SnowWind
Read Hokkaido powder as a science, then ride it.
SnowWind Journal is the content hub of SnowWind — snow science, backcountry, gear and safety, for people who take snow seriously.
Series
SeriesThe Science of Powder
Why Hokkaido powder behaves the way it does — snow-liquid ratio, dryness, snow-type classification. One concept per instalment, every claim labelled.
The Science of Powder (Part 1): Why Hokkaido snow behaves the way it does
Hokkaido snow will not hold a snowball. Part 1 traces it to the Sea of Japan, the winter monsoon and temperature — and why 30 cm is not always 30 cm.
The Science of Powder (Part 2): Snow-liquid ratio, a dry-snow line you can measure
Snow-liquid ratio quantifies how airy a snowfall is. How it is calculated, how temperature drives it, and why forecast snowfall cannot give it to you.
The Science of Powder (Part 3): From SLR to a dryness score — fact and inference
Furano City publishes a 0–100 dryness index and one anchor point. How we wired it into our model, and why the line between must be labelled inference.
Sea-effect snow bands: the Sea of Japan's role in every snowfall
Next time we pull back to the whole Sea of Japan — why snow bands queue up to the coast.
Series
SeriesThree JSBA Conversations
Three SnowWind conversations on carving origins, movement and control, and the joy of riding the whole mountain. The original speakers and thirteen graphics are preserved.
Where did snowboard carving come from? JSBA Interview, Part 1: Origins and definition
Why did carving go from hard to soft boots? A SnowWind interview on how snowboarding is played, its culture, names, gravity and ride quality. Original Q&A kept.
How do you judge good snowboarding? JSBA Interview, Part 2: Movement, force and riding quality
Balance, starting, stopping, turning; lean, lean-out and "deeper, faster"; then why skidding on purpose matters. SnowWind interview, Part 2: Q&A and 4 graphics.
Does carving matter in powder and the backcountry? JSBA Interview, Part 3: The whole mountain and why we ride
How does carving relate to powder and the backcountry? Matching technique to snow, an early textbook and why we ride. Part 3, with 西西, kaku and the teacher.
Series
SeriesJSBA Exam Notes
JSBA instructor exam, badge test and license upkeep: 西西’s exam notes. Personal experience, not official standards; check JSBA notices for the rules.
Series
SeriesYour First Ski Trip to Hokkaido
What to decide before your first ski lesson in Hokkaido: which lesson to book, snowboard or ski, and the on-slope safety rules at Japanese resorts.
Which ski or snowboard lesson should I book? Start with your level, then compare five courses
Zero experience: the Beginner Lesson. Linking turns: a Progression Lesson. Fluent S turns on red runs: Tree & Powder. The Companion is not a lesson.
Snowboard or ski for your first time? KAKU's five answers
Ski first? Which is harder, riskier, where people get hurt, what each does best. KAKU answers from teaching; injury notes are not medical statistics.
Japan ski resort safety rules: runaway boards, riding the lift, and stopping when you hit someone
Stay with your board while strapping in or out, learn to ride the lift with it on, and stop if you hit someone. KAKU on what the instructors saw in 2025–26.
Series
SeriesSnowboarding: Your First Week
Snowboarding from zero to linked turns: the learning stages, how to fall, edge changes and what the upper body does, one topic per instalment.
How long does it take to learn to snowboard? SnowWind's seven-stage lesson plan
From zero to linked S turns: the seven stages of SnowWind's Beginner Lesson, what each unlocks, where people get stuck, and why progress varies.
How Do You Fall Safely on a Snowboard? Tuck Your Chin When You Fall Backwards
When beginner snowboarders fall backwards, the head often tips back and can hit the snow. Chin tucked, eyes on navel, back rounded: drill these before you go.
Stuck Halfway Through a Snowboard Turn? Check for a Fake Weight Shift First
Head reach and hip push are fake weight shifts. KAKU says a real one is your whole body matching the slope and following the board. Plus a 30-second self-check.
How Do You Get Over Heelside Fear on a Snowboard? Split the Fear in Two
Two heelside fears, looking back and falling backward, each with a fix. Plus what to do after a fall, and the root fix: build skill on a slope you can control.
What to Learn After Linking Turns on a Snowboard? Carving, Ground Tricks and Park Aren't Ranked
KAKU on what comes after linked turns: carving, ground tricks and park don't rank, why KAKU thinks most people start with carving, and what to do when stuck.
Snowboard Instructor Says Never Open Your Shoulders: Is That Right? Opening the Shoulders and Counter-Rotation
Told not to open your shoulders or that counter-rotation is wrong, then told to open up? KAKU: you didn't learn it wrong. Only what fits; systems set limits.
