Telemark skiing is skiing that fitted the Japanese snowy mountains very much.
Telemark Skier, Organizer of TOYRU, Patagonia Ambassador
TAKANASHI YUTAKA

　I was born in 1969 and was brought up in Kanagawa. In the days of
primary schoolchild, I played with friend absorbedly in forest and
river around the home. Hero of boyhood was Uemura Naomi (Adventure) and
Hoshino Michio (Nature Photographer). I thought that I wanted to go to
Hokkaido from admiration to Nature and adventure.

　I came to Hokkaido after graduation from high school immediately.
For first one year, I worked at ranch. In the next year, I began work,
skiing in skiing area. I worked in Niseko from the third year and skied.

　I began skiing since I graduated from high school. When I began
skiing, I almost fell down, and I was not able to enjoy skiing. I
practiced ski in Niseko. However, I did not readily improve.

　When I was beginning to give up progress of ski, as for me, it was
pushed forward snowboarding by friend. When I began snowboarding, I
improved unlike case of ski immediately. I was completely absorbed in
snowboarding. I felt much charm of snowboarding. Pleasure that we could
not experience with ski was one of the charm. Another charm was a
feeling of floating when we slipped while it was wrapped whole body in
powder snow. Because snow boarder was very few, there was slope that
nobody glided everywhere in the afternoon. I enjoyed powder snow all
day.

　I found live-in work in Hirafu and snowboarded earnestly. Most of the friends who slipped together were skiers.

　When snowboarding improved more, my field of activities became
larger. However, I noticed that there was Aria whom snow boarder could
not go though skier was Aria who could go.

　I knew Telemark skiing at that time. I think it to have been 1991.
I was able to slip better than common ski unexpectedly. In slow place
of slant, snowy deep place, forest. We could easily go through in area
to be non-good at such a snowboarding, and I was surprised. This which
can walk over snow freely is pleasant. Telemark skiing was shock for me.

　Originally ski is tool which was produced to move over snow in
everyday life. Therefore it is a matter of course that we can walk over
snow by Telemark skiing freely. Ski for Telemark skiing is ski with
function to walk that the origin of ski had.

　There is not good tool as Telemark skiing we move in forest of fresh
snow, and to enter the snowy mountains. We can move about the snowy
mountains at will if we wear Telemark skiing. I think that Telemark
skiing is skiing that fitted the Japanese snowy mountains very much as
well as Niseko.

　As much as I did Telemark skiing, I improved, and I became captive
of Telemark skiing. It was remarkable, and tool of Telemark skiing
progressed. Furthermore, in Niseko, there are Yamamoto Yukio and
Fukamachi Kazuhiko, pioneer of Telemark skiing in Japan.

　As much as I did it, I thought that I wanted to play better more
heartily. I came to participate in race of Telemark skiing soon and
became solely for Telemark skiing.

　We aim at technical top in race. Therefore race was the best as
motive to improve. I participated in race out of Hokkaido, and I became
able to win high rank constantly.

　I participated in World Cup and the world championship,
international race meet. However, I was not able to place high rank in
international race meet.

　Such time, Watanabe Yoichi (photographer) induced me to trip to Alaska. I agreed to the invitation without question.

　In Alaska, all scales were huger than Japan. In Alaska, we
experienced risky and overwhelming thrill and excitement that we could
not experience in Japan. Since then I went to Alaska six times.

　I came to realize splendor of Niseko again whenever I came back to
Niseko from foreign countries on one side of experience in Alaska. In
Japan, snow is piled up in forest having low altitude. And we can slip
in the forest. Any place other than Japan, there are many areas where
it snows in the mountains of high altitudes beyond the timberline. At
this point I noticed that Japanese nature was very unique. In addition,
Niseko is blessed with slopes that are most suitable for distinguished
snowy quantity and quality, ski and snowboarding.

　I organized work “TOYRU” of guide and school now around 11 years ago
to convey splendor of Niseko which made such oneself captive.

　In 2003, we built this building as office of guide and school. There
was help of many friends and built only by ourselves in one month.

　In 2006, ski guides of Niseko area organized “Niseko Winter Guide
Association” (NWGA). I act as representative of NWGA. We perform
activity to have visitor understand rule and manner so that visitor
coming to Niseko can enjoy safely. Furthermore, we work hard to build
good relations with people of Niseko area to get cooperation.

　Niseko is place that I can be proud of to skiers of the world with
confidence. We think that we based in Niseko want to make Niseko better
more heartily. We do not think about only in the present and must bring
up value that only Niseko has for the future.

　Snow and mountain are the origins of Niseko, and the best property
of Niseko is charm of the snowy mountains. I think this to send better
from now on.