Skiing Around The World Interview with Jimmy Petterson DISCUSS THIS FEATURE HERE

Not many people can say they have skied in 48 different countries around the globe.  We recently spoke with someone who can, Jimmy Petterson, discussing his ski experiences around the world, the time he came to Japan and also his impressive "Skiing Around The World" book.

My great uncle, Paul Preuss, was a famous mountain climber who today is considered the father of free climbing. A book about him was written by Reinhold Messner and published in the 1980s. Paul Preuss was also an avid skier.
 

Mt. Etna-Rupert Scheiner is skiing down into one of the many  craters on Mt. Etna. Clearly, this was not the crater that was  actively spewing lava during our visit!
 

How did you start skiing and where?
My first skiing experiences were in the local San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains near my birthplace of Los Angeles. When I was between seven and nine years of age, we went skiiing a bit further from home in Mammoth Mt. (2 chair lifts the first time I was there) and Squaw Valley (before the 1960 Olympics). Then, in the early 1960s, our family began to visit Alta every Christmas and Easter. It was there that I really learned skiing because I learned to ski powder.

What do you think makes skiing so special over other sports?
To begin with, that has a lot to do with how one is brought up. As my parents loved skiing, they not only introduced it to me, but they were also able to transfer their love of the sport to me. I like swimming also, as long as it is in a lake or the sea and not in a swimming pool. Swimming in a lake or the sea is like skiing off-piste, especially if there is no wind, and the water is smooth and flat. The nature experience is beautiful, but of course, swimming is not as exciting as skiing. Running?  I am too lazy to enjoy it.
 

The tiny ski area of Stranda, situated amidst the fjords of Western Norway
provides stunning scenery.

Can you tell us some general observations about your experiences that you found interesting.
I visited Japan in spring, 2001. In a culture as different from our own as Japan’s culture is, virtually everything was interesting. The food is different and delicious of course, and eating it in the Japanese style on the floor adds to the flavor. Eating sushi, sashimi, seaweed, rice and such things even for breakfast was an interesting way to begin the day.

There were many customs that were very different as well. Westerners are sun-worshippers but Japanese skiers shunned the sun, presumably because of an old association between dark skin and working class people. The local people let out their inhibitions at the Karaoke bars, but generally are quiet and reserved. The work ethic of the Japanese people was also amazing. I spoke with one man who told me that he only takes one or two days off a year, and it seemed quite normal for people to start their work day at 7 a.m. and finish past 7 p.m.

While I knew that Japan had many ski resorts, I had not realized before my visit that the entire island is totally covered with mountains. I had heard that the ski resorts in Japan were very crowded, but that seemed to be information left over from the boom years of the Japanese economy and when we were there, we did not run into any lines anywhere.

I also enjoyed very much seeing the snow apes and I loved the many hot springs in and around Nozawa Onsen.

In Furano, the old single chair was very interesting as well. It was not much more than a flat stool that took skiers up the mountain. It had a metal piece on the back and one side of the “stool” which was raised about 4-5 inches above the seat. There was no safety bar or anything else and one did not feel extremely secure when one looked at it. Nevertheless, it was no problem to ride and my anxiety subsided once I was heading up the mountain on this rather bizarre lift. I have heard that there are quite a few such lifts all over Japan.

Out of the places you visited in Japan, which was your favorite place?
For ski resort atmosphere, I definitely liked best the quaintness of Nozawa Onsen. It is a picturesque village with walking streets and many hot springs including one in the center of town where the locals boil their eggs and cook their vegetables. The skiing there was also very good. Niseko was another favorite. The beauty of skiing in the shadow of the nearby volcano, Mt. Yotei was combined with the wide, open slopes. We visited in spring and experienced excellent spring snow, but Niseko has quite a reputation for powder and I would love to return sometime during the throes of winter.
 

How did you find the attitude of the Japanese ski resorts in general. Were you surprised to see the “Keep Out” signs?
I understand the attitude of the Japanese resorts better than I understand that of the Western resorts. From what I have heard, the Japanese are loathe to allow off-piste skiing because their staffs are not well-trained or knowledgeable when it comes to avalanche science. That is a reasonably good excuse for their preventative policy. In many areas of the U.S., out of bounds skiing is also not allowed, but in their case, it is the fear of litigation that often prevents us skiers from getting the powder we desire. This is a much poorer reason for disapproving of off-piste skiing than the reason they don’t allow it in Japan. Of course, I love off-piste skiing and did a bit of poaching while we were in Japan. But then again, I find myself poaching powder almost anywhere where it is not allowed.

Where was the best place you poached that powder in Japan?
In Nozawa Onsen, we had the good fortune of meeting an Austrian, Ortwin Eckert, who spoke fluent Japanese and was working for the Nozawa tourist office. He was assigned to facilitate our stay. Despite his position, he had a similar love for powder and an identical philosophy toward poaching, and he actually “guided” us to some very nice “illegal” places to ski powder at Nozawa.

