Why does Shun Okumura continue to choose HEAD?

A deep inward lean axis and a stable, weighted gliding style. Shun Okumura's technical concept was born from his encounter with HEAD skis and has been refined over 10 years. Even after shifting his battleground from racing to technical competitions, what is the reason he continues to choose HEAD? We will unravel the core of his reasoning by weaving in episodes from the 63rd All Japan Ski Technical Championships, where he achieved his long-awaited first victory, and Okumura's own words

"Depth" and "weight." A concept born from HEAD

When discussing Okumura's skiing style, certain words always come up: "depth" and "weight." The origin of this lies in his childhood, when he grew up watching Akira Sasaki, a top-level alpine skier. The feeling that "skiing with a leaning motion is cool" became the core of Okumura's concept, and it took shape when he encountered HEAD skis. He first tried HEAD during a material test in college, and found it fast and felt good. That marked the beginning of nearly 10 years of trust in the brand

"The fact that I was able to develop my current skiing style is largely due to using HEAD skis."

HEAD stands out for its grip and glide from the middle to the end of the turn. On the other hand, there is a slight "pause" in the first half of the turn before the skis point downwards, and this "pause" is the key to creating a deeper inward lean axis and bringing out the movement of shifting weight

"In the first half of the run, I prefer to create the lean myself and feel the resistance, rather than letting the skis do the work for me. Feeling the skis turn suits my style better."

He creates the tilt himself and applies his weight. HEAD doesn't interfere with that movement. Okumura recalled that even in the technical competition, when the skis started to separate, "they came back properly" in the latter half of the turn

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In the long turns at the 63rd All Japan Ski Technical Championships Super Final, Okumura gave his all despite the challenging conditions of soft, slow snow and a headwind, delivering a superb performance

A reliable gear that brings out depth and weight

Okumura uses the "WCR E-GS REBEL RP-WCR 14 SPEED BLUE" 186cm for long turns and the "WCR E-SL REBEL RP-WCR 14 SPEEDBLUE" 165cm for short turns. He inserts a 2mm lifter only on the front side between the binding and the plate to stabilize the grip in the first half of the turn. He uses RAPTOR WCR 3 boots, and the ease of entry in the first half of the turn and the sticky return of the shell support his skiing

HEAD has not made any major changes to its race models in recent years. The high level of perfection is proven by its World Cup results, and it is because of the stable materials that Okumura has been able to pursue new skiing styles without changing his base. In the 2026 season, he visited the company's headquarters in Austria and participated in development that is in line with the culture of technical competitions, further deepening his bond with HEAD

"Going forward, with reliable materials, I will continue to pursue skating that will amaze spectators in all disciplines."

Shun Okumura and HEAD's journey has only just begun

Photo = Tatsuki Matsumoto Text = Dai Morimiya

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