Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park [SSP] has gained tremendous popularity and trust among skiers and snowboarders for over 20 years. Even now, after a long time, that hasn't changed at all. Why does Ishiuchi Maruyama park so fascinate people? Why is it supported by top-level riders? How has its tradition and pride been preserved?
A session will be held on "THE DAY" for a short time after heavy snowfall in mid-February!
To unravel the secret to the popularity of Ishiuchi Maruyama's snow park, we would like to talk to Hoshino Kouga, a genuine local rider who has been skiing SSP since he was a kid, and Niwa no Yohei, a park digger for Ishiuchi Maruyama and a rider on the DRAGON team.
On February 17th, "THE DAY" arrived between the continuous falling snow. Under the clear blue sky, Hoshino Koga and Niwano Yohei meet up at Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park. Kensaku from the STEEP editorial department also came to the site. In fact, he has been a former rider, Ishiuchi Maruyama for 20 years. He is the coordinator of this project.
We teamed up with a movie photographer with a photographer to hold a session at a beautifully remade park. First of all, I would like you to watch this video. (90 seconds)
And then check out the photos.
Things you want to feel and know from this video
What did you feel when you saw the video?
"What a beautiful park that looks like it's in good condition!"
"The scale is huge! Kicker, it's huge!"
"It looks like it would feel good if you let it slide and slide."
"When it comes to stone-crashing, it's definitely a jib."
"Aren't these two too cool?"
I would be happy if you could enjoy the video as you feel.
Furthermore, there are three things you should definitely feel from this video:
1.
2.
Designs that allow you to draw infinite lines and high quality items 3 is a gathering place where you can create the best sessions Tradition and culture that has built the scene
Let's explore the reason for this through a dialogue between Hoshino Koga and Niwano Yohei.
Hoshino Koga is 27 years old and originally from Minamiuonuma City. I was able to remember the slopes, influenced by my grandparents who run a ski inn at the foot of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort and my parents who work at the ski resort. He has been fascinated by the world of freestyle through competitions, and his original style has been attracting attention, especially among snow park users.
In the 2022 FWQ, this is the highest level tournament in Japan, and he finished first for the second consecutive tournament and participated in the world tournament. Furthermore, he was honored in the world at the world-famous street riding video contest "B-DOG OFF THE LEASH ONLINE VIDEO CONTEST," hosted by Phil Casabon in November 2024. Of course, he is the first Japanese person. He's a multi-talent who can play both the park, the Big Mountain, and the video.
Niwano Yohei is 25 years old and is from Uonuma City. Like Kouga, he grew up in the snow culture of the Uonuma area. He is an artist who engages in a variety of activities, including snowboarding, skateboarding, graffiti, DJing, apparel production, and event organizers. We organized the extremely popular event "SHARE" that mixes the snowy mountains of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort with music. As of 2025, he also works as a digger at Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park and is also responsible for producing SSP.
Not only is the diverse activities attracting attention in the scene, but both of them are core Ishiuchi Maruyama locals.
This is the best casting to make Ishiuchi Maruyama talk.
Hoshino Koga × Niwano Yohei Interview
We're skiing all day
STEEP Editorial Department Kensaku (hereafter -K): What are your thoughts on this session?
Yohei: We usually skate together, so I think we were able to show that we were always collaborating together.
Kouga: Before I knew it, I was skiing from 9am to 3pm (laughs). I was able to film with Jizo (video filming) and YUKI (still filming), who I always have sessions, so I was able to have fun without any stress.
-K: Do Kouga and Yohei, both of you skate together often? What kind of relationship is it?
Kouga: He's a senior and junior in my hometown. I'm from Minamiuonuma City and Yohei is from Uonuma City.
Yohei: I'm 25 and Kouga is 27 (age).
Kouga: The wavelengths are the same, so I've been skiing a lot since last season. If he were good, it felt like he would become an acquaintance without his own permission (laughs). Yohei is a different type than he is. There is also a part where the creators create videos and events. I respect that kind of thing. Also, I'm confident (lol).