How do you feel the Japanese resorts can improve what they offer?
One way they can certainly improve is by allowing more freedom in the mountains. For Westerners, I guess a few chairs and tables for outdoor lunches would also be appreciated.

How do the Japanese resorts that you visited compare to those of other countries?
A few resorts we visited, like Shiga Kogen and Niseko, had various different lift systems all on the same mountain. This was rather incongruous for a country that is otherwise extremely well organized. That kind of system can easily cause difficulties, especially for foreigners, who invariably find themselves at the bottom of a lift for which they do not have a valid ticket.

Any thoughts on Japanese apres-ski (or what exists of it)?
Apres-ski is different from country to country. Nobody in the world can outdo the Austrians for the typical kind of apres-ski that we are used to in the West, so why try? Most countries do try to compete and fail miserably. What’s wrong with a soak in the hot springs and a bit of a sing-along at the Karaoke bar, anyway? It’s nice to visit a country with a unique take on apres-ski.
 

Niseko in particular has seen many changes in the last few years. What was your impression of Niseko when you visited it?
Good resorts eventually get more and more popular no matter where they are in the world. The usual result is that the nightlife gets better and the skiing gets worse. When this happens, the wise skiers at the forefront of the ski scene will silently sneak out of town and begin to frequent another mountain that is not as well-known or crowded and where they can practice powder skiing in peace.

On the same subject, which resorts in the world would you say have gone through this same cycle and where else do you think this might happen (not Japan)?
The resorts in the Alps that have the best reputation for off-piste skiing are Chamonix, St. Anton, and Verbier. This trend of attracting too many powder enthusiasts began in those areas already in the late 1970s and that tendency has proliferated ever since. Accessible powder (without hiking) in these resorts is essentially gone by noon on a sunny day after a snowfall.

In Chamonix, some skiers in the know moved their headquarters to La Grave in the early 1990s, at which time it was still an “insider-tip”. By now, the same has happened there, although not to the extent that it has in Chamonix. Similarly, as the powder disappeared more and more quickly in St. Anton, nearby Stuben was a great location to make fresh tracks for days after a snowfall in the late seventies and early eighties. But then, Stuben was incorporated on the same lift pass and a lift link was built between St. Anton and Stuben. This brought the crowds of powder freaks to Stuben as well.

The irony of all this is that we ski journalists are very often part of the cause of this cycle. We do investigative research and find unknown powder Meccas as we search for powder and new material for our articles. When we reveal these locations in print, it is the beginning of the end of the location as a secret powder paradise.

Where was the best snow that you encountered in Japan?
We had some nice powder at Nozawa Onsen. That apparently is not unusual, as their statistics showed that they receive a higher average annual snowfall than most other places in the world. To be exact, according to the local fact sheets, Nozawa averages 14.5 meters of snowfall per year - second only to Mt. Alyeska, Alaska among the ski resorts of the world.

Which region that you visited did you feel had the most potential to be developed further and appeal more to an international market?
Hakuba was the area where the terrain looked most similar to the Alps. Much of it is above the tree line, providing wide, open slopes and lots of off-piste possibilities… if off-piste skiing were legal! On the other hand, Westerners don’t have to go all the way to Japan to find the kind of skiing that exists in Hakuba. Therefore, I feel once again that Nozawa Onsen with its authentic charm has great potential to attract visitors looking for a true Japanese experience.

What do you think are the strengths of Japanese ski resorts in general, or any resort in particular?
From my understanding, many Japanese resorts - particularly but not exclusively, Nozawa and Niseko, have great snow records. That is a big plus in a day and age when the greenhouse effect is endangering our beloved snow with extinction.

Making a few turns on the backside of Porter Heights in New Zealand,
one has a fairy tale view of Lake Coleridge.

Tell us about your book, "Skiing Around The World".
Already in 1998, I realized that I had visited so many unusual countries for skiing that it would be an interesting subject for a book. The idea came because I had such difficulty finding reliable information about the skiing in odd places. I never knew before going to Kazakhstan, India, Lebanon, or other such places whether the skiing would be interesting for me or not. The only solution was to go there and find out. Therefore, I felt that such a book would be helpful to other skiers. Shortly after I first got the idea, my father died. I got sidetracked by all the things that have to be taken care of because of a death of one’s closest relative. So it took a few years before I was able to pursue the idea properly.

How has the ski world changed in past decades?
The changes have been enormous. I deal with this question a lot in my book, and to some degree, it is a reason for my book. The new equipment and the focus, in recent years, on off-piste skiing, have made untracked powder an ever scarcer resource in the well-known resorts of the Alps and the Rockies. That is one reason why I enjoy going to the outer limits of the ski world where the competition for fresh tracks is not as fierce.

In addition, the focus on extreme skiing has gone so far so as to make recreational skiing at the higher levels of expertise a much more dangerous sport than it once was. I think it is quite crazy what is going on in the ski world with regard to extreme skiing. Many of the youngsters who watch the videos glorifying the extreme skiers, do not have the common sense to understand the danger involved. This has to do with the danger of avalanches as well as the danger from falling over rocks and cliffs and landing big-air jumps.

