The long-awaited third chapter of Blackcrows’ Ghost Resorts series has arrived. The first two episodes took us throughout North America, with episode one bringing us to the vacant pow fields of Ski Rio, New Mexico and episode two giving us a look at the once iconic Fortress Mountain in Alberta, Canada. Despite the lack of care and persistent harsh climates in which they live, these resorts and their stories have remained intact over all these years.
In this third chapter, Blackcrows takes us to the mecca of powder skiing; Japan. Turns out, skiing in Japan has gone through several swings in the sport’s lifetime. While many in the West are keen to head to the Land of the Rising Sun in search of the deepest snow on Earth, Japan’s ski boom was actually back in the 1990s. A booming economy led the nation into a skiing frenzy. Resorts began popping up left and right as corporations tried to capitalize off the country’s ski fever. Hiroaki Kohno, a ski historian at the Nozawa Onsen Ski History Museum, describes these 1980s resorts as “playgrounds.” Indeed, the videos shown in the film resemble more of an overcrowded beach and less of a ski resort, something we know all too well these days. There were just over 700 resorts dotting the island nation at its peak. But like all things that stem from a boom-bust cycle, the passion was only surface level for many, especially for the conglomerates that opened the resorts in the first place. Many of the destinations began closing as Japan’s mainstream ski frenzy died down, and by the turn of the century, there were less than 450 resorts in operation.
How can Japan and the rest of the world learn from the previous ski boom? And what lessons can be taken away to ensure that the greatest powder on earth is enjoyed by future devoted skiers? Chapter three of The Ghost Resorts holds (some of) the answers.
Blackcrows Ghosts Resorts series was appropriately complemented with a limited run capsule featuring the draco freebird touring ski, duos freebird poles and dorsa 27 X-pac backpack. All camouflaged in spectral chevrons, this limited edition capsule of products capture the spirit behind the ghost resorts.
As the only double rocker ski in blackcrows’ touring range, the draco freebird sits at 110 mm underfoot and offers exceptional grip and stability. The duos freebird 2-strand telescopic pole lightweight design is combined with a Power Lock 3.0 adjustment system, ergonomic wrist strap and flexible basket with the intention of reliably accompanying you to whatever terrain your adventure leads you through. To round out this trifecta collection, the dorsa 27 X-pac backpack was interestingly developed in collaboration with magician Bruno Compagnet with durability and practicality in mind, leaving you with the boost of courage to chase away the ghosts.
From YouTube –
Deserted infrastructures, cables frozen in the shadow of joy and tons of light Pacific powder.
The third part of our series is on ghost resorts with Japan as the exploration ground for crows Celeste Pomerantz and Daisuke Fukasawa. Fresh snow, just in from the Pacific Ocean. No one around. An atmosphere flirting with the great masters of Japanese photography. It could be black and white. Small trees spaced just right to be bypassed. The cry of a crow. Deep in the mountains of the Kansai region, on the main island of Honshu, Celeste and Daisuke explore places frozen in the 1990s. Alone on slopes deserted by skiers, they take advantage of exceptional snow where, just a few years earlier, a whole life was organized around ski lifts now in disrepair.
Japan is a great skiing country. Its powder is considered one of the lightest and most abundant in the world. After some strange years that witnessed a multitude of bankruptcies – obviously, the subject of this third chapter – Japanese skiing has regained its former glory and can now look back on the past with the confidence of a country rooted in centenarian ski culture. Interviews with three protagonists of the Nippon ski scene shed light on the latest developments. The frenzy of archive images contrasts with the delicacy of the mountains’ new-found silence.
Romantic nostalgia sets in. Mystery rises. Tea shall wait.
