Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park (SSP) has been incredibly popular and trusted by skiers and snowboarders for over 20 years. Even now, after all this time, that hasn't changed at all. Why does Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park fascinate so many people? Why is it so popular with top-level riders? How has its tradition and pride been preserved?
A session was held on "THE DAY" during a brief period of heavy snowfall in mid-February!
To unravel the secret behind the popularity of Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park, we spoke to Hoshino Kouga, a native local rider who has been skiing at SSP since he was a kid, and Niwano Yohei, a park digger at Ishiuchi Maruyama and a rider for the DRAGON team
"THE DAY" arrived on February 17th, amidst a brief flurry of falling snow. Under a clear blue sky, Hoshino Kouga and Niwano Yohei met up at Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park. Kensaku from the STEEP editorial team was also there. He's actually a former rider and has been at Ishiuchi Maruyama for 20 years. He's the coordinator for this project
A video cameraman and a photographer teamed up to hold a session in the beautifully remodeled park. First of all, I would like you to take a look at this video. (90 seconds)
And then check out the photos
What we want you to feel and know from this video
What did you think when you saw the video?
"What a beautiful and great-looking park!"
"The scale is huge! The kicker is huge!"
"It looks like it would be fun to slide down it."
"When you think of Ishiuchi, you think of the jib."
"Aren't these two just so cool?"
I hope you enjoy the video as you feel it, etc.
However, there are three things I would like you to take away from this video:
1. Designs that allow for endless lines and high-quality items.
2. A park where people gather and great sessions are born.
3. The traditions and culture that have built the scene.
Let's explore the reasons for this through a conversation between Hoshino Kouga and Niwano Yohei
Hoshino Kouga is a 27-year-old from Minamiuonuma City. Influenced by his grandparents who run a ski inn at the foot of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort and his parents who work at the ski resort, he has been on the slopes since he was old enough to understand. He became fascinated with the world of freestyle skiing through competition, and his unique style has attracted attention from snow park users in particular
In the 2022 FWQ, he placed first for the second consecutive time in Japan's highest level competition, and will now be competing in the World Championships. Furthermore, in November 2024, he took the honor of being the world's number one in the world-famous street riding video contest "B-DOG OFF THE LEASH ONLINE VIDEO CONTEST," hosted by Phil Casaubon. Naturally, he is the first Japanese to achieve this feat. He is a multi-talented rider who handles both park and big mountain riding, as well as video
Niwano Yohei is a 25-year-old from Uonuma City. Like Kouga, he grew up surrounded by the snow culture of the Uonuma area. He is a performer, so to speak, who is involved in a wide range of activities, including snowboarding, skateboarding, graffiti, DJing, apparel production, and event organization. He organized the hugely popular event "SHARE," which mixes the snowy mountains and music at Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort. As of 2025, he works as a digger at Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park and is also responsible for producing SSP
Their diverse activities have been attracting attention in the scene, and they are all core Ishiuchi Maruyama locals,
making them the perfect choice to talk about Ishiuchi Maruyama.
Interview with Koga Hoshino and Yohei Niwano
We skate all day
STEEP Editorial Department Kensaku (hereinafter referred to as K): What were your impressions of this session?
Yohei: We skate together often, so I think we were able to show the collaboration we always do
Kouga: Before I knew it, we were skating from 9am to 3pm (laughs). Since we were shooting with Jizo (videographer) and YUKI (still photography), who I always do sessions with, it was a stress-free and fun shoot
-K: Kouga and Yohei, do you two often skate together? What's your relationship like?
Kouga: We're senior and junior from the same hometown. I'm from Minamiuonuma city and Yohei is from Uonuma city.
Yohei: I'm 25 and Kouga is 27 (years old).
Kouga: We're on the same wavelength, so we've been skating together since last season. We just became acquainted because we were both good skaters (laughs). Yohei is a different type of skater than me. He's also a creator who makes videos and events. I respect that about him. He's also very confident (laughs)
Yohei: I've been skateboarding for a long time, so I think my style is a bit unique because it incorporates other cultures
-K: How much do you both skate? What's your daily routine?
Kouga: I skate every day. I start around 8am and finish around 4 or 5pm. Then I go to night skiing from 6pm. I've been doing the same thing since I was in elementary school (laughs). I do that 6 days a week. On the one day a week when I don't skate at night, I go to the culture center or Ishiuchi training center to work out
Kouga: I love skiing, and I get anxious if I'm not skiing. When I'm in my hometown, I usually ski at Ishiuchi. At the start of the season, I go to Okutadami, and from early to mid-January, I also ski at Hakkaisan. But basically, I like Ishiuchi, and it's close, so I ski there
Yohei: For me too, it's pretty much every day. Sometimes I'm busy with event planning and creative work, but when it snows, I just want to go shooting or skiing (laughs). Even if I go to work as a digger, I end up skiing (laughs). When the snow isn't good, I feel like working. I also go to Okutadami at the start of the season and in the spring
-K: You skate every day like that? That's amazing
Kouga: Park skiing is where my roots lie, so it's the part I like the most. There's no doubt that my earliest skiing experience was in park skiing, and I think of myself as a skier born there. I'm also the type of person who wants to try new things while skiing, so I never get bored. Park skiing is always fun, whether it's sunny or rainy. When the snow isn't good, I try to go to the park. It's also a great way to practice
-K: Kouga also does backcountry skiing, but do you feel that park riding is useful for backcountry skiing as well?