Series
SeriesCarving Lab
Snowboard carving broken down: what carving is and where the toeside and heelside turns go wrong, based on principal KAKU’s teaching notes.
What Is Carving on a Snowboard? A Thin Track Doesn't Mean You're Carving
KAKU's test is the slide angle between board and direction of travel, not track width, and you can carve in rough snow. How carving differs from skidding.
Toeside Carving on a Snowboard: Lock Your Ankle, Don't Kneel Into the Boot Tongue
A low knee doesn't mean the edge is up. In KAKU's view, kneeling into the tongue dumps force into tongue and shin; a locked ankle lets the body drive the edge.
Heelside carve stalling or chattering on a snowboard? First check where you are looking
Heelside trouble often means your eyes turned late or didn't stay on the turn. KAKU: shoulders, torso and weight follow your gaze. 西西 adds hips and highback.
How Low Should You Crouch When Carving a Snowboard? Timing Matters More Than Depth
Crouching down doesn't pressure the board; pressure comes the instant the crouch stops. KAKU: external force comes first, then internal force works with it.
Falling on the edge change when carving? Let your edge angle grow with the external force
Two common ways a carving edge change stalls: maxing the angle at entry, or holding it high at exit. Plus the extra lateral shift heel-to-toe, and when to rise.
Where to look when carving steep slopes on a snowboard: on the toeside, get low first, then follow the nose
Edge on a steep slope and speed jumps; the fear is turning at speed. 西西 on gaze, back hand, turn shape and rhythm for a first try. Start on slopes you control.
Upper arc vs lower arc in a snowboard carve: why the hard parts are opposite
西西 on carving turn shape: work in the upper arc, endure the force-heavy lower arc. Where pressure goes changes speed; edging and pressure are results.
Hands flailing in snowboard short turns? Forget the hands; watch your side compress and extend
Swinging hands in short turns easily lead to runaway speed. 西西: watch the lateral line down your side compress and extend. Then toeside, heelside and head.
What are the fundamentals of snowboard carving? Five elements, and stepping back a level first
Stuck carving? KAKU: step back a level. Five elements: pressure, edging, rotation, lean, angulation. Low stance hinges on angulation; touching snow is a result.
Snowboard carving like squatting on a toilet? How open hips and angulation work together
Sitting back, butt out? Often, KAKU says, open hips and angulation aren't working together: hips steer, angulation stabilises; hips first. With 西西's drill.
Do you need to learn duck stance first for snowboard carving? Duck vs forward stance trade-offs
KAKU's view: duck and forward stance don't rank, and neither has to come first. What each does well, what it costs, and whether JSBA exams set an angle.
How do you choose a carving snowboard? Why our principal says go straight to a top-end board
Linking turns and eyeing a carving board? KAKU: beginners don't need one; later, judge stiffness, sidecut radius, effective edge; if serious, buy top-end once.
Series
SeriesChoosing an Instructor
What to look for when choosing a ski or snowboard instructor, and what instructor certifications do and do not tell you.
How to choose a ski or snowboard instructor: certifications, riding videos and the pre-lesson conversation
Principal KAKU's three steps (certification system and level, riding videos against official demos, teaching logic) plus two things to watch on lesson day.
What do JSBA certifications prove? Reading the three tracks on an instructor's profile
The Badge Test, Tech Test and instructor qualifications prove three different things. On an instructor's profile, first work out which track you're reading.
Why keep learning from the same snowboard instructor? 西西's monthly lessons
Every month of the season, 西西 takes lessons from the same experienced instructor. How that teacher teaches and observes, and why 西西 values sticking with one.
JSBA vs CASI: what's the difference? Snowboard instructor systems compared
What do JSBA, CASI, AASI and SBINZ each emphasise? KAKU reads their instructor exams as carving, all-mountain and freestyle. A personal view, no ranking.
Can a Level 1 instructor teach you well? How principal KAKU trains new instructors
Flying to Hokkaido and getting a Level 1 instructor? KAKU: they can teach beginners well if properly mentored. To learn carving, find someone who can teach it.
Series
SeriesChoosing a Resort
How to choose a Hokkaido resort for your level and itinerary, covering only resorts where SnowWind teaches or guides.
Which ski resort near Sapporo for beginners? Teine, Sapporo Kokusai, Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE compared
SnowWind teaches at all four; Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE are in Otaru. Compared by stage: day-one stance, turn rhythm, and where to go once you can stop.
