This time, the stage is set in Sapporo, a city that offers a variety of "delicious tokos"!
This time, we headed to Sapporo, Hokkaido , in search of powder snow and exquisite gourmet food. What? Sapporo has a strong image as a tourist destination, but does it have powder snow? You may be thinking, "Sapporo has a strong image as a tourist destination, but does it have powder snow? In fact, Sapporo is the best place from Tokyo where you can easily reach and enjoy the best snow.
At 7:00 a.m., the members of this year's group gathered at Haneda Airport. From left, Rie Yamahata (outdoor writer), Hiroshi Yamamoto (HOUYHNHNM's deputy editor-in-chief), the founder of the handsome HOUYHNHNM ski club, and Nobuyuki Ida (stylist).
The author and Mr. Yamamoto have been skiing for four years, and now that they have acquired some basic skiing skills, they are having a great time skiing! They are just now having fun skiing. In contrast, Mr. Ida is skiing for the second time in his life. He is a great soccer player, but will he be able to use his athleticism to his advantage in skiing? The plane, carrying the two excited skiers and the one nervous skier, arrived at New Chitose Airport in no time. From there, they headed for the slopes by car.
The first place we will head to is located about 1 hour and 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport, inSapporo Kokusai Ski Resort." Although it is a bit far from the airport, there are a variety of courses from the top to the bottom of the mountain, making it a slope that can be enjoyed by beginners and advanced skiers alike, regardless of skill level.
Take a short detour before hitting the slopes. . Rent the latest gear at SEB.
Before going to Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort, you can visit the Ameer Sports Japan-managed "Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort.Sapporo Experience Base (SEB). stop by the "Ski & Snowboard" shop. Here you can rent boots and boards for skiing and snowboarding from Salomon and Atomic.
Experienced staff will fit you with the right boots for your feet, show you how to choose a board, or just give you a great deal of support, so even if you are a beginner who doesn't know what to choose ......, you don't have to worry. Even if you are a beginner who doesn't know what to choose, you can borrow the right gear for you without any knowledge. I came empty-handed for this event, you see!
Of course, you can also rent the latest models of the season, all of which have been maintained by our skilled staff, so you can go straight to the slopes after renting, and safety is ensured as well. Furthermore, the rental fee for ski boots is ¥3,500() including tax, and for boards, ￥4,500~ (tax not included) for 1 night/2 days and ￥6,500~ (tax not included) for 2 nights/3 days, making the cost performance very attractive!
Incidentally, the first floor is for gear and clothing sales, while the second floor is for fitting and display space. Free trail running shoes were also available for rent.
Now that you have all the gear you need, it's time to go to powder heaven. ......
At the Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort , we first got our feet wet.
First, we went to a gentle, wide beginner course to get our feet wet.
Mr. Ida, skiing for the second time in his life, was a bit nervous. . I can understand, I was like that at first. Although I am still too scared to try the advanced course ....... Mr. Yamamoto was itching to ski. First of all, let's warm ourselves up by skiing slowly!
Accompanied by a staff member from Salomon, who arranged this tour, Mr. Ida was learning how it feels to ride a board. He's pretty limp, but he's okay. ......?
And then, ah, I did it. . a path every beginner must take. But, it's no big deal when you're skiing on smooth powder snow. It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would!
Following Mr. Ida, we also started to ride on. The fine texture of the snow was very light, and we were able to draw edges just as we wanted. Although I am still a novice, the "powder magic" makes me feel like I am skiing well. The smooth powder is the best!
After that, it took him another two hours to warm up his body as he continued to work his way around the slippery beginner course. As one would expect from a former soccer player, Mr. Ida was already able to ski down the slopes by himself. He is a quick learner!
Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort is located a little far from the city center, and the view is perfect. After a short break, we headed to the next slope.
