While the great appeal of being able to enjoy free skiing in the great outdoors is the backcountry of snowy mountains, where there are various dangers lurking. Backcountry guides are experts who use their wealth of knowledge and experience to provide you with an unparalleled skiing experience while ensuring your safety on these snowy mountains. We take a closer look at the ``personality'' and ``guiding'' of these up-and-coming guides who choose professional guiding as their occupation and step slowly and steadily into the world.
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Days spent in the alpine at the foot of Mt. Chokai
For Sato, who grew up at the foot of Mt. Chokai, one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains and a famous mountain representing Akita Prefecture, skiing has been a pastime for him ever since he could remember.
``I was born and raised in a farmhouse near a ski resort that was covered in snow in the winter.My parents and older brother skied, so when I first started walking, I started skiing down the back mountains and slopes wearing boots. His home ski resort was Chokai Kogen Yajima Ski Resort, and at the time skiers were lining up for the ski lifts during the ski boom of the bubble economy. I remember.”
When he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, he joined a youth sports club and began alpine skiing in earnest. Skiing was fun, but it took off in junior high school, and he placed high in the prefectural tournament. At this time, they will travel to all the ski resorts in the prefecture, including Lake Tazawa, Moriyoshiyama Ani, Akita Hachimantai, and Junes Kurikoma, and will experience firsthand the charm of Akita's snow.
A teacher from the ski club at a high school asked him, ``Would you like to come to my house?'' and he entered the high school on the recommendation of skiing. However, after that, he was unable to achieve the results he had hoped for in the alpine races.
“Perhaps because I had been skating on soft snow for so long, I had a hard time on the rough ice, and I couldn't get the time I wanted, so I gave up.I felt sorry for the teacher who invited me, and I felt bad for myself. It was tough. There were times when I wanted to quit, but I still love snow and have continued to do so to this day."
Skiing saved my life and gave me back my life
After graduating from high school, he shifted from alpine skiing to basic skiing.
``Since I was young, I have dreamed of being in the security profession, so I decided to join the Self-Defense Forces.I really wanted to live in a place where there was snow, so I decided to work in a northern region. I had an environment where I could continue skiing during my off-duty hours, so I naturally started devoting myself to competitions.”
Before I knew it, I started aiming for the All Japan Ski Skills Championship, and through my hard work, I was able to qualify. I once gave up and started to hate skiing, but now I've regained my sense of self. And this time, that ski would save his life.
"After three years as a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, I started having problems with relationships and was diagnosed with depression. At that time, I wanted to die every day. My ski friends couldn't bear to see me like this, so they told me, ``You're fine!'' He took me to Mt. Hakkoda BC on April 1st, a day I will never forget. It was Uda, and the weather was pecan. I looked out over the mountains of my hometown, from Hakkoda covered with frost-covered trees to Mt. Iwaki, Hachimantai, and Mt. Moriyoshi. My heart felt cleansed, and I burst into tears without fear of being seen. I thought if I could see such a beautiful view, I would try harder to live.”
The snowy mountains of Tohoku change your life
After this mountain trip, the snowy mountains of his hometown, Tohoku, changed Sato's life. ``If I don't change my environment, things will be ruined,'' I decided to quit my job. A few years later, when I thought about how I was going to make a living, I decided I wanted to get a job that would allow me to put my skiing to good use. After collecting information from magazines and the internet, I learned for the first time about the existence of backcountry guides who make a living doing mountain skiing.
“Wow, it was an eye-opening experience for me to have a job like this.I was able to use Hakkoda, where my heart was purified, and Mt. Chokai, which I have seen since I was a child, as my workplace and introduce it to many people.What a wonderful experience. I thought it was work.”
I came across the website of the International Natural Environment and Outdoor College (i-nac) in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, and decided to go on a tour of the school.
"A woman two years older than me was a current student, and she encouraged me by saying, ``29 isn't too late. If you want to do something, then take on the challenge,'' so I decided to enroll. She is now a lecturer in the professional mountaineering department. "is being done"
He could have gotten involved in skiing as an SA J certified instructor. Why did you choose the harsh world of snowy mountains as the setting for your work?
``I had some experience teaching skiing on the slopes and getting paid, but I couldn't imagine it being a viable job.Instructors have to explain skiing verbally while showing their skills. I wasn't good at expressing movement in words. And above all, the quiet snowy mountains felt more comfortable than the crowded slopes, and it suited me better."
