Team
Ryan Taylor first guided Furano in 2011, long before it was on the radar. This was a time when the most obvious, lift accessed areas would go untouched throughout the season. Having skied, studied Japanese and practiced Karate since a young age, Ryan was quick to fall in love with Hokkaido.
Ryan grew up in New Zealand's rugged Southern Alps. Since 2014, he has been prolific in achieving countless human-powered 1st ski descents deep in the backcountry. Before it was cool! Ryan has made ski mountaineering expeditions to Greenland and Tajikistan twice to ski 5000m plus peaks.
In Furano, many large mountain faces are visible, Ryan has skied all of these and has progressed to pursuing lines in increasingly obscure places. Steep skiing aside, he loves exploring new areas & the moderate powder that Hokkaido is famous for.
With a background in Geology and Cartography, Ryan is constantly studying terrain to find the best powder stashes for your soul. He is a self proclaimed expert in route finding and planning trips to unexplored areas.
Ryan has professional avalanche, ski instructing, wilderness 1st aid, rope access and rope rescue certifications. A BSc in Geology and a post grad diploma in GIS (cartography) where his projects focused on modelling avalanche terrain.
Yuusuke Asakawa discovered snowboarding when he was a teenager and never looked back. Yuusuke has been guiding with us since 2022 and everyone loves him, admiring his strength, knowledge and smile.
Farming in the summer time, he lives for the winter and looks forward to sharing his 20 years plus of experience in the Furano backcountry with you. You will see him on posters at Furano ski area as a part of the 'Bonchi Powder' marketing project making his signature turn.
His winters are divided between photoshoots for brands that support him, guiding and personal adventures. Get in touch for his limited availability.
In the early season and spring Yuusuke crafts his own Yukiita (snow surf boards). December is the perfect time to ride a snowsurf in the early season cold snow on accessible slopes.
Get in contact either through us or directly through Floating Leaf if you are interested in giving it a try.
Midori Taylor grew up in Morioka at the foot of the iconic Mt Iwate. She studied architecture at Hokkaido University where she became a member of their notorious Alpine team.
Midori is happiest outside in nature. She is a proficient rock and ice climber, having climbed big walls in Yosemite and many of Hokkaido's more challenging water ice routes. Since 2023, the focus of her outdoor pursuits has shifted strongly to ski mountaineering and ski touring.
Guiding with us since 2024, she enjoys smaller groups and couples and sharing her knowledge of ecology on the uptrack.
Midori has professional avalanche and wildneress 1st aid certifications
In summer you will find her working as an architect and real estate agent as Sunei Build in Furano. Outside of work, tying flies and fly fishing.
Other Supporting members
Mr Onishi is a famous backcountry skier based in Kamikawa. He works for the fire service and police mountain search and rescue teams. Outside of work he lives and breathes the mountains.
With decades of experience to share, we are honoured that he occasionally attends our guiding in the Kamikawa region, spring adventures and provides valuable guidance for us.
