A project to produce a short ski film titled "VOLCANO" has begun, a collaboration between freeride skier Gen Sasaki, who hails from Niseko, Hokkaido, and filmmaker Ken'ya Yamagishi. A crowdfunding campaign is currently underway on CAMPFIRE to bring the completed film from Japan to the world
In the spring of 2026, Gen Sasaki was invited to participate in the world's premier freestyle session, "Swatch Nines," held for the first time in Japan in Niseko, where he won the Ski Men Best Trick award. Furthermore, together with his teammates, he tackled a massive kicker and successfully landed a quad backflip, a quadruple backward somersault
This moment attracted immense attention from around the world. However, 'VOLCANO' is trying to depict more than just a glorious moment of success
A long sequence of events leading up to the moment of eruption
The film's theme isn't the quad backflip trick itself, but the time and effort that went into getting there. Long-term challenges, failures, experiences, effort, and perseverance. And the attitude of continuing to enjoy skiing on the snowy mountains
"VOLCANO" will depict the events that took place at Swatch Nines in Spring 2026, along with the "invisible time" leading up to them
Gen Sasaki started skiing at the age of two in Niseko Town and competed in the World Cup as a representative of Japan in slopestyle and big air. He switched to freeride in 2019 and won the JAPAN FREERIDE OPEN in 2023. He is also the first Japanese person to appear in a film by Matchstick Productions
This latest project, "VOLCANO," is a culmination of Sasaki's past experiences and the visual expression that filmmaker Ken'ya Yamagishi has cultivated
Filming is already complete. We are now moving on to editing
The filming and direction will be handled by Ken'ya Yamagishi, who has previously collaborated with Gen Sasaki on projects. Yamagishi is a filmmaker who has served as the main creator for Red Bull projects and Swatch Nines, and the two also collaborated on "GRAIN" in 2025
Filming for 'VOLCANO' has already been completed, and editing is currently underway
The project also incorporates the challenging days of this spring, when they dug snow in the mountains of Niseko, built kickers with their own hands, and continued to fly until sunset
"We want to share the culture of Japanese snow and freeriding with the world through the words and videos of Japanese riders themselves."
With that in mind, crowdfunding was chosen as the method
Support is possible from 3,000 yen. Online viewing and riding sessions are also available
The crowdfunding campaign offers various support options, including a 3,000 yen donation, a course that allows viewers to watch the completed "VOLCANO" online for six months, and courses that include original stickers and T-shirts
Furthermore, attractive rewards for skiers are also available, including a park session with Gen Sasaki in the spring of 2027, a framed photograph, a premiere screening, and a private riding clinic with Gen Sasaki. The highest tier is a 400,000 yen course which includes having your sponsorship credit included in the end credits of the film
The crowdfunding campaign runs until October 18, 2026. The target amount is 3.5 million yen, and since it's an All-in campaign, production and completion of the work will proceed as planned even if the target amount is not reached
A skier who has been skiing in the mountains of Niseko for years caused an "eruption" on the world stage. 'VOLCANO' follows not only that moment, but also the time leading up to it. This film, originating from the Japanese freeride scene and broadcasting to the world, is definitely one to watch
Information
'VOLCANO' crowdfunding
- Target amount: 3.5 million yen
- Application period: Until October 18, 2026
- Method: All-in method
- Main rewards: Online viewing, original stickers, T-shirts, spring park session, premiere screening, private riding clinic, etc
- Produced by:Sasaki/Ken'ya Yamagishi
- Organized by: VOLCANO Executive Committee