I had heard whispers of a Japanese gentleman that traveled from resort to resort pursuing an unusual passion. It’s somewhat of an achievement here in Hokkaido to spot this rare, eccentric individual. I must say, I wasn’t looking for him when he did appear on a relaxed day at Rusutsu Ski Resort, but it was difficult to miss him. Bundled up in vintage ski apparel, streamers fluttering from his pole grips, one could say he stood out from the crowd. Add to that the fact that he only skis rear-end first. It was plain to see: Mr. Asatorah Akiba’s sole mission in life is backwards skiing.
Everywhere, all the time.
Catching-up with him on the slope, I timidly asked his permission to take some photographs. It seemed Mr. Akiba was quite accustomed to being approached in such a manner. Smiling broadly, he accepted willingly and offered his business card, as is customary in Japan. Whether or not he offers lessons or guiding services, I still can’t figure out. However, one thing was certain: he had an undeniable sense of purpose.
Through limited vocabulary, him with some broken English and I with even less Japanese, we managed to learn a little bit about each other. Asatorah-san explained that he had practiced his version of the downhill sport for over 25 years. I dare say he hadn’t changed his set-up since 1989 either, part of his charm.
I caught glimpses of him skiing throughout the day, a trail of curious onlookers never far away. True skiers might be tempted to say he skis switch, but this simply isn’t the case. Mr. Akiba doesn’t merely peer over his shoulder as he floats down the slopes, he does so with skis mounted backwards. As Hunter S. Thompson put it: “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right”. The Backwards Skier must have taken this to heart.
Winter is coming,