Ride with a FREERIDE WORLD TOUR athlete
Want to be guided in Hokkaido, Nagano or Niigata by the world’s top freeride skiers and snowboarders from the Freeride World Tour (FTW) or Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ)? You’ve come to the right spot! Explore-Share will connect you and the athlete of your choice for an one-of-a-kind experience fuelled by pure fun as you ride with them in some of the most famous resorts in Japan! But it doesn’t stop there: they will also give you tips on your riding and show you their secret spots.
In the Freeride World Tour, skiers and snowboarders compete both for individual wins and for the World Championship. While finals take place in Verbier (Switzerland), qualifiers take place all around the world, including some of the top resorts in Japan.
Check out the different trip options below and spend an exciting day skiing or riding with a local pro rider. The activity will take place within resort boundaries but you’ll get to ride secret areas of powder snow, ski moguls, pick a fun line through the trees, go for a steep run or even hit the terrain park if you’re up for it.
Push the boundaries of your comfort zone and get a new experience this winter by joining one of the pros in this incredible pool of athletes!
We have divided riders into 3 main categories, depending on their standing in the FWT and FWQ, as follows:
FWT Athlete: rider who has competed in the Freeride World Tour.
FWQ Premium Athlete: top ranking rider in Japan’s FWQ (podium, or equal or higher than 10th for Men and 3rd for Women).
FWQ Top Athlete: rider in good standing in Japan’s FWQ (more than 200 FWQ points or 500 FWQ points for Snowboard Women).
Riding in Nagano
Yu Sasaki
– Skier
– 2nd in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan (60th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Born in Sapporo, currently based in Revelstoke, Canada
– English level: Fluent
Wakana Hama
– Snowboarder
– 1st in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (5th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Niseko, Hakuba and several other resorts around the world
– English level: Fluent
Taisuke Kusunoki
– Skier
– 1st in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan (17th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Hokkaido
– English level: Conversational
Taichi Sato
– Snowboarder
– 1st in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (46th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Hakuba
-English level: Basic
Sayaka Kato
– Snowboarder
– 3rd in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (44th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Conversational
Ryuya Yoshida
– Skier
– 21st in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic/conversational
Noriko Ishimatsu
– Snowboarder
– 2nd in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (43rd in World Ranking)
-Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic
Ayako Kuroda
– Skier
– 3rd in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Tokyo
– English level: Native
Yuki Shibata
– Skier
– 4th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Hakuba Cortina
– English level: Conversational
Yoshiya Yamashiro
– Skier
– 8th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Hokkaido
– English level: Basic
Kazushige Sekiya
– Skier
– 6th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Kijimadaira, Nagano, Japan
– English level: Fluent
Masaki Mitsuhisa
– Snowboarder
– 7th in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan
– Residence: Myoko
– English level: Basic
Yui Ohno
– Skier
– 1st in Women’s Skiing Japan (51st in World Ranking)
– Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic
Kyoto Harada
– Skier
– 9th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence:
– English level: Basic/conversational
Yumiko Ohta
– Snowboarder
– 4th in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (47th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Omachi, Hokkaido
Go Biyajima
– Snowboarder
– 2nd in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan
– Residence: Nagano City
– English level: Conversational
Reimi Kusunoki
– Skier
– 4th in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Osaka
– English level: Fluent
Tetsu Kawaguchi
– Skier
– 15th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Niseko and Akaigawa
– English level: Conversational
Riding in Hokkaido
Yu Sasaki
– Skier
– 2nd in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan (60th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Born in Sapporo, currently based in Revelstoke, Canada
– English level: Fluent
Wakana Hama
– Snowboarder
– 1st in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (5th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Niseko, Hakuba and several other resorts around the world
– English level: Fluent
Taisuke Kusunoki
– Skier
– 1st in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan (17th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Hokkaido
– English level: Conversational
Yuhei Yamada
– Skier
– 11th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Sapporo
– English level: Conversational
Ayako Kuroda
– Skier
– 3rd in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Tokyo
– English level: Native
Kyoto Harada
– Skier
– 9th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence:
– English level: Basic/conversational
Yumiko Ohta
– Snowboarder
– 4th in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (47th in World Ranking)
– Residence: Omachi, Hokkaido
Miki Nakagawa
– Skier
– 6th in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan
– Residence: Sapporo
– English level: Basic
Reimi Kusunoki
– Skier
– 4th in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Osaka
– English level: Fluent
Tetsu Kawaguchi
– Skier
– 15th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Niseko and Akaigawa
– English level: Conversational
Riding in Niigata
Kazushige Sekiya
– Skier
– 6th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Kijimadaira, Nagano, Japan
– English level: Fluent
Masaki Mitsuhisa
– Snowboarder
– 7th in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan
– Residence: Myoko
– English level: Basic
Noriko Ishimatsu
– Snowboarder
– 2nd in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (43rd in World Ranking)
-Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic
Ayako Kuroda
– Skier
– 3rd in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Tokyo
– English level: Native
Go Biyajima
– Snowboarder
– 2nd in Men’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan
– Residence: Nagano City
– English level: Conversational
Ryuya Yoshida
– Skier
– 21st in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic/conversational
Shinji Saiki
– Skier
– 19th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Maiko Ski Resort
– English level: Conversational
Reimi Kusunoki
– Skier
– 4th in Women’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Osaka
– English level: Fluent
Riding in other spots in Japan
Noriko Ishimatsu
– Snowboarder
– 2nd in Women’s Freeride Snowboarding Japan (43rd in World Ranking)
-Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic
Alain Kajita
– Skier
– 10th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Morioka in Iwate Prefecture
– English level: Conversational
Kyoto Harada
– Skier
– 9th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence:
– English level: Basic/conversational
Yuki Kuwabara
– Skier
– 5th in Men’s Freeride Skiing Japan
– Residence: Hakuba
– English level: Basic
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