We have been in the planning of doing a LIVESTRONG event for sometime! We scouted the route and finally, I rode the 160 Kilometer (100 miles) route and it truly blew me away. Starting at 6:00 AM … I went up the world class NORIKURA HILL CLIMB~ what a view, what a ride! Then went toward Takayama via Route 158 and because it was still early the road wasn’t too busy… riding through hamlets of traditional Japanese houses, beautiful. After that I proceeded on “Hida Nouen Kaido” to “361″. This is the “backside” of Norikura and the route is through little traveled farm country… I think there was only one signal the whole route. It was harder than I expected but just enough descents to keep those old legs going. At the half point, in ASAHI MURA … I should have just taken a good break but I decided to just keep going. Just keep going? It was a 44 kilometer climb that starts easy and ended on the historical NOMUGI TOUGE. This pass is at the 121 kilometer point of the route and was I tired by then but just then my staff came and gave me a second burst of energy! After a brief rest and then Seth riding the next 39 kilometers with me I was able to successfully challenge myself and thus completing this route. This is definitely a “team event” … not only from a safety point of view but having friends encourage you over the passes. But isn’t life really that way too … yup, life IS a team event that helps you over those passes. I am blessed by the team around me … my family, my staff, and my amazing guests. LIVESTRONG … KEEP RIDING.
Though it may be turning March, it’s not spring just yet in Norikura. Although the plums are just blossoming down the mountain from Norikura Kogen, the ski hill is still up and running. The ski lifts will tentatively be open for one more month. Which means if you still haven’t pulled your skis or snowboard out of the closet yet this season – it’s about time! Hurry up and plan your end of winter trip to the mountain for some fun in the snow.
Rooms and Learn To Ride snowboard lessons from NORTHSTAR have limited availability, so please write or call us as soon as possible to make a reservation. NORTHSTAR’s end of season Thank You Camp could be a perfect opportunity to take your last run on the slopes. This camp special will only be available from March 28-29 and will include a FREE activity, one night of lodging, and two meals for ¥7800 per person. Please see our LTR page for more info on prices for lessons, our Events page for more upcoming activities and camps, or our Spring Backcountry page for the next season of fun here with NORTHSTAR outdoor adventures.
On Thursday here in Norikura at the snow park on the mountain, our park crew working alongside the mountain crew have continued construction of a nice kicker. We have been working to clean it up a bit and create a gap for some nice air time. When we’re finished, it should look pretty nice. Hope to see you around up mountain hitting the park. Enjoy yourself and have a safe ride.
We got to go riding in the backcountry a few days ago. We left the lodge at about 8:30 and we took the fist lifts up to about 2000m where we started our hike. The weather was actually not all that good when we left but by the time we got up mountain it was sunny and beautiful. The first thing we all did before leaving the ski area was activate our Avalanche Transceiver which in the event of an avalanche could help us locate a person who was buried in snow.
We took about 3hrs to hike up and then dug an avalanche pit to check the snow pack for safety before going above the timberline. Learning how to read a snowpack and seeing the layering and bonding between the different snow types is so interesting and important for safety when riding in the backcountry.
If you are interested in going into the backcountry please let us know or visit our backcountry page for more details on our tours starting in February. Also please check out our camps page for upcoming winter camps.
Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming to Norikura!
The 33rd annual world famous outdoor film festival, Banff Mountain Film Festival is coming to Norikura. Over 300 films with themes like “mountain”, “adventure”, “nature” and “enviroment” compete from more than 30 countries for first place and other prizes are elected from them. Over 190,000 people watched the films including the world tour. The event is getting bigger and becoming one of the favorites among people who love the outdoors.
That film festival is coming to Norikura.
Schedule: 18:00 (gate opens) 19:00 start on Saturday October 4th
Place: Norikura Outdoor Theater at Igaya Ski Resort
We are offering special package for the weekend;
Banff Weekend Pacage
¥8,800 [1 night lodging with 2 meals + 1 movie ticket]
Also we provide variety of activities that you can enjoy.
Saturday, October 4th Trail Running (NORTHSTAR) MTB tour (NORTHSTR)
Norikura Kogen Nature Guide Walk（ODSS: 058-248-4711）
NORTHSTAR would like to welcome our newest member to the team, Seth McAllister. He is originally from Oregon State in the U.S. but has been living in Japan for almost four years now. He is an avid Mt. Biker and Snowboarder so naturally he will work as a MTB guide in the summer and Snowboard instructor in the winter. We also have Seth to thank for our new home-page design and all the new marketing material.
We asked Seth a few questions to help you get to know him better.
N★: How old were you when you started Mt. Biking?
Seth: I was in Junior High, but I had been riding BMX bikes for a long time before that.
N★: What kind of bike are you riding now?
Seth: I just got a new Rocky Mountain Slayer and it is sick!
N★: What do you do when your not working?
Seth: I try to spend as much time with my family as I can, my son is growing up so fast and I don’t want to miss anything.
N★: What is your favorite Japanese food?
Seth: I really like “Oyakodon” its chicken with egg in a rice bowl. So good.
N★: And one last random question. What kind of socks do you like?
Seth: I like DAKINE socks.
We have just finished building our new bike maintenance area and installed our new Park tools. While you stay at NORTHSTAR our professional bike staff can now service you Mountain or Road Bike. If you are interested in servicing your own bike we also have another stand and tool kit set aside for our guests to use.
On July 15-16th we will host a Mt. Bike tour here in Norikura and ride some of our best downhill and freeride trails with some of the biggest shop riders and owners in Japan. All this week we have been preparing trails and working on new lines to ride. It should be a great two days of riding.
