avalanche safety

AFTER years of tirelessly deliberating with the government, national parks and other affiliated parties, Niseko Village will this season finally open the epic Mizuno no Sawa terrain to the public.

AFTER years of tirelessly deliberating with the government, national parks and other affiliated parties, Niseko Village will this season finally open the epic Mizuno no Sawa terrain to the public.

Access to the controversial run has been at the centre of debate for years, but this year's opening will undoubtedly offer 67ha

IF there is one subject that stops most winter snow sports aficionados in their tracks, it's avalanches.

Different countries and resorts have their own philosophies and techniques on how to manage them.

 Japan has often favoured a 'no access' policy to backcountry skiing while Canada has a more liberal approach.

 On

I LOVE Japan.

I've lived here for nine years, so considering I'm 36 years old, that's most of my adult life. For those that knew me before I was 25, I'm sure they would suggest it's virtually all of my adult life. I love the people, the way they give 100 per cent in everything they do, their respectfulness, diligence, thoughtfulness

FANCY hiking the peak, dropping Osawa (the back bowl) then hiking back up, dropping down to Goshiki and hiking Iwanopuri? If that sounds like a good day’s riding to you, you’ll want to be packing all the avy gear. For Niseko, a compact and solid daypack is a staple. The Black Diamond Bandit Avalung Pack does something that no other

IMAGINE this. You can’t move an inch. It feels like tonnes of cement have instantly solidified around your entire body. As you struggle to keep the snow at bay and away from your face, it relentlessly keeps filling your mouth and nose, blocking your airway as you gasp for precious oxygen. All you can hear, besides deathly silence,

NISEKO is renowned for its liberal, open-minded and lightly policed stance when it comes to off-piste, or the backcountry – a viewpoint that is generally uncharacteristic of Japan. This sense of autonomy has no doubt put the village on the map as both an international ski resort, and also a major domestic drawcard for Japanese snow lovers.

Not to the Mizuno no Sawa (yet), but to the media. On February 29, Higashiyama resort hosted a demonstration to the press about the steps it has been taking to allow access into Mizuno no Sawa (the closed bowl under the Niseko Gondola). For the past 2 years, the resort has been practicing bombing avalanche-prone areas in the bowl to encourage a

Of 100 buried victims wearing a beacon, 50 will die. The Avalung significantly improves your chance of surviving an avalanche. When you are covered in a snowpack the exhaled air forms a cone around the mouth which prevents fresh oxygen from getting in. Once the mouthpiece is in place the Avalung functions as an artificial air-pocket, drawing O2