08 season 47MAGAZINE
Yuichiro Miura on skiing in Hakuba
Yuichiro Miura × Sadamitsu Araki
An adventurous spirit nurtured by the mountains
> Mr. Miura, do you visit Hakuba47 often?
Yuichiro Miura : Yes, many times. I love this ski resort.
Sadamitsu Araki : Welcome Mr. Miura. You taught valuable lessons to the members of the Hakuba47 Senior Ski Club last year, and this is the second time.
> Mr. Miura, You are a world-renowned professional skier/adventurer who is over 70 years old and still taking a lively part in the outdoor adventure scene. Your challenging spirit has been hugely motivational and encouraging to many people. How did you cultivate your spirit?
Araki : I would like to hear how it has altered since your youth.
Miura : Actually, My ‘adventurous spirit’ has never changed. I was not a strong and healthy child. However, experiences such as my parents taking me to Mt.Zao in my childhood, and climbing and skiing from Zao to Sendai for ski camps with Tohoku University mountaineering club, have trained my body and mind.
> I suppose you were a born adventurer, but as a youngster, you were not aware of it. So, do you mean the environments and fundamental nature of mountains have developed and molded your mind and your adventurous spirit?
Miura : Yes, Once you have seen Mother Nature’s beautiful winter mountains and fields of frost-covered trees, you start to think that the school classroom is extremely tiny. Worrying about trivial matters becomes ridiculous, The fact I have the wonderful world of snowy mountains to enjoy gave me confidence.
Araki : You mean Mother Nature opened your mind. I hope children who are troubled with bullying and truancy get the opportunity to experience the richness of nature through skiing and mountain climbing.
A third challenge of Mt. Everest
Araki : I’ve heard you are undertaking your third challenge to reach the summit of Mt. Everest at some stage this year?
Miura : I skied down Mt. Everest in 1969, and reached the summit of Mt. Everest with my son when I was 70 years old in 2003. This is going to be my third time taking on the challenge of Mt. Everest. My daily life completely changed once I set my target of reaching the summit again.
Araki : It is amazing how you keep your challenging spirit extraordinarily alive and thriving.
> Mr. Araki is another person who thrives on a challenge. He continues to create and develop outstanding efforts and services at ski resorts in Japan and he has every reason to feel proud of his achievements.
Miura : It is possible to train your body to keep going to some extent, however you need to approach business very differently. The ski resort business is one of the hardest in the world. It is a huge and complex project to construct, from the traffic plan to the prevention of damage, as well as developing and managing the leisure facilities in the world’s leading mountainous region.
> Even for you, Mr. Miura, who has been skiing all over the world, is Hakuba the world’s leading mountainous resort?
Miura : Yes, it is. Compared to the European Alps and the mountains in Antarctic, the scenery from the Japan Alps including the three mountains of Hakuba is stunning through all four seasons of the year.
Yuichiro Miura
Born in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture. Since the 1960’s after working as an assistant for Hokkaido University, Department of Veterinary Science, he has become actively involved as a professional skier. He successfully accomplished skiing down the highest peaks of the seven continents of the world, such as a schuss from Mt. Fuji, and a downhill from the 8000m-point of Mt. Everest. On 22nd of May 2003, at the age of seventy years and seven months, he has achieved the remarkable and outstanding conquest of being the oldest person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. An undeniable legend of mountain skiing.
Sadamitsu Araki
After graduating from Gakushuin University with a political science degree, he started to work at Fujita Kanko Inc. He was involved in starting up FGM, the first Japanese members only hotel system. Thereafter, he developed Madarao Ski Resort, and began his new role as a dvelopment manger at Madarao in March, 1972. He resigned from Madarao Kogen Kaihatsu Inc in 1982 and established A.D.C. Ltd., a consulting company for ski resorts. He has been a consultant at many ski resort developments and re-developments. In September, 1997, he was appointed to become the representative director of Hakuba47 with the slogan of "Not being able to become a world class skier but build a top ski resort with supreme hospitality."