Kouga: I've been able to put everything to good use. Even just jumping in the backcountry and taking the right line. The ability to think about your line on a big mountain is something I learned from the park
-K: I see, the park is also a good place to improve your freeskiing skills
Favorite things about the park this season
What do you like about this season's SSP? What's your favorite item and are there any tips for enjoying it?
Kouga: There are two consecutive jumps, and a spine at the end, so it's fun to just jump normally, but Ishiuchi's Park Diggers and Tutor (the operator) create some pretty challenging lines every year. I think, "Wow, they're really doing it!" For example, jumping to the side off the first kicker, hitting the right kicker, and then coming back to the second kicker
-K: Huh? Can you jump the second kicker?
Kouga: It's cool when the snow is smooth. I often talk about this with Yohei, but those kinds of challenging lines are fun. The most fun thing about the park is figuring out what you can do with your line. It feels better than just skating slopestyle normally. Watching the skis fly down the side and connect is exciting for both the viewer and me. So what I like most about Ishiuchi Park is that you can take challenging, satisfying lines
Yohei: My favorite item right now is the D WALL. It's fun to play with like skating. You can put it in from the side or straight
-K: It's interesting that you can create a variety of different styles and each item is uniquely designed. I guess that's something that's unique to SSP
The staff who support SSP Park
-K: I'd like to ask Yohei, the park producer, as a creator, how is the park's digger team currently managed?
Yohei: As the park producer, I'm in charge of planning the layout of items, what kind of promotions we'll do, and arranging materials for social media. This year's digger team consists of 7-8 people, with around 5 of us coming to work every day. One thing that's unique this year is that there are a lot of teenagers and newbies. We've received so many resumes from people wanting to work as diggers that we had to turn some down
-K: Wow! It's popular
Yohei: In addition to the digger staff, we also have a heavy equipment operator named Tuta. He's a great snowboarder and knows a lot about snowboarding. We're constantly communicating with him to make sure the equipment is in good condition. I think we work better with our operators than other ski resorts. We have meetings almost every day
-K: What specific benefits does working closely with operators bring to the park?
Yohei: To give a recent example, you can see it in this video, but there's a long wall on the right side of the middle lane. That wall only appeared this year, and we suggested, "Why don't you give it a try?" It seems that Tuta also wanted to use that wall, so he cut down some trees over the summer and prepared it. We said, "Let's give it a try this year!" and that's how we created this new item. It turned out great! I'm glad we did it. It turned out to be an amazing park
It's tough because we don't have anyone who can be called a designer, but their snow-rolling technology is incredible. We don't use heavy machinery specifically for park construction, we use snow-rollers. It's really hard work, but they understand our "vibe." I feel like I couldn't produce without Tuta-kun's help
-K: I see. The overwhelming park construction technology and the Digger Team's ideas and vibes mesh well together
Why ski at Ishiuchi Maruyama SSP?
-K: I understand that the quality of SSP is amazing. But there are several other ski resorts in the Yuzawa area that have great parks, so why choose Ishiuchi Maruyama Park?
Yohei: One of the reasons I ski is because of the people. I joined Digger when I was 16, and the people skating at Ishiuchi Maruyama back then were so cool. I was hooked (laughs)
The team leaders were Kengo (Kimura Kengo, current owner of SIN SNOWBOARD) and KP (Keiichi Koshigoe, current representative of SNOWCASE DESIGN). I admired these seniors and wanted to skate with them
Kouga: Just like Yohei, when I started skiing, there was already a crew called "YBI" (a freestyle ski team centered around Miyata Kyohei, Takano Daisuke, and others. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the team. Apparently, the name YBI comes from "Team Abai")
Kyohei invited me to join YBI. I've been skating in the park since I was little, and I've always wanted to join YBI
I think all the local kids are like that too. Back then and now. Ishiuchi Maruyama is just cool. The skiers are cool, the snowboarders are cool. And the atmosphere on the slopes too. There are tough kickers and tough guys skiing. It's really core
It's been softened up a lot now, but back then it was crazy, seriously (laughs). Ishiuchi has always had a reputation for being a strong jib, a jibber. Snowboarder Abe Yuma was there, and skiers like Takano Daisuke, Ikeda Yuki, and Miyata Kyohei were there. It seems like even the average customer still has the "tough" image they had before. That's not the case anymore, though
The vibes of Ishiuchi Maruyama
-K: There's no culture of lining up at the start in SSP, right? (laughs)
Yohei: We don't have any rules about lining up in the main park. It's the same as a skate park, everyone gives in and drops in perfect time, which is great. There's a sense of mutual respect. Ishiuchi has that. It's very peaceful. It's the same with surfing. You wait for the waves and then take your turn. That's one of the great things about SSP
-K: But isn't it a very difficult atmosphere for first-time visitors to drop in?
