"Tesmaski" skis that breathe life into you and glide through powder like a flying bird or a swimming fish

I love playing in nature and I want to enjoy it even more. These thoughts and ideas create new products and value. Here too, there is a creator gazing intently at his "soulful skis, created solely for the enjoyment of Niseko's snow."

At that time, Niseko

It was the height of the bubble economy. More than 30 years ago, in the 1990s, skiing was all the rage in Japan. Takanashi Yutaka was one of the people who was right in the middle of it

"I've always loved outdoor activities, so I worked part-time at Niseko Resort in the winter because I wanted to ski. But I just couldn't get the skiing skills I wanted. If I wasn't doing well, I didn't feel excited and I didn't have the motivation to continue

Around that time, someone gave me a board, so I started snowboarding. It was fun because you could improve your skills so quickly, and I got hooked. This was over 30 years ago, so snowboarding had just come to Japan, and even in Niseko there were only a handful of people doing it, and there was no decent equipment. At the time, the shops didn't have any snowboards in my size, so I started with Sorel winter boots (laughs)

At the time, the slopes were overflowing with skiers, but they were mostly moguls and basic skiing, and not many people were skiing powder in Niseko. Now I can ski powder as much as I want! It's hard to ski powder on skis, but it's easy on a snowboard. The floating feeling on a thick board is fun. Looking back, it seems like a dream. I was a bit of a drifter, so I didn't have a set place to go, and spent all winter as a ski bum in Niseko. At first, I worked as a hotel waiter, but I didn't have much time to ski, so from my third year onwards, I worked part-time at an izakaya (Japanese pub) and skied hard from morning until evening. I really only thought about skiing (laughs)."

Telemark to the world

While I was having so much fun these days, the owner of the izakaya was a telemark skier and recommended it to me, so by chance I ended up entering the world of telemark skiing

"Telemark skiing went better than I expected. I also got the feeling of gliding. It was fun, and what impressed me most was that when the snow was deep, the board would get buried. I often couldn't keep up with the others, so I would take my board off and push through the snow, but when I skied with Telemark skiing, even if I stopped, I could just keep walking. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity. I thought it was amazing that I could walk on snow."

This was the birth of telemarker Takanashi Jo, the first Japanese competitor to compete in the global W-Cup scene. This was when he was 22 or 23 years old

"I started working hard at racing, winning local competitions and progressing well to the W-CUP and World Championships. If I worked hard in Japan, I could win, but overseas was a world that was out of my reach no matter how hard I tried. I didn't originally start telemark skiing because I wanted to race. My goal was to enjoy the natural snow in Niseko. So I left the racing world."

At the same time, a friend of his was planning to go skiing in Alaska, so he began traveling there the following year and spent the next seven years traveling there to take photographs. He carved lines on his telemark skis on the steep and deep slopes of the world's most famous big mountains. In 2003, Takanashi appeared on the cover of the international catalogue of Patagonia, which he was supported by. This was the first time that the work of a Japanese rider and photographer had been featured, and his stylish photos of the skiing spread around the world, generating a great deal of buzz

In December of that year, he opened a pro shop called "Toyru" at the bottom of Niseko Hirafu. For Takanashi, who was already working as a backcountry guide at the time, the shop was a two-for-one deal: it could be used as an office for his guide business and also serve as a community space for locals and guests

"About 30 years ago, the term backcountry and fat skiing didn't even exist. There weren't many types of backcountry gear, and the only places that sold it were mountain equipment stores, so people from Tokyo would bring complicated equipment. The equipment you use to ski in powder with a backcountry is completely different from the skis sold at mountain equipment stores in Honshu. As I continued to ski, I realized how big the difference in equipment is. Your equipment determines what you can do. I thought it was a shame that the possibilities for enjoyment were limited by your equipment."

What I learned from 35 years of powder snowboarding in Niseko

"For the past 35 years, I've been skiing powder in Niseko every winter. I don't think you'll find anyone in the world who skis as much as I do (laughs). As a result, your expectations become higher and higher. But the skis just don't keep up with the movements you want to make. No matter what manufacturer's skis you ride, it's never enough. So I started to think, 'I wish the boards were a little wider, or the tail shape was like this,' and my ideal image of what I wanted started to take shape."

And the wish, "I wish there were skis like this" became the determination, "I'm going to make skis like this."

"The way I imagined skiing was impossible with existing skis. Over the course of its 100-year history, skiing has established its value as an alpine sport, and the performance of ski gear has been refined. Most ski manufacturers create products in the pursuit of the fastest speeds in a world of fractions of a second. Many of them are based in Europe or North America, and making sharp, carving turns on hard, open slopes has become the style of skiing that even non-racing casual skiers aspire to

Ever since I was a child, I have lived my life far removed from the rigid world of skiing. I don't aim to carve turns on hard-packed surfaces. Having lived in Niseko for a long time, what I look for in skiing is to face Mother Nature and enjoy a session with natural snow. I want to be able to ski comfortably as far as I want in nature."

