural snowfall is scarce, the nighttime temperatures are very low, and this characteristic allows for consistent snowmaking using snowmaking machines. Another advantage is that it opens for the season earlier than other ski resorts. For these reasons, I've almost always started the season at this ski resort for the past ten years or so.
In particular, the wide, gentle slopes have a hard base, and carving on the perfectly groomed, flat slopes first thing in the morning is fantastic! Perhaps this is something only a small ski resort can offer. The slope maintenance is perfect compared to larger ski resorts!
--Pleasetell us about your goals for next season, what you want to improve, the tricks you want to try, and your aspirations.
Lately, I've had more opportunities to ski on fresh snow with the snowboarding members, so I want to improve my technique so that I can control my skis as I want in fresh snow. Also, I've been avoiding moguls for many years because of knee pain (laughs). I like uneven terrain, but I hate regular moguls...I want to overcome this somehow.
──Onelast thing!
I'm feeling more energetic every year thanks to skiing. Through the yukiyama app, I've met so many people, learned about different ways to enjoy it, and been inspired by them, so I hope to enjoy the snowy mountains even more. The yukiyama app is the best!! Right? (^^)v
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Although the world is still in a turbulent state, after reading the comments of these three people who enjoy skiing, I think that skiing is still a great thing
The joy of completing a trick you've been trying, the memories of sharing a special moment with friends, and unforgettable moments with your children - continue to experience various events by skating with KEEP RIDING
Thank you Naoyan, Masaaaaaaaaaaaaru72, ❆ hitsuji ❆ 🐑💨💨 🐕💨 for answering all my questions!
Editor-in-Chief of STEEP, Takeshi Ogawa
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＜Contest organizer＞
<SPECIAL THANKS>
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