Niseko or Rusutsu? Snow quality, tree riding and who each one suits
Of the two, SnowWind teaches at Rusutsu. KAKU on the three kinds of people Niseko suits, plus vice principal 西西 on the snow and trees at both resorts.
Series
SeriesBackcountry Prep
Preparing for the backcountry: how to choose a guide and how far avalanche risk can be assessed.
Can avalanches in Hokkaido be predicted? Forecasts give a regional probability
Forecasts give a regional probability; research says no single avalanche can yet be predicted in time and space. So ask: any reason to skip this slope today?
Why do backcountry accidents happen in Hokkaido? Lessons learned
Hokkaido Police data: 231 backcountry accidents in five winters to Reiwa 7. 西西 on a storm-day accident, board stalls, post-storm avalanches; KAKU on not riding.
Series
SeriesRiding Powder
How to ride powder: speed, turn shape, and snow conditions across the Hokkaido season.
How do you ride powder on a snowboard? No brakes: speed and turn shape
In resort powder, swinging the tail to slow down only makes you slower. 西西's view: speed buys float, turn shape controls speed; powder boards share that logic.
What is Hokkaido snow like in November? Early-season ice crust and wet snow
Ice crust up top, wet snow below: 西西's first day of the season at Sapporo Kokusai, and JMA's view of this winter. Personal observation, not settled science.
How do you read a Hokkaido snow forecast? 西西's pre-trip routine
How 西西 picks a resort: snow depth by resort first, then the snow-depth layer and precipitation forecast, then the resort's own updates. Plus what this misses.
Series
SeriesOff-Season Training
How to train before the season: periodization, deep core, hips and thoracic spine, and stretching and breathing between ski days. Vice principal 西西’s methods are kept separate from public guidance.
How should you train before ski season? 西西's off-season conditioning notes
In season there's no time for dedicated training. 西西's off-season notes: big cycle, deep core, hips, thoracic spine, balance, set against public guidelines.
How to stretch and breathe between ski days: what 西西's wife teaches
Tired? Rest a day for full active stretching, and train the core with lateral breathing at bedtime. 西西's wife's method, kept apart from guidance and research.
Articles
ArticlesWhy do backcountry accidents happen in Hokkaido? Lessons learned
Hokkaido Police data: 231 backcountry accidents in five winters to Reiwa 7. 西西 on a storm-day accident, board stalls, post-storm avalanches; KAKU on not riding.
Read →What are the fundamentals of snowboard carving? Five elements, and stepping back a level first
Stuck carving? KAKU: step back a level. Five elements: pressure, edging, rotation, lean, angulation. Low stance hinges on angulation; touching snow is a result.
Read →Snowboard carving like squatting on a toilet? How open hips and angulation work together
Sitting back, butt out? Often, KAKU says, open hips and angulation aren't working together: hips steer, angulation stabilises; hips first. With 西西's drill.
Read →Do you need to learn duck stance first for snowboard carving? Duck vs forward stance trade-offs
KAKU's view: duck and forward stance don't rank, and neither has to come first. What each does well, what it costs, and whether JSBA exams set an angle.
Read →How do you choose a carving snowboard? Why our principal says go straight to a top-end board
Linking turns and eyeing a carving board? KAKU: beginners don't need one; later, judge stiffness, sidecut radius, effective edge; if serious, buy top-end once.
Read →How to choose a ski or snowboard instructor: certifications, riding videos and the pre-lesson conversation
Principal KAKU's three steps (certification system and level, riding videos against official demos, teaching logic) plus two things to watch on lesson day.
Read →JSBA vs CASI: what's the difference? Snowboard instructor systems compared
What do JSBA, CASI, AASI and SBINZ each emphasise? KAKU reads their instructor exams as carving, all-mountain and freestyle. A personal view, no ranking.
Read →Can a Level 1 instructor teach you well? How principal KAKU trains new instructors
Flying to Hokkaido and getting a Level 1 instructor? KAKU: they can teach beginners well if properly mentored. To learn carving, find someone who can teach it.
Read →Snowboard Instructor Says Never Open Your Shoulders: Is That Right? Opening the Shoulders and Counter-Rotation
Told not to open your shoulders or that counter-rotation is wrong, then told to open up? KAKU: you didn't learn it wrong. Only what fits; systems set limits.
Read →What length snowboard do I need? Decide what it's for first, then check your height
Choose by use first: all-round, carving, ground-trick and powder boards each have trade-offs. Then pick a length; 'height minus X cm' is only a final check.
