Travel: Myoko Akakura – Powder Fields by Peter Coombs

With a passion for snowboarding, freelance adventure travel-writer Pete Coombs has spent the last 20 years riding anywhere there’s snow, often in the more bizarre snow spots such as Morocco and the High Arctic.

We caught up with Pete after a trip to the powder fields of Japan.

“I’ve always aspired to snowboard the volcanic mountains of Japan, and after many hours of research and YouTube views, I thought it was time to make it happen.

I shied away from the main resorts and tourist groups, focusing on the lesser known Myoko Akakura Snow Area, in the Niigata prefecture. It turned out to be an inspired decision. As what I found there; was a dreamlike space of empty forests, perfect powder snow and smiling locals.”

Day 1
Arriving in Japan, with photographer Mark Borland, off a British Airways flight was a little like forgetting how to read. We didn’t have a clue how to navigate the complex issue of Japans vending machines, let alone the Tokyo underground.

Day 2
Having safely navigated our way to Akakura, with help from many a smiling local, I grabbed a hire board and hit the sun-drenched powder slopes. Mike, lead guide of Snow Magic, takes us on a hike into the woods.