Backcountry Ski Tours Japan

About Us | Custom Trips | Contact/Bookings

Home > About Hokkaido Powder Guides

OWNER/OPERATORS

Hokkaido Powder Guides is owned and operated by Chuck and Toshie Olbery. They both met in Canada while working for Whistler Heliskiing. Chuck went on to work 4 seasons for the company in both a guiding and operational capacity. He commenced back to back winter seasons between Canada and New Zealand, working for Alpine Guides in New Zealand for 7 seasons as both guide, and later operations manager for Methven Heliski. Toshie meanwhile worked in the finance industry and afterwards attained a travel agent’s license.

Together they have been operating Hokkaido Powder Guides for 10 years, combining their backgrounds in the travel and ski guiding industries. During the winter season, they are busy hosting western clients on guided trips throughout Japan and in spring, guide Japanese clients throughout the world.

JAPAN AVALANCHE NETWORK MEMBERS

Hokkaido Powder Guides are members of the Japanese Avalanche Network and share snowpack analysis with other organizations. This system is similar to the Infoex in Canada and New Zealand and is an important part of the operations with regard to avalanche safety.

GUIDING STAFF

Guides have been chosen for their dedication, professionalism and attention to client care and satisfaction. All are career guides and work the summer months guiding alpine and rock climbing or skiing in the southern hemisphere. Together they bring a collective experience in guiding gained from years working for operations in Japan and abroad. They are certified through Japanese and international organizations and all are English/Japanese bilingual.

Chuck Olbery
Director / Guide

Chuck spent his childhood in between Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea. It was on a climb of New Guinea’s highest peak that he discovered a passion for the mountains. He discovered skiing a few years later on a school ski touring trip.

After graduating from university with a B.A in Japanese, he worked on a teaching program in a Japanese high school and spent weekends and holidays exploring the skiing options in northern Honshu and Hokkaido. An interest in guiding was sparked on a trip to Hakkoda, a backcountry destination at the tip of the Japanese main island where he saw Japanese guides at work.

Chuck is a Ski Guide with the NZMGA (New Zealand Mountains Guides Association) and a member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Chasing winters, he worked nine seasons guiding in Canada and New Zealand. He has climbed and skied in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Alaska and Antarctica.
In his spare time Chuck enjoys amateur film-making, cycling and surfing.

Norie Kizaki
Guide

Born in rural, western Japan, Norie Kizaki was raised in a Buddhist monastery her family has administered for generations. It was there that she started skiing on the cliffs of the monastery gardens. She moved to Colorado in 1996 and earned a graduate degree in International Intercultural Communication. During the time she got hooked on backcountry skiing and mountain climbing and turned her passion for backcountry skiing and climbing into her profession.

Norie is an American Mountain Guides Association member(AMGA) trained in Ski Guiding, Alpine and Rock. When she is not guiding for Hokkaido Powder Guides, she works for Colorado Mountain School as a mountain guide in Boulder Colorado. She enjoys meeting and guiding diverse people from all over the world who come to Hokkaido Japan.

When not guiding, Norie enjoys climbing or backcountry skiing with her husband, trail running with girlfriends, cooking Japanese meals and planning her next adventure!

Yoshiko Miyazaki-Back
Guide

Yoshiko grew up in rural Kyoto. While studying in the UK she discovered climbing. Since then her passion for climbing grew stronger, expanding to pursuing alpine climbing and ski mountaineering. She also learned to build skis along the way, spending a few years based between Chamonix France, U.S. and Japan.

She is trained in CAA (Canadian Avalanche Association) level 1, registered AST1 instructor, and AAI (American Avalanche Institute) level 3, and in Rock, Alpine and Ski Mountaineering discipline through the AMGA.