Read →What's on the JSBA Tech Test? 西西's pre-exam notes
西西 on JSBA Tech 1 vs the Badge Test (steeper slopes, any snow, high speed, moguls), the first turn, heelside and pressure. Personal notes, not official.
Read →Are quick-entry snowboard bindings any good? First decide what you'll use them for
Quick-entry or strap? KAKU asks what they're for: everyday riding favours efficiency, focused practice favours performance and adjustability. Feet can differ.
Read →What is Hokkaido snow like in November? Early-season ice crust and wet snow
Ice crust up top, wet snow below: 西西's first day of the season at Sapporo Kokusai, and JMA's view of this winter. Personal observation, not settled science.
Read →Can avalanches in Hokkaido be predicted? Forecasts give a regional probability
Forecasts give a regional probability; research says no single avalanche can yet be predicted in time and space. So ask: any reason to skip this slope today?
Read →Toeside Carving on a Snowboard: Lock Your Ankle, Don't Kneel Into the Boot Tongue
A low knee doesn't mean the edge is up. In KAKU's view, kneeling into the tongue dumps force into tongue and shin; a locked ankle lets the body drive the edge.
Read →Heelside carve stalling or chattering on a snowboard? First check where you are looking
Heelside trouble often means your eyes turned late or didn't stay on the turn. KAKU: shoulders, torso and weight follow your gaze. 西西 adds hips and highback.
Read →How Low Should You Crouch When Carving a Snowboard? Timing Matters More Than Depth
Crouching down doesn't pressure the board; pressure comes the instant the crouch stops. KAKU: external force comes first, then internal force works with it.
Read →Falling on the edge change when carving? Let your edge angle grow with the external force
Two common ways a carving edge change stalls: maxing the angle at entry, or holding it high at exit. Plus the extra lateral shift heel-to-toe, and when to rise.
Read →Where to look when carving steep slopes on a snowboard: on the toeside, get low first, then follow the nose
Edge on a steep slope and speed jumps; the fear is turning at speed. 西西 on gaze, back hand, turn shape and rhythm for a first try. Start on slopes you control.
Read →Upper arc vs lower arc in a snowboard carve: why the hard parts are opposite
西西 on carving turn shape: work in the upper arc, endure the force-heavy lower arc. Where pressure goes changes speed; edging and pressure are results.
Read →Hands flailing in snowboard short turns? Forget the hands; watch your side compress and extend
Swinging hands in short turns easily lead to runaway speed. 西西: watch the lateral line down your side compress and extend. Then toeside, heelside and head.
Read →What do JSBA certifications prove? Reading the three tracks on an instructor's profile
The Badge Test, Tech Test and instructor qualifications prove three different things. On an instructor's profile, first work out which track you're reading.
Read →Why keep learning from the same snowboard instructor? 西西's monthly lessons
Every month of the season, 西西 takes lessons from the same experienced instructor. How that teacher teaches and observes, and why 西西 values sticking with one.
Read →Beginner ski gear: what to rent, what to buy, what to bring from home
Rent most gear your first season; if you buy, buy boots first. From home, a waterproof, breathable jacket and gloves matter most. Goggle fog has other causes.
Read →Japan ski resort safety rules: runaway boards, riding the lift, and stopping when you hit someone
Stay with your board while strapping in or out, learn to ride the lift with it on, and stop if you hit someone. KAKU on what the instructors saw in 2025–26.
Read →How Do You Get Over Heelside Fear on a Snowboard? Split the Fear in Two
Two heelside fears, looking back and falling backward, each with a fix. Plus what to do after a fall, and the root fix: build skill on a slope you can control.
Read →What to Learn After Linking Turns on a Snowboard? Carving, Ground Tricks and Park Aren't Ranked
KAKU on what comes after linked turns: carving, ground tricks and park don't rank, why KAKU thinks most people start with carving, and what to do when stuck.
Read →How should you train before ski season? 西西's off-season conditioning notes
In season there's no time for dedicated training. 西西's off-season notes: big cycle, deep core, hips, thoracic spine, balance, set against public guidelines.
Read →How to stretch and breathe between ski days: what 西西's wife teaches
Tired? Rest a day for full active stretching, and train the core with lateral breathing at bedtime. 西西's wife's method, kept apart from guidance and research.
Read →How do you ride powder on a snowboard? No brakes: speed and turn shape
In resort powder, swinging the tail to slow down only makes you slower. 西西's view: speed buys float, turn shape controls speed; powder boards share that logic.
Read →How do you read a Hokkaido snow forecast? 西西's pre-trip routine
How 西西 picks a resort: snow depth by resort first, then the snow-depth layer and precipitation forecast, then the resort's own updates. Plus what this misses.
