Time to get ready!
As if by some premonition, I woke up at 4 AM feeling a chill. It was cold, so I lit a fire in our Nestor (a Nestor Martin, Belgian-made wood stove). While warming myself, I drifted off to sleep! Oh no, I overslept. With all the rushing around, I saw white flakes falling outside, and it dawned on me that it was time to get ready. That's how my morning started.
My friends enjoying freeride skiing were featured on the cover of the Hōhōnoki pamphlet!
The kids in the yellow jackets are Jiro, Kotetsu, and Yusei.
Seeing the snow today finally motivated me to start preparing, but where should I begin? It's said that this year we might get a lot of snow due to La Niña, and I'm just hoping for the best.
For the past few years, there hasn't been much snow, and I haven't been able to ski as much as I did 5 or 10 years ago. However, even further back, the season used to start fully in December. When I think about it, the climate has changed so much within my lifetime. When I was a child, there were school ski clubs for elementary, junior high, and high school students. Nowadays, elementary schools might go twice at most, or even just once. The town doesn't get snow anymore, and it's a certainty that children have fewer opportunities for snow play. Even in snow country like Takayama, if children can't go to the school ski club, many won't go skiing at all. With the recent snow shortages and the uncertainty of whether they'll even go once a year, buying ski equipment for children during their growth period is a huge burden. Even if there is a ski club, most kids just rent equipment for the day.
Let me tell you about when I help out at the local school ski club. The children who come to the ski club are so happy and full of energy. From my perspective, their gloves might seem cold, their goggles might be hard to see through, and their equipment might not be the best, but they are so happy to play in the snow that not a single complaint comes out. When we ride the lift together, they tell me all sorts of stories. They always talk about their parents, their future dreams, and their favorite things. Snow is a gift from nature, and playing in that gift makes them feel energetic. I'm so happy to live in a region where such play can be enjoyed close by, and I want the children of this region to enjoy it even more.
Snow sports are never in the same conditions; the snow quality is always different, natural terrain is never identical, and every run after taking the lift up is skied under completely different circumstances. That's why, more than just being careful, your senses become more acute, and you need to react to the situation, which develops your judgment. You also experience small senses of accomplishment. While playing, your legs and core get stronger, and breathing in the mountain air is good for your lungs.
Being able to generate speed with your own power is a rare skill, and it sharpens your insight, sense of speed, and various other perceptions. It enriches the five senses that are essential for human life.
Precisely because it's limited, we, who were born in a country with snow, and children growing up in snowy regions, want to enjoy playing in the snow. It's a very luxurious form of play. A way of playing, enjoying, and finding joy that amusement parks don't offer.
I think Japan is a blessed country. We have places like this so close by and affordable to visit. If you know about ski resorts abroad*, you'll realize that Japan's winter sports environment is excellent. However, ski resorts in various parts of Japan are facing ongoing difficulties. Let's all enjoy winter sports! Let's play in the snow! Let the children play in the snow!
*A one-day pass for overseas ski resorts is more than twice the price of Japan's, and in some countries and regions, it's three or four times higher.
