Family ski resort where kids can come unaccompanied—
Developing the next generation of skiers
The town of Higashikawa, in the district of Kamikawa, is home to Mt. Asahidake, situated in the north of Daisetsuzan National Park. In recent years, it’s also known as a cultural capital of photography for attracting immigrant photographers and artists. The area surrounded by the Daisetsuzan mountain range enjoys plenty of superfine powder snow, a feature that led to the opening in 1969 of the town-operated Canmore Ski Village (originally called Higashikawa Kitoushi Ski Slopes). The compact ski area with just two lifts features a well-balanced variety of trails, from beginner trails safe and fun for children and novices, to intermediate trails that present a satisfying challenge.
Superfine powder snow for just one coin
“Our selling points are convenient location—we’re only a 15-minute drive from Asahikawa Airport—and reasonable lift prices,” says Kiyokazu Daimon, head of planning and development at Higashikawa Promotion Agency, the operator of Canmore Ski Village for the past ten years. Since the agency took over the management, Mr. Daimon has also served as the ski resort manager.
“Our signature is the 500 yen night skiing ticket. For just one coin, you can ski all you want from 16:30 to closing time. Isn’t that amazing? Canmore is synonymous with night skiing among the residents of the Asahikawa area. Our fans range from after-school high schoolers to after-hour working adults. A private resort might have raised its price years ago, but we plan to go on offering our ‘one-coin nighter,’ respecting the wishes of our owner, Higashikawa Town.”
At a time when prices are surging, it’s no easy feat to keep up the modest one-coin offer. What makes that possible is the effort put in by Mr. Daimon and the staff members, and the pride they take in running the locals’ favorite ski resort. Their dedication has clearly paid off too—the number of lift users has nearly doubled in the ten years under Higashikawa Promotion Agency.
Another thing Canmore Ski Village strives to uphold is the amenities of a family ski resort where everyone can have a good time. Whereas many Asahikawa ski resorts opt to take advantage of the quality snow and create trails primarily for intermediate and advanced skiers, Canmore does just the opposite and promises a fun skiing experience for children, seniors, and first-timers. The beginner trails served by a short double chairlift, for example, are not only gently sloping but also straight so that the guardians at the bottom of the hill can watch their kids ski.
Since last year, Canmore Ski Village also invites food trucks to serve unique dishes that differ from typical ski resort food. During the holidays in January, it organized a festival with 12 food trucks and counted about 10,000 visitors over a three-day period. The event is set to be a regular feature toward attracting even non-skiers to the resort.
Ski resort where kids can come and ski unaccompanied
Canmore Ski Village aims to continue being a neighborhood playground where children can come and ski unaccompanied. Amid a declining skiing population, it’s essential to develop kids into new fans of snow activities.
“To attract children, we need to first get them to like skiing. And to do that, the resort needs to be a place where the kids can come unaccompanied, goof around without being afraid of falling, and just play and have fun.”
Canmore Ski Village is packed with amenities to this end. The ski area is designed to ensure kids don’t get lost in the backcountry. The bright LED lamps make it safe to play after dark. Even the lifts’ seat height is adjusted for kids. Mr. Daimon says, “If the kids have a good time on the slopes, then they will naturally learn to ski. And because they have no bad memories of skiing, they will keep doing it for a long time. Skiing will grow on them and become a lifelong activity.” Last year, Mr. Daimon started doubling up efforts to make the rounds of the area’s schools and invite pupils to join Canmore’s lessons. Amid the issue of snow shortages at resorts around the world, Mr. Daimon hopes to make the most of the abundant snow here, create a place where kids can come on their own, and develop the next generation of skiers.
Workwear that raises awareness of the environment
Each year, Canmore Ski Village takes on a new challenge toward being a safer, more enjoyable resort. Its choice for this season was Goldwin’s sustainable workwear. In the past, Mr. Daimon purchased skiwear from the local branch of an outdoor shop, but he was drawn to the idea of workwear for rent and decided to make the switch.
“When we had bought the garments and rented them out, it was up to the individual staff members to launder and maintain their own uniform. That was an unwanted burden, and it meant the condition of the garments varied from person to person. That’s why I liked the idea of rental workwear, because it would take away the burden of off-season maintenance. And later when I saw the actual workwear, it was functional and well-designed too.”
Mr. Daimon himself has had experience in ski lift operation, and he welcomes the garments’ shape designed specially for operation work, and the absence of details that get in the way of inspection and maintenance. Feedback from the staff members who actually wear the garments is positive too:
“Whereas skiwear was bulky and difficult to move in, this workwear is slim and perfect for detailed work.”
“The fabric is lightweight, but it provides great protection against the cold, so I feel comfortable even after spending the whole day outdoors. It’s easy to regulate body temperature too—just put on or take off layers.”
“The Velcro name tag is so convenient. Before, we wore our name tags on an arm band, but it caught on things and got in the way of inspection and maintenance work.”
Functionality and cost are not the only benefits. “Goldwin workwear is also designed to be repaired and used for a long time to minimize waste. It actually got us to give more thought to recycling and extending the service life of the things we use,” says Mr. Daimon. The materials are recyclable, and the parts that are easily damaged can be readily removed and replaced, so as to extend the garment’s usable life and eliminate the need to toss it in the combustible waste. The amount of attention given to a single garment, he says, was eye-opening.
“I was under the impression that the main concern of workwear would be functionality, but that wasn’t all—it came complete with extended use and recyclability features too. To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to sustainability until then, so the concept was fresh and exciting. I had heard the word sustainability, of course, but I just never had the chance to think about it in practice.”
In fact, Mr. Daimon had been telling his staff to take good care of things from before. Owing to town policy, he couldn’t raise ticket prices or rental fees. And a ski resort, by nature, couldn’t reduce labor costs. That meant he had to cut back on other expenses.
“The on-site staff would often lose or misplace tools and equipment. To improve their awareness and get them to treat their tools more carefully, at one time I tried giving them a taste of going without their usual supplies. When they lost a box of engineering pins, for example, I had them make do with tree branches! I meant it as a lesson in the good old spirit of mottainai, but I never thought about its connection with sustainability. Goldwin workwear helped me make the connection.”
The Japanese spirit of mottainai—“waste not, want not”—is about reducing costs, using things to their full potential, and minimizing waste, but perhaps ultimately, it can even help to mitigate global warming.
“All staff members are proud of our Goldwin workwear, not only for the functionality and design but also for the philosophy. I wish I had this workwear back when I was a lift operator.”
