予定では自然園から天狗原へ進み、白馬乗鞍岳の斜面でステップソウルフルでもしましょうよ〜、というプランでした。

ところが、自然園入口からの景色があまりにも美しくて、すっかり吸い込まれてしまいました。「キレイだなぁ、キレイだなぁ」と歩いているうちに、気がつけば一番奥の展望まで到達。結局、そこで滑って帰ってきました〜、とまとめるとそんな顛末です。

まぁ、これはこれで良かったのです。

雪の季節しか知らなかったYさんも、「自然園をあらためて見直しました〜」とのこと。たしかに、この時期ならではの魅力がありますよね。

さて、そんな開園前の自然園にアクセスできたのは、電動アシスト自転車のおかげ。

Yさんの愛車は、パナソニックのオフタイム。折りたたみタイプです。とはいえ、このサイズ感なら折りたたまなくても普通の車に積めそうだなぁ、とも思ったり。

それから、Yさんのスキーの括り付け方もなかなか参考になりました。

なるほどーー。

僕も小径車タイプを一台用意してみたくなり、YAMAHAのCarigoなんかどうだろうと検討中です。

なんだかんだで、4月中旬から7月中旬くらいまでの間、スキーのアクセス手段として自転車はかなり活躍してくれますからね。3か月間使えると思うと、なかなかの働き者です。

皆さんも来シーズンに向けて一台用意してみてはいかがでしょう？

きっとスキーの世界が、もうひと回り広がりますよ。

The plan had been to continue from Tugaike Nature Park up to Tenguppara and then enjoy some Step Soulful skiing on the slopes of Mt. Hakuba Norikura.

But the scenery right from the entrance to the nature park was simply too beautiful. We were completely drawn in. One "Wow, that's beautiful" led to another, and before we knew it, we had walked all the way to the farthest observation deck. So, in the end, we skied there and headed back. That's the short version of how the day unfolded.

And honestly, it worked out just fine.

Y-san, who had only ever seen the park under snow, said, “I've gained a whole new appreciation for Tugaike Nature Park.” And I could see exactly what he meant. The place has a completely different charm at this time of year.

Of course, the reason we were able to access the park before its official opening was thanks to electric-assist bicycles.

Y-san's bike is a Panasonic Off Time, a folding e-bike. Although, looking at its size, I couldn't help thinking that it would fit into most cars without even being folded.

I also picked up a useful tip from the way Y-san attached his skis to the bike.

Very clever.

It's got me thinking about getting a small-wheel bike of my own. At the moment, I'm considering something like the Yamaha Carigo.

When you think about it, bicycles end up playing a pretty important role in ski access from mid-April through mid-July. Three months of useful service is nothing to sneeze at.

So perhaps it's something worth considering for next season.

A bike can really open up a whole new side of the skiing world.