Yohei: I've been skateboarding for a long time, so I think it's a slightly unique style because it comes with other cultures.
-K: How long do both of you slip? Tell me your daily routine.
Kouga: I ski every day. It starts at around 8am and closes once at around 4:5pm. From there, I'll go to the night game at 6am. I've been doing the same thing since elementary school students (lol). I do that six days a week. Once a week, on days when I don't ski any night games, I go to the Culture Center or the Ishikatsu Training Center to get my body moving.
Kouga: I like skiing, and when I don't skiing, I get anxious. When I'm in my hometown, I usually ski rock-painting. At the beginning of the season, I went to Oku Tadami, and from the beginning to the middle of January, I also included Mt. Hakkai and slid in. But I generally like to drive stones, and I'm close enough, so I ski on the rocks.
Yohei: I'm also really every day. Sometimes I get busy planning events and creative work, but when it snows, I feel like I want to go on filming or skiing (laughs). Even when I went to work, I ended up slipping (lol). It feels like I work when the snow isn't good. I also go to Okutami in the beginning of the season and in the spring.
-K: I'm surprised that you skate so much every day.
Kouga: Park is my roots, so it's my favorite part. I'm definitely the first thing I've ever skied from the park, and I think I'm a skier born from that. Also, I'm the type of person who wants to do new things as I skate, so I never get bored of it. The park is always fun to ski. Even on sunny and rainy days. When the snow isn't good, I try to enter the park. It's also a lot of practice.
-K: Kouga also plays backcountry, but do you feel that Park Ride is being used in backcountry as well?
Kouga: Everything is being used. Even a jump in the backcountry can be taken. I also learned from the park to think about the skiing line at Big Mountain.
--K: Right, parks are also good for improving freeskiing skills.
Favorite points of this season's park
What do you like about SSP this season? Are there any items you like the most, or are there any points to enjoy?
Kouga: There's two jumps in a row, and a spine at the end, which is interesting to see how it flies normally, but Ishida-hitter Park Diggers and Tuta-kun (operator) create pretty challenging lines every year. That's quite a bit of a thought, "You're doing it." It's like you'll fly the first kicker to the side, hit it against the right kicker, and return to the second kicker.
-K: What? Can the second kicker fly?
Kouga: It's great when the snow runs. I often talk to Yohei, and that kind of challenging line is interesting. The most interesting thing about the park is that you can take the line and what you can do. It feels better than sliding normally over the slope style. The footage of them flying across the sides makes it more pleasant for the viewers, and it feels better for me too. So what I like most about Ishiuchi's park is that it is challenging and can take a pleasant line.
Yohei: My favorite item right now is D WALL. You can play like a skate. You can also put it in from the side and straight.
-K: Does that mean that you can get a variety of lines and that each item is well-developed and that it's interesting? I guess it's unique to SSP.
Staff supporting SSP Park
-K: I would like to ask Park Producer Yohei as a "creator" how is the Park's digger team currently managed?
Yohei: As a park producer, I come up with the layout of items, what kind of promotions I will make, and arranging materials for social media. This year's digger team is comprised of 7-8 people. About five people go to work every day. One of the characteristics of this year is that there are a lot of new employees, such as teenagers. Many resumes were sent to apply for applications that wanted to become a digger, and some people refused.
-K: Wow! It's popular, isn't it?
Yohei: In addition to the Digger Staff, there is also a Tuta, a heavy machinery operator. He's good at snowboarding and I know very well. I always communicate to improve the condition of the items. I think the cooperation with operators is better than other ski resorts. We meet every day.
-K: What exactly does close collaboration with operators bring to the park?
Yohei: In a recent example, as shown in this video, there is a long wall on the right from the middle lane. Oh, it's been on sale this year, and we suggested, "Why not give it a try?" It seems that Tuta also wanted to use the wall, and he cut the trees and prepared them in the summer. "Well, let's try this year!" and that's what we've created. The result was the best! I'm glad I did it. It's turned out to be a terrible park.
