In Niseko, Japan, powder days don’t begin in the mountains—they start under the fluorescent glow of a 7/Eleven. For Evan McEachran, Aaron Blunck, and Jonathan Rollins (JR), Niseko wasn’t just a dream destination—it was the perfect location to stack clips for Beyond, the HEAD Skis team film directed by Jeff Thomas. But this trip wasn’t just about checking off a shot list—it was a meeting of minds. Each athlete brought their own unique background to the table. Evan, a slopestyle skier from Craigleith Ski Club in Ontario; Aaron, a halfpipe skier from Crested Butte, Colorado; and JR, a freeride skier from Rossland, British Columbia—Each brought a piece of “home” with them as they set out to conquer famous spots, legendary snow, and, of course, eat their combined body weight in ramen.
I’d heard from so many people that I had to try the pancakes from 7-Eleven, and I was so excited to finally get my hands on some. After 17 hours of travel, on our first night there, I took a bite—only to find beans inside instead of syrup. Let’s just say I definitely don’t recommend beans in your pancakes.”
– Jonathan Rollins (JR)
I think it’s safe to say Japan is on every skiers bucket list. For me this was the perfect opportunity to get to explore a new culture, and score some incredible snow with an all-time crew.
– Evan McEachran
“Aside from the onsens, I’d say my favorite spot was the Niseko backcountry. Going into the trip, I expected to ride more resort and sidecountry terrain, but by the end of it, we’d only skied one day on the resort—the rest was pure backcountry heaven. Free refills, day after day, run after run. It was everything I’d always imagined Japan would be.”
– Aaron Blunck
Check out the full video of their pow adventure here
