How do skaters make use of the Hakuba Valley all-mountain season ticket (hereinafter abbreviated to ``volley ticket'')? Hidetoshi Gomi, an office worker living in Yokohama who enjoys mountain skiing, has been enjoying skiing at ski resorts with his grown children over the past year or two. Let's take a glimpse of Gomi's winter lifestyle with a volleyball ticket, as he skis from Hokkaido to the Hakuba area (hereinafter referred to as Hakuba). Click here for the snowboarding version by Shuzaburo Otsubo .
Mountain skiing is the main battlefield until children can ski
Hidetoshi Gomi was born in Chino City, Nagano Prefecture and currently lives in Yokohama City. He started skiing seriously in high school, and even got a part-time job at a ski resort in college. He gradually fell in love with alpine snowboarding, and eventually went to NZ.
After becoming a member of society, the number of ski days per season was about 10 days, but in 2006, I went to ARAI, which was a turning point. So he opened his eyes to fresh snow and deep snow and shifted from alpine boards to freestyle boards. For a while he enjoyed the powder at the ski resort, but gradually his gaze turned to the mountain behind it. As I changed my style to mountain boards, I didn't know about the existence of splitboards at the time.
After that, I was deeply absorbed in mountain skiing, and spent days repeating hard mountain climbing.
Even after her child was born, she continued to ski in the same way, but since she started skiing at the age of three, she has improved day by day. Currently, I spend less time skiing on mountains and more opportunities to ski with my children.
The 2022-2023 season when adults spent volleyball tickets and children mainly spent the NSD Kids Program
“In the 2022-23 season, I skied 55 days. Mountain skiing was 26 days, ski resort 29 days. Almost every weekend, it's my routine to go from my home in Yokohama to the mountains in various places.Since there are paid holidays and winter holidays, you can apply for weekday holidays in advance, but in the last few years, due to work, it's just before This is where it is difficult to take a day off.
I started using volleyball tickets from the 22-23 season. One of the reasons was the NSD Kids Program (10 ski resorts are free for elementary school students and younger). In addition to being able to ski at Kashimayari, Happo, and Tsugaike, I also purchased a children's season ticket for Goryu 47. So, I was able to secure opportunities to ski together at half the ski resorts in the Hakuba area, and in the 2022-23 season, the number of times I skied with my children exceeded the number of times I skied by myself for the first time.”
When his children were small, Gomi often enjoyed mountain skiing with his friends. In Hakuba, there were risks such as the junction peak of Mt. Shakushi and unreturned, but I repeatedly hiked with a high sense of fulfillment.
I used to ski mainly in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture with friends I met at a guide club, but as I became able to ski with my children, I gradually shifted my focus to safer and more fun routes. was The increase in the number of ski resorts that have developed new snow areas and are open to the public has had a major impact.
That said, he hasn't stopped going to the mountains at all, so the volleyball ticket matched Mr. Gomi's desire to ski with his children and spend his free time in the powder at ski resorts or in the backcountry.
The reason why the Hakuba mountains are better than the nearby mountains is the highway!?
Commuting from Yokohama to Hakuba every week takes time and distance.
The NSD kids program also has several places to ski other than Hakuba, so there should be many other options for skiing in the Kanto region. Still, why did Mr. Gomi choose the Hakuba area as his home mountain?
"I don't like the Kanetsu Expressway on weekends. It's really crowded, isn't it? Traffic starts from Nerima at 5 in the morning, and it's even worse on the way back. I live in Yokohama, so go to the Hakuba area via the Chuo Expressway. If you go to Gunma/Yuzawa, it's a bit far, but it doesn't take much time. Or, there are many factors such as it is difficult to apply good snow.
In that respect, once you go to Hakuba, there are 10 ski resorts, so you have a lot of choices, and if you want to go to the mountains, you can go right away.
The slopes alone are enough to satisfy me, and I also like the atmosphere with many foreigners. Also, I have many friends who go to the mountains together in the Kansai and Chukyo areas, so Hakuba, which is halfway between me and the Kanto area, is just right for me.”
Based on Hakuba, which has good snow quality and a wide variety of slopes, it is easy for friends to gather.