It's difficult because there is no one who can call us designers, but the snowflakes are amazing. They are made with snowpackers rather than heavy machinery specifically for park development. The work is really difficult, but they understand our "vibes." It feels like I can't produce unless it's Tuta's operation.
--K: I see. The overwhelming park development techniques and the digger team's ideas and vibes are well-dried together.
Why do I skip Ishiuchi Maruyama SSP?
-K: I understand that the quality of SSP is amazing. However, there are several other ski resorts in the Yuzawa area that have plenty of parks, so why do you ski through Ishiuchi Maruyama's park?
Yohei: One of the reasons why people slip is because of people. I joined Digger at the age of 16, and the people who were skiing around Ishiuchi Maruyama at the time were so cool. I'm already hooked (lol).
The captains are Kengo (Kimura Kengo/current owner of SIN SNOWBOARD) and KP (Koshigoe Keiichi/current representative of SNOWCASE DESIGN). I admired my seniors and wanted to skate together.
Kouga: I was the same as Yohei, and by the time I first started skiing there was already a crew called "YBI." (A freestyle ski team centered around Miyata Kyohei, Takano Daisuke, and others. This year marks its 21st anniversary. The name YBI is said to be "the team is incredible.")
Kyohei invited me to YBI. I've been skiing around the park ever since I was little and wanted to join YBI.
I think all the local kids are like that too. The old and now. Anyway, Ishiuchi Maruyama is cool. The skiers are cool, and the snowboarders are cool too. There's also the atmosphere of the slopes. They were tough kickers and tough people were slipping. I think it's really core.
I've been quite wrapped up in obratism now, but back then it was crazy, seriously (lol). Ishikatsu has been strong jibs for a long time, and I used to imagine them as jibars. There was snowboarder Abe Yuma, and if it were skiing, there were Takano Daisuke, Ikeda Yutaka, and Miyata Kyohei. It seems that all the ordinary customers have an image of themselves as "hard" before that. That's not the case anymore now.
Ishiuchi Maruyama's vibes
-K: There's no culture in SSP to get to the quarter at the start, right? (lol)?
Yohei: We don't have a rule to line up at the main park. It's the same feeling as a skate park, and it feels like everyone is giving in and dropping at the right time. It feels like they respect each other. That's what stone-punching has. That's a really piece. The same goes for surfing. Waves and then turn to do it. That's what makes SSP great.
-K: But isn't it really a difficult atmosphere for someone who's new to drop in?
Kouga: It feels so good to see the situation. "Are you going to do it next time?" or "Are you?" That's what feels good and the good thing about Ishiuchi Park. You can naturally feel "Who's going?" I don't think the vibes have changed since before.
Yohei: There's no need to choose Jibrain and jump, and if someone is waiting for you to jump, we'll line up. Considering the time and cost of a single jump, it's easier to ski than if you jib and hit the side. And if I slipped well I was like, "Yeahhhh!"
-K: I see!! I feel like I've finally solved the mystery of what I've been wondering about for the past 20 years. Why do Ishiuchi Park have so many good people? Both local and visitors respect each other, and there is communication that doesn't need to be put into words. On top of that, sessions where you can improve each other naturally arise.
Visitors who aren't locals were reluctant to drop in, like "Sorry," and even if they had fallen in the landing, they would definitely say, "Sorry, I've come...".
Yohei: People who are visiting who say "Ishiuchi Park is scary" may have that image, but local people don't have that kind of feeling at all. Good people are waiting and looking carefully. It's really okay! Anyone, at any level, welcome.
Kouga & Yohei: Unlike in the past, there are many customers coming in now. From beginners to advanced players. Yes yes!
How is the tradition of Ishiuchi Maruyama carried over?
-K: I think what's going on is just Ishiuchi Maruyama's park culture. How do you think traditions have been carried over?
