The Hakuba Valley has long been defined by the winter season. But over the last decade, mountain biking has become an increasingly important part of the valley’s identity. Much of that growth has centered around Hakuba Iwatake, where staff member Ryo Makimura has spent years helping shape the resort’s riding culture.
In winter, Ryo works as a ski patroller at Hakuba Iwatake. In summer, he is the head park builder maintaining the resort’s bike trails that now draw riders from across Japan. But not that long ago, there were no official mountain bike facilities in the Hakuba Valley at all.
Ryo first started building trails just ten years ago, long before Hakuba’s current bike park scene existed. At the time, he was simply creating places to ride with friends. “It was super illegal,” he laughs. He built jumps, berms, and whatever features felt fun, shaping the courses by instinct rather than design plans. Somewhere along the way, he realized he enjoyed building just as much as riding.
In 2017 Hakuba Iwatake opened its bike park operations, and Ryo’s passion led to his current role as head park builder.
Today, Hakuba Iwatake is known for its carefully built trails, technical features, and jump lines, which Ryo believes make it different from other parks in Japan.
Building trails in Hakuba comes with challenges. The same steep terrain that makes the area famous for skiing, along with its rocky landscape, can make mountain bike trail design difficult. “Hakuba has especially steep ski slopes,” Ryo explains. “And in Iwatake, there are rocks everywhere.” The name itself gives it away: Iwa means rock in Japanese. Still, those natural features are also what give the trails their character. For Ryo, the perfect trail is one that works with the mountain rather than against it. “My ideal trail would be one where the land rolls and flows naturally,” he says. “A trail that’s beautiful even just to look at.”
As more riders discover Hakuba during the summer months, Ryo says the local bike scene is starting to resemble the valley’s ski culture—community-driven, welcoming, and built around a shared love of the mountains.
Looking ahead, he believes Hakuba’s mountain biking future is still evolving. “Something beyond what we can currently imagine will grow out of it,” he says.