Student life in Myoko Kogen, where there are four distinct seasons, was so fun that every day felt like summer vacation. We had bonfires and camping in front of the school, and we used snowboards to slide down the snow piles collected by snow removal. However, he was faced with the harsh reality of becoming a mountain climbing guide, and was often discouraged.
``When Daisuke Sasaki, an international mountain guide from Hokkaido, came as a special lecturer, I went skiing on Mt. Takatsuma with a tent on my shoulders.I was the only woman, so I was exhausted with my heavy luggage and deep rasp.``Sato-chan Russell asked me to take 100 steps, but the pace was so fast that my lungs couldn't keep up and I was only able to walk 80 steps.The frustrating memories from that time are still with me today.
I have to carry out classes under the same circumstances as high school graduates and men in their 20s. It was physically exhausting. I can no longer enjoy the mountains. At that time, the words of international mountain guide Makoto Kuroda, who served as a special lecturer, still haunt me and have served as the support and guideline for me to continue as a guide.
``The mountains won't spare you, whether you're a man or a woman. If you persist in your weak areas, you will be rewarded. If you like mountains, go for it.''
His strong beliefs and love for his hometown move those around him.
The wonderful encounters brought about by skiing didn't end there.
``When I was in my third year of school, I went on a ski trip to Mt. Iwaki.I happened to meet Kosei Takahashi of IWATE BACKCOUNTRY GUIDES in the mountains, and when I told him that I wanted to work as a guide in Tohoku, he said, ``Well, why don't you work as a tail guide at our company?'' 'I worked with Mr. Takahashi as a sub-guide for three seasons while I was still in school, and learned about his behavior and know-how in the field.''
During my internship when I was in my second year of school, I knocked on the doors of the Hakkoda Guide Club and worked for about three weeks under the group's leader, Hiroyoshi Soma, while sleeping in a mountain hut. He said he chose Hakkoda because he remembered the spectacular scenery that saved his life during his time in the Self-Defense Forces.
Shortly after I became independent, when my schedule became completely blank due to the coronavirus pandemic, I was kindly given a part-time job by Haruto Koyamauchi of the Ishii Sports Akita store. When I returned to Akita after graduating from vocational school, I went to say hello and say, ``I'll be indebted to you from now on.'' Furthermore, thanks to Mr. Koyamauchi's introduction, we will be supporting the Swedish handmade skis ``Extremski'' and the Scandinavian clothing ``Elevenate'' starting this season.
In the spring of the age of 29, I decided to return to Akita in three years and become a guide who could show me around the mountains of Tohoku, including Mt. Chokai, so I set out for Myoko. With his strong beliefs and love for his hometown, Sato's senior colleagues in Tohoku must have wholeheartedly supported him.
“ Spur Akita Mountain Guide Service” started in 2019, fulfilling a promise to myself
In the spring of 2019, after graduating from vocational school, I launched the guide company “Spur Akita Mountain Guide Service” and began working as a mountaineering guide commissioned by a travel agency in the summer and as a BC guide helping other companies in the winter. .
``I couldn't be financially independent at all, so I couldn't leave my parents' house for a while.It wasn't until my third year that my annual schedule was full and I was able to live on my own without relying on my parents.Even now, I don't have much time in the winter. There are times when I wonder if I'm skating for myself (lol).
During the on-season, he hosts BC guided tours at two locations: his parents' home in Yurihonjo City and a rented house on Lake Tazawa.
``During the harsh winter months of our home mountain, Mt. Chokai, we are unable to take customers with us due to the long approach and harsh weather.Mt. It's only available in the spring. I climb and ski Mt. Chokai in the cold winter for my own training. It's really hard, but the snow is really nice (lol).
During the mid-winter period, which lasts until April, he will use Lake Tazawa as his base and provide guidance in three areas: Lake Tazawa, Mt. Moriyoshi, and Hachimantai.
``I look at how the snow is falling and the direction of the wind and move laterally.For example, if it snows on average, it's Mt. Moriyoshi or Mt. Komagatake, Akita. The snow is mild and dry.On the other hand, if there is a cyclone on the south coast, the snow will fall on the Pacific side, so people will go to Mt. Moriyoshi on the Sea of Japan side.
Remove the area where it rained. What a luxurious tour. Being able to move east and west based on how the snow is falling is a plan unique to the snowy Tohoku region.
``Akita is a place with very poor transportation, and the snowy mountains are still not that well-known.The customers who come and visit us are always surprised and ask, ``Akita has a place like this?'' Also, the mountain isn't that big and there aren't many steep slopes, so it may not be an attractive mountain area for people who like to ski hard.