Read →Driving from Sapporo to Rusutsu in winter: notes on Route 230, section by section
Winter driving notes from 西西's 200+ trips between Sapporo and Rusutsu — what to watch at Jōzankei, Nakayama Pass and the hairpin descent, plus winter parking.
Read →How to film snowboard follow-cam shots: three ways for trees, powder and carving
西西's snowboard follow-cam methods: which stance setup suits it, a head strap in trees, riding parallel in powder, staying close for carving, slow-fast editing.
Read →What Is Carving on a Snowboard? A Thin Track Doesn't Mean You're Carving
KAKU's test is the slide angle between board and direction of travel, not track width, and you can carve in rough snow. How carving differs from skidding.
Read →Which ski or snowboard lesson should I book? Start with your level, then compare five courses
Zero experience: the Beginner Lesson. Linking turns: a Progression Lesson. Fluent S turns on red runs: Tree & Powder. The Companion is not a lesson.
Read →Snowboard or ski for your first time? KAKU's five answers
Ski first? Which is harder, riskier, where people get hurt, what each does best. KAKU answers from teaching; injury notes are not medical statistics.
Read →How long does it take to learn to snowboard? SnowWind's seven-stage lesson plan
From zero to linked S turns: the seven stages of SnowWind's Beginner Lesson, what each unlocks, where people get stuck, and why progress varies.
Read →How Do You Fall Safely on a Snowboard? Tuck Your Chin When You Fall Backwards
When beginner snowboarders fall backwards, the head often tips back and can hit the snow. Chin tucked, eyes on navel, back rounded: drill these before you go.
Read →Stuck Halfway Through a Snowboard Turn? Check for a Fake Weight Shift First
Head reach and hip push are fake weight shifts. KAKU says a real one is your whole body matching the slope and following the board. Plus a 30-second self-check.
Read →Which ski resort near Sapporo for beginners? Teine, Sapporo Kokusai, Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE compared
SnowWind teaches at all four; Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE are in Otaru. Compared by stage: day-one stance, turn rhythm, and where to go once you can stop.
Read →Niseko or Rusutsu? Snow quality, tree riding and who each one suits
Of the two, SnowWind teaches at Rusutsu. KAKU on the three kinds of people Niseko suits, plus vice principal 西西 on the snow and trees at both resorts.
Read →The Science of Powder (Part 3): From SLR to a dryness score — fact and inference
Furano City publishes a 0–100 dryness index and one anchor point. How we wired it into our model, and why the line between must be labelled inference.
Read →The Science of Powder (Part 2): Snow-liquid ratio, a dry-snow line you can measure
Snow-liquid ratio quantifies how airy a snowfall is. How it is calculated, how temperature drives it, and why forecast snowfall cannot give it to you.
Read →The Science of Powder (Part 1): Why Hokkaido snow behaves the way it does
Hokkaido snow will not hold a snowball. Part 1 traces it to the Sea of Japan, the winter monsoon and temperature — and why 30 cm is not always 30 cm.
Read →Lay it all out on the floor first — the SnowWind backcountry gear list
Avalanche trio, snow saw, snowshoes, rope, first aid and food — the full pre-departure list for Hokkaido backcountry days, with a tick-box check table.
Read →Where did snowboard carving come from? JSBA Interview, Part 1: Origins and definition
Why did carving go from hard to soft boots? A SnowWind interview on how snowboarding is played, its culture, names, gravity and ride quality. Original Q&A kept.
Read →How do you judge good snowboarding? JSBA Interview, Part 2: Movement, force and riding quality
Balance, starting, stopping, turning; lean, lean-out and "deeper, faster"; then why skidding on purpose matters. SnowWind interview, Part 2: Q&A and 4 graphics.
Read →Does carving matter in powder and the backcountry? JSBA Interview, Part 3: The whole mountain and why we ride
How does carving relate to powder and the backcountry? Matching technique to snow, an early textbook and why we ride. Part 3, with 西西, kaku and the teacher.
Read →Topics and series
Index- Powder 6 articles
- Training 10 articles
- Gear 3 articles
- Technique 23 articles
- Resort 3 articles
- Backcountry 3 articles
- The Science of Powder 3 articles
- Three JSBA Conversations 3 articles
- Your First Ski Trip to Hokkaido 3 articles
- Snowboarding: Your First Week 6 articles
- Carving Lab 12 articles
- Choosing an Instructor 5 articles
- Choosing a Resort 2 articles
- Backcountry Prep 2 articles
- Riding Powder 3 articles
- Off-Season Training 2 articles