Kouga: If it were skiing, it would have been handed over through YBI after all. This year marks the 21st year of YBI, and I think the kids are admiring me and looking at my seniors, and are now taking over as they are cool. When everyone sees the cool seniors nearby, they start to think, "I want to do it myself," and think, "I'm just stoning, after all," and I think a new generation will be born. I think that's the most distinctive thing from other ski resorts.
Yohei: It's not necessary to be cool. for now. If they're not cool, inheritance will not be born. The feeling of being cool is amazing. It's been around since ancient times. I've been judging things because I'm all cool and uncool. The reason kids aspire to be "I want to be like that, I want to be like this" is because they all want to be cool. Nowadays, the number of children who want to become diggers is increasing rapidly. I think that people are gathering and that kind of passion has been passed down, and that I can maintain a good park in Ishiuchi Maruyama.
-K: Creating culture where people connect traditions... That's understandable. What is the memorable event that symbolizes Ishiuchi Maruyama's culture?
Kouga: If it were me, Yohei has been doing " SHARE" . I think it's really creative, and there are rare events that even have music. Yohei, who skis every day, creates it, and locals are trying to liven up the event, and is truly an event that only stone-killed can do. I think it's amazing.
Yohei: Give me a go! (Shy laugh) This year, we will be doing it on March 22nd. I was worried about the amount of snow so I started the schedule earlier than usual, but this year it's full (lol).
-K: I'll definitely have to participate! Will the items, terrain and layout of the park change over the spring?
Yohei: We plan to change it according to the amount and quality of snow. There's plenty of snow this year, so you can get plenty of fun at Full Park at the end of the season.
-K: Finally, what kind of message do you want to convey to each of you who have not visited the Ishiuchi Maruyama park before or attended?
Kouga: You may have a scary image (lol) That's not the case at all, and those who have already noticed it are attracted to the goodness of the park. I hope everyone will feel it too. There are not only slope styles, but also how to play terrain, and the atmosphere of stone-beating. It's not scary (lol). Please come and visit us regardless of your level.
Yohei: Of course, the park is the same, but the free-running mountains are also really interesting, so be sure to come and ski. I think the lines are endless, depending on your own, whether it's a park or a free run, so enjoy it to the fullest.
Summary: Why Ishiuchi Maruyama's park continues to be overwhelmingly popular
1.
Ishiuchi Maruyama's Snow Park SSP boasts top class in Japan for its designs that allow for endless lines and high quality A variety of items such as jumps and jibs are arranged in an exquisitely calculated layout, and the lines you can get are endless. The resulting slip is also creative. In particular, there is no compromise on the insatiable challenge of layouts that motivate you to ski, and the maintenance to maintain good condition throughout the season.
2. The snow park at Ishiuchi Maruyama, where the best sessions are created,
attracts professional riders, skilled skiers and snowboarders from all over the country. It is easy for riders to create natural sessions, and the environment is created where you can stimulate each other and become successful. The vibes and rich communications that locals possess will inspire the entire park, give you the courage to push yourself even more, and will help you grow even further. SSP creates a hot mood that makes everyone want to join.
3. Traditional and culture that has built the scene
The snow park at Ishiuchi Maruyama has long been leading the Japanese snowboarding and free skiing scene. There have also been many events and sessions, and have continued to play a role as a hub for park culture. Within the park culture that has been cultivated for over 20 years, YBI and other cool riders have given kids dreams and are proud to have a history and pride that has contributed to the development of park rides. This tradition is still passed down to today, leading to the next generation.
Ishiuchi Maruyama's snow park is a unique presence due to its high quality items, the charm of the space where people gather, and the combination of tradition and culture. The experiences that can only be experienced at SSPs will continue to fascinate skiers and snowboarders.
photo:Yuki Murayama
movie: Jizo's
photography cooperation: Mauna Ishiuchi cafe&stay
Information
Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort
1655 Ishiuchi, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949-6372
Official website: https://ishiuchi.or.jp/winter/
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