Japan

Winter is just around the corner and with it, more and more new projects from the ski film scene are being launched. Some have been announced for a long time and hyped up with trailers, others are simply uploaded. In this section we would like to present you a weekly selection of videos or films that are particularly worth seeing. I will also be looking at smaller projects - the ones that may fall under the radar but are hidden treasures. I'm sure many of you will discover the big productions by yourselves. Have fun watching and start dreaming of snow now!

It's now been almost a year since I sat on a hot seat to spend a winter season in Japan. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can give a few tips on what went well and what I wish I had done differently.

Jojo and I spent the winter season 2023/24 skiing in Furano, Japan. As ski-technicians, we worked for "Summit Ski School & Guiding". Makenzie Robson and Jac Phillips founded "Summit" four years ago. We interviewed Mak last spring about how it all started.

Who hasn't wanted to ski or snowboard on an active volcano, between fumaroles (steaming clouds of smoke that smell of rotten eggs)? Where else would this be possible than in the land of hills and volcanoes: Japan, more precisely Hokkaido.

The island of Rishiri, north-east of Hokkaido, Japan, seems to have been somewhat forgotten. Or maybe it's still an insider tip. We're not quite sure. But one thing is certain: it is a jewel among touring paradises! If you want to climb to the summit, you need mountaineering expertise and the necessary equipment.

Time-tested and yet underestimated. Wellies have been around in Europe since around 1850, ten years after the Briton Charles Goodyear discovered "rubber" made from plasticised rubber mixed with sulphur and carbon black. Since then, they have not only been a favourite shoes for anglers and children, but also for many Japanese people on Hokkaido.

Ein wahrer Allrounder für all diejenigen, die gerne Touren gehen, aber bei der Abfahrt keine Kompromisse eingehen möchten.

Almost everyone is familiar with the bobsleigh sled for downhill fun for young and old. We have now discovered another function for the sled: it is ideal as a transport sled for hut tours.

The definitions of freeriding can sometimes differ from what we might be used to, leading to a great deal of confusion. I want to give a little introduction to Japan and share my experiences so far.

The Mammut Free 22 is one of the lightest airbag backpacks on the market and also impresses in the practical test in Japan. With a little Tetris, it is even suitable for day tours.

The final preparations have started and the anticipation is growing steadily. In the last article, I told you how I came up with the idea of going to Japan and what you need to consider when planning a winter season in Japan. Now it's time to get down to business and I find myself surrounded by a pile of winter sports gear and other equipment and am asking myself: WHAT DO I NEED?

The well-known YouTube greats - Wester, Autti, Schirmer, Wiedemann... - are slowly taking over the main part of the VdW again, but a few independent films still appear, of course. We round off the menu with a culinary and cultural trip to the mountaineering village of Villergraten and the Low Pressure podcast.