Photo byTonko Takahashi
How do skiers and snowboarders make the most of their Hakuba Valley all-mountain season pass (hereinafter abbreviated as "Valley Pass")? Let's take a glimpse into the winter lifestyle of 20-year-old snowboarder Shuzaburo Otsubo, who spent a long time living abroad due to his parents' work, and how he uses his Valley Pass. Click here for skier Hideaki Gomi's story .
He got hooked on snowboarding in Calgary, Canada
Shuzaburo Otsubo is a 20-year-old university student living in Tokyo. He is a professional snowboarder who was promoted to professional status in 2019 after placing third in the JSBA points rankings. He spends the snowless seasons in Tokyo, and when it does snow, he relocates to Hakuba and enjoys skiing in the Hakuba Valley
During his childhood, he moved around the world due to his father's job. He spent time in Malaysia, Azerbaijan, the United States, and Canada, and it was in Calgary, Canada, the host city of the Olympics, that he became engrossed in snowboarding. There, he was surrounded by serious snowboarders, as the facility had a halfpipe large enough to host World Cup events and a competition-ready big
air. He was greatly influenced by this, and as a result, when his father was transferred to Russia, he chose to return to Japan with his mother and dedicate himself to practicing snowboarding. He based himself at Osaka KINGS, where he honed his skills under the coaching of Keiji Okamoto. It turned out that Okamoto was based in Hakuba.
I started using the volleyball ticket from the 2022-2023 season
"There was a shared house called 'BASE GORYU' run by Keiji at the foot of Goryu. Since high school, that was my base during the season. At first, I would walk about 15 minutes to the ski resort and ski at Goryu and Hakuba 47 (hereinafter referred to as 47) every day. The park was my main focus, so for three seasons I just skied at the 47 park.
Or rather, 47 was the only place I needed. It was the environment and mindset where all I needed was to be able to jump and jib, haha."
That's when, in the 2021-22 season, I participated in and won the JFO (JAPAN FREERIDE OPEN: a freeride competition organized by riders) held at Hakunori (Hakuba Norikura Onsen Ski Resort) and Cortina (Hakuba Cortina), and I thought I'd like to try the world of freeride as well. Keiji also told me that I should ski on various mountains.
However, at that time, the only ticket available was for Goryu 47, so after doing some research, I found out that there were valet tickets, and I bought my first valet ticket in the 2022-23 season."
Otsubo started using the valley pass from the 2022-2023 season. Once the season begins, he skis at various ski resorts in Hakuba Valley, free to ski anywhere in the mountains without being tied to a specific park until mid-January, and from February onwards he travels all over the country to take part in slopestyle and big air competitions. When he returns to Hakuba between competitions, he mainly skis at the parks, which is his usual flow for the season
"Until now, I used to buy a one-day pass to go to ski resorts other than Goryu 47, but that was pretty expensive, wasn't it?
The valet pass is a lot of money for me as a student, but it eliminates any financial worries about skiing at the Hakuba Valley ski resorts during the season, so I went for it without hesitation."
During the season, if there was a competition coming up, I would mainly go to Park 47, but at the beginning of the season I would check the weather forecast to see where it was likely to snow or where it was already snowing, and then ski from morning until night. I often went to Parks like Happo and Cortina, as well as Goryu 47
Since we create videos as a season edit after winter ends, being able to film powder, freeriding, and park riding in one area increases the variety of footage we can capture.
In particular, for park riding, we often go to parks at Iwatake and Happo, not just 47. Unlike 47, those parks incorporate the terrain, making them fun to ride, and the variety of shots makes them great locations for filming.
Also, it's great that I can easily participate in the "Hammer Banger" big kicker event that takes place at the top of Tsugaike in the spring.
There are also many events at each ski resort in the spring, so it's helpful not to have to worry about the cost of lift tickets. The park also changes with the seasons, just like powder, so it's great to be able to adapt to that. The features change, the size increases, and if it's a terrain park, the conditions change constantly depending on when you go.
I can adapt to those changes in both powder and the park without hesitation, and above all, having many options has been a major benefit I've felt since getting a valet pass."
You'll never get bored of skiing at the ski resorts and mountains of Hakuba Valley
Otsubo travels all over Japan to compete in slopestyle and big air competitions. During the 22-23 season, he spent a total of about two weeks visiting Alts Bandai in Fukushima Prefecture, Palcall Tsumagoi in Gunma Prefecture, X-JAM Takai Fuji in Nagano Prefecture, Washigatake in Gifu Prefecture, and Niseko HANAZONO in Hokkaido.
However, since competitions are his main focus, he doesn't get to fully enjoy these ski resorts. On the contrary, the more he skis in other areas, the more he appreciates the beauty of Hakuba Valley, where he usually skis.
"I go to each ski resort for a competition, so I don't ski everywhere, but I inevitably get bored. Basically, I practice for the competition in the morning and then ski free in the afternoon. That means that most of the good spots are already skied and it's a mess. I ski in good powder spots in the morning, and then in the afternoon I feel like going to a different ski resort
There are limits to what one ski resort can do, so when you think about it, the volleyball ticket system is a really great idea, and when you go to other areas, you really feel that."
We asked Otsubo about the best day of the 2022-2023 season for having a volleyball ticket
"It was the day at the beginning of February when we went skiing to three different resorts: Happo, Cortina, and Tsugaike. The weather forecast was cloudy, but it turned out to be incredibly sunny that day.
So, that day we headed out into the backcountry from Happo and skied down the south face with a friend. We were actually planning to stop after just that one run, but there was hardly anyone there and the conditions were so good that we decided to drop in for another run."
After that, we drove to Cortina, the northernmost point. There were a few lines, but even though it wasn't early in the morning, there was still plenty of powder left. We found some good lines while traversing and were completely absorbed in skiing until after 1pm
The last stop was Tsugaike. DBD (TSUGAIKE DOUBLE BLACK DIAMOND) is a vast area, so there were many areas that were not visited by people, so I went there to ski. The day I realized it was already 4pm was the best day I had skiing in Hakuba last season
I also bought a season pass for the 2022-2023 Goryu night skiing season, so I really feel like I was skiing from morning until night, not just on this day."
By skating in various places, I improved my skills and made more connections with people
Otsubo has been making full use of the volleyball ticket, but what changes has happened to her since she got it?
"The biggest thing I noticed when I looked back at the footage of the freeride competitions was that my riding had become more consistent. JFO doesn't offer many opportunities to ride in powder conditions, and the competition slopes are often quite bumpy because everyone rides on them.
When I look at the footage from the 21-22 season, I think I was carving, but it turned into a sliding turn, and I couldn't stop."
By the 2022-2023 season, I was able to make some pretty neat carving turns. Using a longer board to increase stability on rough slopes was also effective, but I hadn't thought of that until I'd been skiing in a variety of places
I think that being able to ski with the whole mountain in mind has helped me grow, as I've been able to enjoy not only the park but also powder and freeride, and I've also had more people ski with me. Among them were many people who brought me new inspiration, such as those who guided me around the mountain and took videos and photos
After all, if you keep skiing in the same place, it can get a bit monotonous and the excitement fades. It's great that I've been able to make so many connections within the Hakuba area."
While focusing on achieving good results in slopestyle and big air competitions, Mr. Otsubo also enjoys powder and freeride, which has resulted in him becoming a better snowboarder overall and expanding his enjoyment of the sport.
By riding all over the Hakuba area, he has also broadened the range of videos he creates, so it's all been a win-win situation. Mr. Otsubo will be based in Hakuba again this winter. Of course, he also intends to get his hands on a valet pass for the 2023-2024 season.