THE MASSIVE SKIING AREA OF ALTS BANDAI
keeps the snow out of direct sunlight and makes it hard to melt, and the long period that fresh snows remain. While the quality of snow in other areas might gradually deteriorate, it is quite often that Nekoma alone remains fresh. The weather when we went was, again, snowy. Not the best conditions for taking photos, but the best possible conditions for fresh snow to continue building up while you’re hitting the slopes. The easy nature of the land makes Nekoma home to many readily enjoyable sidecountry
areas, and it is for this reason that it has earned the position of a much-loved spot among hardcore skiers. This was no exception, we took the best advantage of the sidecountry areas as possible, coming across natural jumps and tunnels created by the forms of fallen trees and taking shots of skiing and snowboarding side by side. The snows only grew heavier as the afternoon arrived, putting an end to our photographic endeavours in a matter of hours, but we were still able to get a number of good shots.
Still fresh from the excitement of Nekoma the day before, the next morning, Kei came to pick us up at the hotel where we were staying. That day, Kei was dressed in a bright yellow, newly acquired getup given the previous day’s difficulty in showing up on camera. Our destination for the day was the largest skiing area in all of Aizu, Alts Bandai, whose main attraction is the cat ski tour held only on weekends. Inaccessible via the lifts on weekdays, this tour allows a small number of people to access an area via snowmobile (cat) on the weekends. Getting to ski down this course where you can enjoy snows built up all through the week is quite the experience. While our schedule didn’t fall on a weekend this time, we were able to get some shots out in the sidecountry areas and skiing fields thanks to recommendations from our local expert, Kei. The sheer size of this resort offers a great many places to enjoy. We were able to get some great shots in addition to the ones we captured at Nekoma the day before, and I hope they convey a sense of the sheer potential of the snows that Aizu has on offer. Finishing up our two short, but full days of shooting, I took the wheel as we drove onwards. There are a great many wonderful skiing areas in Japan, but those that match the quality of Aizu are few and far between. In addition to the skiing resorts of Hokkaido and Nagano that are already popular among overseas skiers, why not add Aizu to the list of areas to visit this coming season? jStyle issue 17 │ 63