More Than Just Powder: The Rise Of Mountain Biking In Niseko

Niseko, long known for powder snow, has in recent years been transforming into a mountain biking mecca.

The process, which began a few years before Covid, accelerated during the pandemic and now includes a network of trails built and administered by a nonprofit, a kids mountain biking organisation, a 3km downhill course at Grand Hirafu Resort and ambitious future plans to turn Niseko into Asia’s premiere mountain biking destination.

Much of the current mountain biking renaissance can be traced to Covid-era 2020 when local mountain biking enthusiasts had ample time to ride the area’s existing trails and began forming a more cohesive community.

In 2021, when Grand Hirafu Resort announced it wouldn’t be reopening its mountain biking course as expected, which closed the previous year due to COVD, the riders organised and formed the Niseko Area Mountain Bike Association (NAMBA) to an enthusiastic response from the local community.

After raising funds from local businesses and organisations, NAMBA secured a parcel of undeveloped land between Hirafu and Hanazono and then engaged Swiss trail builder Allegra Tourism to help design a network of trails.

Site of the NAMBA Twin Peaks Bike Park between Hirafu and Hanazono    |    Trail map    |    Twin Peaks Bike Park, NAMBA

On 16 September of last year, NAMBA’s Twin Peaks Bike Park opened with 12.5km of courses. It will reopen for this year’s green season on 1 June with 13km. The next phase of expansion will establish a further 10km of trails by 2025, with several kilometres coming online this year.

NAMBA co-founder & head of marketing Miles Zeorlin said that the courses opened last year include green (easy), blue (more difficult) and black (very difficult) runs, with the phased build-out reflecting how European resorts bring trails online.

All the courses are free to use and Zeorlin said that ultimately the NAMBA team just wants to share its passion for mountain biking by “lowering any obstacles to the sport”.

Niseko Kids MTB Club

As NAMBA works to make mountain biking more accessible, the Niseko Kids MTB Club is bringing the next generation into the sport.

Niseko Kids MTB Club was also founded in 2020, when a group of Professional Mountain Bike Instructor Association (PMBI)-certified instructors were looking for an acceptable, socially-distant club activity for children.

Under the leadership of Teppei Nakajima and the umbrella of his existing Niseko Mountain Biking School & Guiding company, Niseko Kids MTB Club was formed with 16 initial kids in 2020.

Instructor Kenji Matsuzawa said that this year’s season will be from late May through early October and more than 20 children, Japanese and international, ages 4-16 are expected to join, with well over 40 participants including parents.

The club’s activities are centred around Niseko Koropokkuru Bike Park but also include outings throughout the season.

Photos: Niseko Kids MTB Club

Connecting The Resorts

Niseko’s main resorts are also turning their attention to mountain biking as another way to attract guests during Niseko’s green season, most notably with the reopening of Grand Hirafu’s Mountain Biking Course on 16 July, making this year the first time it will be accessible since 2019.

Zeorlin said that NAMBA has working relationships with all the resorts to eventually have ski lift and gondola entry points to NAMBA trails.

Events This Summer

In coordination with sporting goods and rental company Rhythm Japan, NAMBA will be holding two days of events and celebrations on 1 and 2 June for the opening of its Twin Peaks Bike Park at Rhythm Japan’s Niseko store, which will include discounts on mountain bike rentals.

Other NAMBA events will follow throughout the season, including volunteer days where residents and visitors can get their hands dirty building trails.

Long-term Vision

NAMBA’s ultimate goal is to have trails connecting Niseko’s five resorts, neighbouring towns and even a loop course around Mt Yōtei, a masterplan that is expected to take 20 years to complete.

Along the way, the idea is to have Niseko transform into a world-renowned sustainable mountain bike community and off-road biking trail network.

“We want to overcome the PR problem that mountain biking is just a Red Bull-chugging hardcore thing. That may be the core, but mountain biking is for everyone,” said Zeorlin.

“Our whole goal is a united Niseko area.”

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