Like a bird flying in the sky, like a fish swimming in the water

"Hokkaido has such deep, soft snow. I want to enjoy skiing in this depth. I wanted skis that would let me do that. Conventional powder skis are thick and hard, so they don't sink too much into deep snow, which is great because you can ski easily even without much skill. But you can only ski on the surface of the snow. I wanted to ski on soft, deep snow with a 3D feeling

This is a feeling that has arisen from skiing every day, but skiing on powder is like a bird flying in the sky or a fish swimming in water. It's easy to see why Yuichiro Miura named his ski team "Miura Dolphins." I began to imagine a board that would playfully dive and float in the snow with soft elasticity, swimming gracefully just like a dolphin

I was always thinking about what kind of board would be best for that kind of skating. Long, flexible, with a smooth radius. The board bends, and as you move forward, it has no choice but to float. When something that is flexible tilts, it has no choice but to turn. If a soft board bends properly, it will naturally float and turn

The idea is to imagine the entire board as a bird's wing or a fish's fin. It's firm in the middle but soft at the edges. The closer you get to the edges, the softer it gets, like a gradient. It has a fin-like effect, pushing the snow out and providing propulsion."

Takanashi chose to work with Komori Ski Factory, the factory that makes the Niseko-based "KEI-SKI" skis.
"We have the world's best powder field right in front of us, I have over 30 years of experience skiing there, and the proven Komori Ski factory. With everything in place, anything we make there is sure to be the best in the world. I believe we can beat anything."

A proud lineup

Takanashi, speaking with a sparkle in his eyes, is confident in his Flipper Para, an all-mountain ski designed primarily for powder. It comes in one size, with a waist width of 109mm and a length of 203cm. "It's the flagship model of tesma skis, so of course it's red," says Takanashi

The Flipper has a center width of 109 mm. It started out with three sizes: 193, 185, and 178 cm, but a new 198 cm size was introduced in January 2025. PARA was 203 cm, and below that was 193 cm, with a 10 cm gap, but users said that 203 cm was too long and 193 cm was too bendable. So a middle ground was created, the 198 cm size. Each size comes in a different color, and when lined up, they look like colorful crayons

"To maintain speed, it's not thickness but length that's important. Longer skis allow you to use a larger vertical arc when rising and falling, allowing you to pick up speed. What's more, longer skis allow for a wider range of deflection, allowing you to enjoy greater up and down movement. Many skis float and turn by sliding while braking on the deep side curves or edges, but Teshima turns smoothly without sliding thanks to the deflected surface

On soft snow, you can easily change the way the board bends depending on how you put your weight on it. If you push down deeply, it bends a lot and floats up. If you push down gently, it floats up gently. The board's flexible movement adapts to the snow, and it moves naturally and comfortably. The Tesma is that kind of board, allowing you to glide with a comfortable, swaying motion and immerse yourself in a fun session with the snow. With hard boards, you can feel the sensation of crashing into the snow and cutting through it with great force, but you don't feel like you're having a session with the snow."

An unexpected reward

Takanashi knew that people around him would say things like, "But those are boards for powder, so they might be fine in Niseko," but he laughed and said, "Actually, I didn't have anything else in mind either (laughs)."

"I made these specifically for skiing in powder snow in Niseko, but when I tried them out, I found they were great on slopes other than powder snow and at other ski resorts too. They feel great in spring snow, and I found they're great fun to ski anywhere on soft snow. It's a completely new sensation, and when skiing down the slopes I can make turns and play around with the terrain in ways I couldn't with regular skis. I can really nail the shots. With tesma, I can climb walls naturally without any catching on the slopes, I can turn smoothly, and when I go down I feel like I'm being pushed forward. They feel great and are absolutely fun. There were so many great things about them that exceeded my expectations. It was an unexpected reward."

Also, normally you think that this board is good at making this kind of turn, and then it turns naturally. But the Tesma has no set turning arc. You can change the way the board bends by leaning and pushing, and change the trajectory of the turning arc while turning. And all without slowing down. I'm sure you'll experience something completely different. I think riding this will inspire creative ideas."

Breathing life into the Ainu cross

"Teshima is an Ainu word, and 'teshi' means to slide smoothly and 'ma' means to swim. It perfectly matches the image of sliding and swimming (laughs). In Ainu, 'teshima' means 'snowshoes', which are used to walk on soft snow. Originally, skiing was an exciting way to walk on snow. So we thought there couldn't be anything more perfect!"

The design also reflects Takanashi's strong passion. The Tesma skis have very simple graphics with no unnecessary details

"I wanted to get rid of writing. Letters and words are essential for the evolution of humanity, and they are something humans have acquired, but by using letters our instincts become weaker. When you're in the mountains, surrounded by nature, what makes you make decisions ultimately comes down to intuition. That's something that naturally wells up from what you've seen and experienced up until now. So you have to observe nature closely and sharpen your thinking ability. There's no need for letters or words there

There's a small, subtle cross mark on the nose, which is based on an Ainu motif, and the cross, "shik," represents eyes or light. I added it to the tip with the feeling of "breathing life into it." Like a creature with sharp eyes and sharpened instincts, flying in the sky or swimming through the snow. Endlessly free. I hope to become that kind of being

I made this because I wanted to ride something. I think it's a really good board, but that doesn't mean I think it's the best or most versatile in the world. But it feels amazing, and I'm so happy that this board has opened up a new world for me, and that it has made my wish to ride like this come true."

You can test ride the Tesma skis at Takanashi's shop "Toyru" in Niseko during the season.
Next winter, why not try diving into the deep powder of Niseko and skiing like you're swimming on the Tesma?

TOYRU http://www.toyru.com

1-8, Niseko Hirafu 1-jo 3-chome, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
TEL: 0136-21-4055
, Sundays, and holidays 8:30-20:00) / (Closed) Open every day in winter

Teshimaski

URL: https://tesmaski.jp/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/tesmaski/