Do you worry about global warming and its effect on the ski industry?
Global warming is a real issue, especially when the most powerful country in the world has an administration that ignores the issue or thinks the vested interests of “big business” are more important. I, however, am more worried about global warming as to the damage it can do to the whole world than of the specific problems of the ski industry.

What do you want your next great ski adventure to be?
Among many ideas, I would like to visit the Kamchatka Peninsula, Antarctica, and the Russian resort of Krasnaya Polyana. I also would like to return to Kashmir and try the new lift up to the top of Mt. Afarwat in Gulmarg.

The photo of Henrik Westelius jumping is taken in Iran, while skiing off-piste from Dizin down toward Darbandsar. In the background is the volcano, Mt. Damavand, Iran's highest peak (5671 meters).

Finally, please tell us about some of your best and worst times.

Greatest
There have been too many. Any time the powder is deep and I am with one or more good friends who love skiing as much as I do. Those are the greatest moments - the combination of the exhilarating feeling of skiing deep powder and sharing it with a kindred spirit.

Worst
Various avalanche experiences when I thought I was going to die. One was in Saalbach, where I lost my skis and broke my ribs. The worst one was in Kashmir. I was not injured but really had a near-death experience. It was, I believe, the only time of my life that I felt sheer terror (not fear, but terror). I think one can only know the difference if one has experienced both.

Deepest snow
I think that the deepest snow can be found in Alta, Utah. While most of my experiences there are from my childhood, the memories are still vivid. Alta snow usually has such a low water content that it is fluffier and deeper than elsewhere. I have also experienced some of the deepest snow of my life in Saalbach, Austria, simply because I have spent so many seasons there, so I have been there at the right time. One thing is for sure, the deepest snow can always be found only during the snowstorm.

Biggest dump
The winters of 1988,1999, and 2000 (in the northern Alps) seemed like one endless dump. Of course, there were some breaks, which were needed, but we, who spent those seasons in Austria basically skied deep powder almost every day of the season.

Most beautiful mountains and resorts
Matterhorn-Zermatt, Chamonix, Dolomites, Himalayas, volcanoes of Chile such as Villarica, Osorno, and Antuco, Heavenly in California, Stranda and Narvik in Norway, Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, Cerro Bayo and Bariloche in Argentina, Treble Cone, Remarkables, and Lake Ohau in New Zealand.

Where do you want to go skiing most?
I think the best skiing in the world is in the Alps - in some of the lesser-known areas, which are not too overcrowded with ski bums. The Aosta Valley is good, various places in Switzerland, like Andermatt and Disentis, and the Haute Maurienne Valley of France.

Greatest dream now
In a few years, when my son Erik finishes high school, I would like to take him and my girlfriend, Aynur, on a year around the world, for skiing, other adventures, general travel and learning. I would have a rough schedule that I would send to a few close friends so that, if they would want to, they could meet us for certain segments of the trip.

Below is some more information about Jimmy, taken from his official website:

Jimmy’s obsessive pursuit of the ultimate ski run and the perfect powder dump has led him to take jobs including ski instructor, off-piste guide, travel guide, slope-side singer-entertainer, bar owner, hotelkeeper, ski travel arranger, and most recently ski writer and photographer. He has skied in 48 different countries during his search for ski nirvana, and his work has been published in fifteen of those nations.

Jimmy’s journalistic accomplishments include 30 magazine front covers and more than 300 published ski features. His articles describe his visits and experiences in such far-flung ski destinations as Bolivia, Iceland, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Soviet Georgia, Morocco, Greenland, India, Slovakia and Poland. He has also written about and photographed many of the more conventional ski areas of the Alps and the Rockies.

Nevertheless, he has built a reputation for his coverage of the more unusual destinations.

Jimmy has described how he came to develop this particular niche. “During my early childhood, in the 1950s, many ski areas in the United States still had a pioneer spirit about them. In the years that followed I have seen the sport grow from the crawling stage to the multi-billion dollar mega-industry it is today. Naturally, I embrace the progress of the industry and the access it has given me to a myriad of mountains and slopes that were unattainable by lift a generation earlier. At the same time, I also sometimes miss the simplicity, the sense of pioneering, and the familiarity that existed among the early patrons of the sport.”

“Over the years that my career has afforded me the opportunity to go almost anywhere in the world, my roots were often evident in my choice of location. Interspersed with reporting on some of the biggest and best ski resorts in the world, I often sought tiny, remote, and even underdeveloped areas to ski. In the likes of Antuco, Chile or Kashka-Suu, Kyrgyzstan, most of the skiers on the hill were on a first name basis, and the pioneer atmosphere was still the order of the day.”

We would like to thank Jimmy for his time answering our questions and also for kindly sending us a few copies of his excellent book, "Skiing Around The World".  We've been looking through the book for a week or so now - there are some amazing stories and photography in there.  If you ever come to the Snow Japan office, please ask us to show you. 

For more information on the book, check out the following website (where you can also buy the book):

http://www.skiingaroundtheworld.net/