Check the weather forecast and information posted on SNS, and if it is clear that Myoko is raining, go to Charmant or Arai. If the inland is good, Madarao or Nozawa Onsen. act on
I don't want to be tied up with a volleyball ticket and not go to the place where I should go. Even so, if it is raining or piling up, he says that he will choose Hakuba without hesitation.
Considering the number of options in the area, the altitude of each ski resort, and the quality of the snow, Hakuba is said to be the winner.
“Courses that are hard to believe they are inside a ski resort are also attractive. For example, the line that connects Happo-no-Kurobishi to the skyline. Unpacked courses are not much different from backcountry slopes, but after the first hour or two, you'll be satisfied."
After I got the volleyball ticket, the profit and loss account disappeared from my head
Mr. Gomi acts so as not to miss a good timing during the limited holidays during the season.
From that point of view, the valet ticket, which has a perfect balance of early discount price and excellent utility, was perfect for his style. What is your impression of using volleyball tickets for one season?
"With a one-day ticket, if you don't ski for half a day from the morning, you'll feel a little lost. But with the volleyball ticket, I was freed from that. If you don't want to go up and ski one or two, you can come down to the foot of the mountain.If you enjoy it, just keep skating.It's stress-free because you don't have to worry about profit and loss, and you can move according to your mood at that time.
Also, as is often the case, I think it is a great advantage to be able to move to a different ski without hesitation when the service is canceled due to wind or when only the lower lift works but there is no refund. Feel free to move around in search of conditions and fresh snow.
I can't say it out loud, but it's a great attraction to be able to ski before and after mountain skiing. As a skier, you can't miss the powder on the slopes in the morning and the groomed snow slopes.
It's a small detail, but it's a great thing that you don't have to line up at the lift sales floor every time. In other prefectures, there was a long line when using the service, and I couldn't buy a ticket even if I waited for an hour, so it was very helpful not to have to worry about that. Taking all of these things into consideration, I think that the level of satisfaction with skiing for the price is appropriate.”
He owns the NSD Kids Program, but says that 47 is often used when skating with children. I think there is a reason for that.
“The access to the gondola from the parking lot is very close to 47, which is very convenient. The park is around the time I want to ski, so the environment is perfect.
Even on days when it rains, there are times when I say that I want to go to the park in the morning and don't ask, but when I'm with my child, I try to do as much as possible. However, there were times when the conditions were so good that I casually suggested that Kocchi was better for me, and skied the powder on Routes 2 and 3.
Tsugaike was also a lot. DBD has a wide area, so there are many places where powder remains. If Kotani was snowing, I would round up 47 and fight around. I thought that the combination of the volleyball ticket and the NSD kids program allowed both adults and children to move together according to the conditions.
But even if you have a volleyball ticket, if the weather is good, such as when it's raining in the Shinetsu and Myoko areas rather than in Hakuba, you can go and skate without hesitation, even if you have children."
Create a place where you can go without hesitation
Mr. Gomi spends the season using other passes, centering on the volleyball ticket. I have the first volleyball ticket in the 22-23 season, and have there been any changes so far?
“Honestly, there are no big changes such as my skiing skills have improved, my way of thinking has changed, or I have started to go skiing in Hakuba more than before. I think it's a big deal.
If it is a specific ski resort, you will only ski there. However, Hakuba Valley is vast from north to south, and there are 10 ski resorts to choose from. There are plenty of places to go, and the season is long, so I never get bored.”
Partly because the number of times we skied together increased dramatically, not only did third-graders learn to ski almost anywhere on the powder within the ski resort, but they also started skiing in the backcountry in the 2022-23 season. It grew enough to capture the slopes of Kanayamazawa on Mt. Shirouma. By accumulating a lot of skiing experience in various places, children with high absorbency will grow rapidly.
"There are volleyball tickets for children, but I'm hesitant about the price when I think about the number of times I can go, so personally I'd be happy if there was a volleyball ticket for parents and children."
Mr. Gomi says so. Hakuba Valley has ski resorts that can be enjoyed together with children of all skill levels. Gomi and his son are planning to visit the Hakuba area this winter as well.