Nozawa Onsen Ski Rental
Meet the crew from Nozawa Central Rentals. One of the largest and best stocked Rental Shops in Nozawa Onsen. All our technicians speak good English and have years of experience in Ski and Snowboard Rental.
Name: Eri Tominaga Butterfield
Shop Name: Mama Wolf
Role: Rental Supervisor
Nationality: Japanese
How many seasons: 3rd season
Favourite run: Forest trail
Ski or board: Board
Favourite board/ski: Something easy
Best thing about Nozawa: FOOD
Hidden talent: Hula dancer
Favourite Quote: 猿も木から落ちる
Name: Ryan Butterfield
Shop Name: Papa Wolf
Role: Rental Co Manager
Nationality: Scottish
How many seasons: 14
Favourite run: Anywhere through the trees
Ski or board: If it slides I will ride it
Favourite board/ski: Depends on the snow
Best thing about Nozawa: Tree runs, local food and amazing scenery
Hidden talent: Can make a pack of TIm Tams disappear in less than a minute
Favourite Quote: “Water which is too pure has no fish”
Name: Zach
Shop Name: Nacho Nips
Role: Rental Co-Manager
Nationality: Canadian
How many seasons: 6 seasons
Favourite run: The Chicken Sando Sender
Skier or boarder: Skier
Favourite board/ski: Line Magnum Opus
Best thing about Nozawa: The snow, food, culture, and the wonderful people
Hidden talent: Juggling
Favourite Quote: “I’m gonna be the king… the godfather of big mountain snowler blading. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going so off, no one is ever gonna see what I’m gonna do. If I ever get outta here, I’m gonna make a come back man.” – Shane McConkey (Saucer Boy)
Name: Patrick
Shop Name:
Role: Ski Technician
Nationality: German
How many seasons: 1st in Japan
Favourite run: Skyline groomed at a bluebird 9 am
Skier or boarder: Ski
Favourite board/ski: Head Kore
Best thing about Nozawa: Japanese Lifestyle
Hidden talent: Best Schnitzel cook in town
Favourite Quote: A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom. #Warren Miller
Name: Vinnie
Shop Name: Vin Diesel
Role: Just part of the crew
Nationality: New Zealand
How many seasons: 10
Favourite run: Utopia
Ski or board: Board
Favourite board/ski: Libtech T-rice or for the big stuff 159 GNU Mullair.
Best thing about Nozawa: The powder and the people
Hidden talent: I can give a smashing one handed round of applause…???
Favourite Quote: If you french fry when you’re supposed to pizza… You’re going to have a bad timmmme….
Name: George
Shop Name: Mr Migrator
Role: Adding milk to the tea
Nationality: English
How many seasons: 4
Favourite run: Yammy-B
Ski or board: Ski
Favourite board/ski: Faction 2.0
Best thing about Nozawa: Onsens, food, snow!!
Hidden talent: Poaching eggs
Favourite Quote: This isn’t a trial run…
Nozawa Onsen Ski Rental
Name: Taichi Obama
Shop Name: Tomahawk
Role: Trainee
Nationality: Im Japanese
How many seasons: First season
Favourite run: Yamabiko
Ski or board: Board
Favourite board/ski: Powder Board
Best thing about Nozawa: Beautiful girls
Hidden talent: Kick boxer
Favourite Quote: Yes We Can
Name: Sam
Shop Name: Cheese Wagon
Role: Strictly Boots and Banter
Nationality: Ozzy
How many seasons: 2nd
Favourite run: I prefer to walk
Ski or board: Boarder
Favourite board/ski: Burton LTR 160w
Best thing about Nozawa: A very welcoming community within a traditional Japanese village.
Hidden talent: Power napping
Favourite Quote: Never Go full chook/always go full chook! Helmut, do you have a helmet??
Name: Johanna
Shop Name: Salad Slinger
Role: The anything that needs doing assistant
Nationality: Kiwi
How many seasons: 5 seasons, 1st in Japan
Favourite run: still exploring, anything fresh!
Ski or board: board
Favourite board/ski: expanding the ol’ horizons and trying new boards
Best thing about Nozawa: Great crew, onsen life
Hidden talent: a wealth of fun, useless and sometimes made up facts, the best cheese and onion scones you ever did eat.
Favourite Quote:
“Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”
#Gandalf