"A DAY IN THE SKI" by Aiko Uemura, Nobuyuki Nishi, Junya Maruyama, Masahiro Maruyama, and Keisuke Tezuka. A day of skiing for the alumni of Hakuba High School

Maruyama Masahiro works as a ski patrol at Hakuba Iwatake, while also supporting freeride competitions and taking photos in the backcountry .
The ski resorts have long since closed, the town at the foot of the mountain is covered in a deep green, and the air is fresh and crisp in late May. We bring you a day in the life of the skiers who gathered at Maruyama's command, with his text and photographs by accompanying photographer Ito Tsuyoshi.

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Five skiers got together to go skiing at Hakuba Oike Pond for the final time.
The group has one thing in common: they simply love skiing, and they're all graduates of Hakuba High School.

The youngest member, Tezuka Keisuke , is 18 years old and just graduated from Hakuba High School this spring. He loves the mountains so much that he came to Hakuba High School from Ueda City, and all year long, he thinks purely about the mountains. He's a mountaineering boy who asks me to go skiing with him whenever we meet.

Nishi Nobuyuki is a well-known mogul skier and Olympian. He is best described as a ski fanatic. Nobu is 35 years old and not the same generation, but he is a long-time friend and more like a younger brother than a junior. He remembers the time when we used to ski from morning till night. He has competed in three Olympics and has declared that he will be a lifelong skier even after retiring, so it was only natural that I invite him to the mountains.

Junya Maruyama is a 30-year-old active national demonstrator who also climbs mountains and skis kickers. He knows there are many different types of skiing, and he is a skier who embodies that. By the way, Junya's rough terrain is almost entirely mogul skiing.

Aiko Uemura was a senior in my first year of high school. She competed in the Nagano Olympics and is a legend in the mogul world, making Hakuba High School famous. While she has been actively climbing mountains recently, she is also a camera-loving girl who enjoys the great outdoors with her camera hanging from her back while she climbs.

They competed in different sports in high school and are all different ages, so it's always refreshing to skate together across generations

As they were climbing, someone suddenly brought up a story from their high school days, and everyone stopped in their tracks.
It was about a class on outdoor activities taught by Mr. Yaguchi, who was also the advisor for the ski club.

Picking wild vegetables, making lures out of driftwood, and fishing with those lures - a class that is uniquely Hakuba High School and you wouldn't find at other schools. The class was a mix of seriousness and fun, and if you didn't catch a fish you couldn't get credits. Smiles filled the students' faces as they recalled the times when they couldn't catch any fish and had to take extra lessons.
Of the many elective classes, everyone chose outdoor activities. Everyone loves nature.

As they reminisced about trivial things, each of them must have realized once again that it's not "skiing" that they love, but "skiing in nature," and that even after graduating, outdoor activities classes have continued in a different form

It was the same this time.
During the season, everyone is engaged in skiing activities, such as competitions, filming, and lessons. But when we get together like this, the atmosphere feels different from the usual skiing.

This is not only because today is the last day of skiing, but also because each of us has something we want to do when we put on our skis.

Everyone had more in mind than just skating.
This was a part of the outdoor activities classes that have continued since high school.

Aiko climbs with a heavy camera hanging from her shoulder, hoping to capture the beautiful cobalt blue Hakuba Oike Pond, which has been turned by the melting snow
is attempting his first real mountain climb, and is excited to see the ocean from the mountain.
Junya climbs, covered in sweat, hoping to enjoy the freedom of skiing that is different from technical selections, so he can have a beer after descending. Keisuke
is excited about a route he has never been on before, and continues walking with limitless stamina, gazing at the topographical map.
I want to share with everyone the fun of skiing and picking wild vegetables, which can only be done at this time.

Everyone had more in mind than just skating. This was a part of the outdoor activities classes that have continued since high school

As I trudged up the mountain, thinking about such things, two skiers came gliding briskly down from Funakoshi Head.
It's rare to meet anyone else here at this time of year.
When I greeted them, they turned around with big smiles on their faces and I realized they were senior students from Hakuba High School.
It made me happy to think that, in the end, the seniors were still continuing their outdoor activities. I'm sure they picked some wild vegetables on their way back down the mountain.

They reach the peak of the mountain, overlooking Hakuba Oike Pond, and rush to drop into the pond in a freestyle fashion.

When they finish skiing down, they see Aiko taking pictures of the breathtaking view of Hakuba Oike Pond, Keisuke splashing around in the water by the pond, Nobu, seemingly captivated by the charm of the mountain, desperately climbing back up and unable to stop skiing, and Junya, not to be outdone, climbing back up and skiing down a perfect line, rice ball in hand, eagerly awaiting a beer.

We don't just love "skiing," we love "skiing in nature."

As the sun began to set, we started climbing back up from the lakeside to head down the mountain.

From the summit at dusk, we could clearly see the building of Hakuba High School, the school that taught us to enjoy the mountains while coexisting with nature.
The bond between the Hakuba High School alumni, connected by skiing, transcends generations and we will continue to ski together.

Photo: Hiroya Nakata