Yūichirō was exposed to snow sports from the time he was a child, and placed in his first skiing competition during his second grade year in elementary school.

He moved south with his family but found that he missed the snow and winter sports, prompting him to enroll at Hokkaido University.

His advanced ability to ski, especially in the back-country, required him to reach high elevations by hiking, expanding the breadth of his skills to include wintertime Alpine mountaineering.

[1] While active in ski competitions, he competed for the average speed in the 100 meter section of the steep slope downhill.

[3] Famous alpinists, however, like Ken Noguchi, dispute Miura's achievement, arguing that a climb can not be called “complete” unless one walks all the way down the mountain.