On rare days when the weather is stable, you can't ski the wide open barn without increasing the altitude. Since Akita has a low rate of sunny skies, there are inevitably many tree runs in the beech forest. So it's not an area where that many people come. It's also because my existence isn't that well known and I haven't been able to promote myself yet."
The snowy mountains of Akita are the perfect stage
Sato, who was born and raised in Akita, does he take Tohoku's privileged environment for granted? Or are you acting modestly? As a big fan of Akita Snow, I (author: Shinya Moriyama) will speak passionately on Sato's behalf.
I currently live in Niigata, but I love Akita so much that I want to live there. Twice a year, I go on a snow trip to Akita, once in the harsh winter and once when there is still snow. The ski resort is empty and located slightly inland, so the snow is nice. You can find open barns all over the world, but you can only experience giant beech tree runs in Tohoku. Hot springs spring up everywhere, the quality of the hot springs is excellent, and the bathing fees are cheap. Goods from the Sea of Japan, sake, Akita Komachi, Kiritanpo... your stomach will be satisfied.
And above all, the people are warm and easy-going. You can enjoy plenty of skiing at Mt. Chokai, Mt. Gassan, and Akita Hachimantai until June. It is the ultimate snow paradise that you would like to enjoy quietly without anyone knowing if possible. I'm not the only one who feels envious of Sato, who guides people there, and thinks she has foresight.
“I am most happy that the customers I worked with at IWATE BACKCOUNTRY GUIDES and the Hakkoda Guide Club have come to visit me, and that I have formed horizontal connections within Tohoku.This time, from here in Akita, Our goal is to bring more customers to Iwate Hachimantai and Aomori Hakkoda.In this way, we hope to enliven the snowy mountains of Tohoku."
I want to focus on Tohoku
I wonder if they will guide you to areas other than Tohoku if requested. For example, the Hokushin/Joetsu area where I lived for three years?
``I'm limited to the Tohoku area. Iwaki in the north, Mt. Chokai in the south, and Mt. Gassan. If I don't go to other mountain areas, I can't spread my connections and knowledge, and some of me get bored, but the area... I want to focus on Tohoku.Many guides in Tohoku don't leave the area with their home mountains.I want to follow the example of my predecessors.
The snow continues to fall consistently and steadily, and I can ski on fresh snow every day, which means I have a deep love for the mountains.
I hear that the number of foreigners who are fascinated by the snowy mountains and culture of Tohoku, where the original scenery of Japan remains, is increasing every year. Last year, when the staff of "Extrem Ski" came to Japan from Sweden, we happened to meet in the mountains of Tohoku.
``He said that the beech tree run was really good, and that soaking in a remote hot spring in Tohoku was perfect. He said he was a lucky person to be surrounded by a beautiful forest and able to ski on that snow every day. I was really happy that they agreed with what I thought was good.”
Perhaps foreigners are more aware of the wonders of winter in Tohoku than Japanese. It's not as flashy as the Alps, but it's a primeval snowy mountain where the Japanese people live, who have always lived with snow. It is the snow itself that has nurtured the customs, culture, food, and personality of a region, and I want to feel a part of it by touching the snow. Tohoku is waiting for such skiers.
“When I can gather more customers myself, I would like to do a collaborative tour with my fellow guides and female guides who have been very helpful to me. I want to become a guide who can do that kind of thing at an early stage.
I want to give back to the mountains of Tohoku that gave me the hope to live when I was sick. Also, if there are people who are depressed like I was in the past, I would like to share some energy with them in the mountains of Tohoku. That's why I'll do my best here in Tohoku."
【Profile】
Mariko Sato
Born in 1983 in Yurihonjo City (formerly Yajima Town), Akita Prefecture. A mountain climbing guide who runs "Spur Akita Mountain Guide". Started skiing competitively at a young age, and after learning basic skiing (he has participated in the All Japan Ski Skills Championship), he entered the world of snowy mountains. After graduating from the professional mountaineering department at the International Natural Environment and Outdoor College, he returned to his hometown of Akita and started working as a guide. The BC areas we specialize in are Lake Tazawa, Akita Hachimantai, Mt. Moriyoshi, and Mt. Chokai. Qualifications: Japan Mountain Guide Association Certification (JMGA)
, JMGA Mountaineering Guide Stage II
, JMGA Ski Guide Stage I
, JAN Avalanche Operator Level 1
Spur akita mountain guide
official website: https://spur-akita.com
Official SNS: Instagram