Kouga: It felt really good to feel like they were watching the situation. Like, "Are you going next?" or "You?" That's what feels good, and that's what's great about Ishiuchi Park. You can naturally sense who's going. I don't think that vibe has changed from before
Yohei: You don't have to choose a jib lane and jump. If there's someone waiting who's clearly going for a jump, we'll line up. Considering the time and cost involved in one jump, you can skate better if you jib and hit the side. And if you do a good jump, you'll be like, "Yeahhh!"
- K: I see! I feel like I've finally solved a mystery that has been bothering me for the past 20 years. Why does Ishiuchi Park attract so many talented skaters? Locals and visitors alike respect each other, and there's a kind of communication that doesn't even need to be said. On top of that, sessions that allow each other to improve naturally emerge..
I thought that non-local visitors would be hesitant to drop in, saying something like "Excuse me," and if they fell while landing they would probably say "Sorry, I'm bothering you..."
Yohei: Visitors who think Ishiuchi Park is scary might have that impression, but locals don't feel that way at all. The skilled players are always waiting and watching closely. It's really okay! Everyone, at any level, is welcome
Kouga & Yohei: Unlike before, we now have a lot of customers, from beginners to advanced players. Yep!
How is Ishiuchi Maruyama's tradition being passed down?
-K: I think what you're talking about now is the park culture of Ishiuchi Maruyama. How do you think the tradition has been passed down?
Kouga: In the case of skiing, it's definitely been passed down through YBI. This year marks the 21st year of YBI, and I think it's been passed down because the kids, including myself, look up to the seniors and think they're cool. Everyone sees the cool seniors around them and thinks, "I want to do that too," and then they think, "Ishiuchi is the place to be," and a new generation is born. I think that's what makes YBI different from other ski resorts
Yohei: It has to be cool. For starters. If it's not cool, there's no chance of it being passed down. The feeling of coolness is amazing. It's been around for a long time. I've always judged everything based on whether it's cool or uncool. When kids aspire to be like that, it's because they want to be cool. Nowadays, there are a lot more kids who want to become diggers. People gather, and that passion is passed down, and I think that's what keeps Ishiuchi Maruyama a great park
-K: People connect traditions and create culture... That makes sense. What memorable event symbolizes Ishiuchi Maruyama's culture?
SHARE, which Yohei has been running recently . I think it's really creative, and there aren't many events that even include music. It's created by Yohei, who skates at Ishiuchi every day, and the locals are trying to liven things up, so it's an event that can only be held in Ishiuchi. I think it's amazing.
Yohei: Thanks! (laughs shyly) This year it will be held on March 22nd. We were worried about the amount of snow, so we moved it up a bit, but there was a ton of snow this year (laughs)
-K: I definitely have to participate! Will the items, terrain, and layout of the park change from now until spring?
Yohei: We plan to change it depending on the amount and quality of snow. There's plenty of snow this year, so we'll be able to enjoy the full park until the end of the season
-K: Finally, what message would you like to convey to those who have never visited Ishiuchi Maruyama Park and those who frequent it regularly?
Kouga: You might have a scary image (laughs), but it's not like that at all, and people who have already noticed are drawn to the park's great features. I want everyone to experience it too. There are other ways to play with the terrain besides slopestyle, and the atmosphere of Ishiuchi. It's not scary (laughs). Please come and have fun, regardless of your level
Yohei: Of course, the park is great, but the free runs at Ishiuchi Mountain are also super fun, so please come and try them out. I think the possibilities are endless in both the park and free runs, so just enjoy yourself to the fullest
Summary: Why Ishiuchi Maruyama Park continues to receive overwhelming support
1. Design that allows for endless lines and high-quality items.
Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park SSP boasts top-class design perfection and the quality of its items. A variety of items, such as jumps and jibs, are arranged in an exquisitely calculated layout, making the lines you can take infinitely. The resulting skiing is also creative. In particular, there is no compromise in the layout that increases motivation to ski, and in the maintenance that keeps the slope in good condition throughout the season.
2. A park where people gather and great sessions happen
Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park attracts professional riders and skilled skiers and snowboarders from all over the country. The environment is perfect, allowing riders to easily create natural sessions and inspire each other to improve. The local vibe and rich communication energize the entire park, giving you the courage to push yourself further and helping you grow even more. SSP creates a hot atmosphere that makes everyone want to join in.
3. Tradition and culture that built the scene Ishiuchi
Maruyama Snow Park has long been a leader in Japan's snowboarding and freeskiing scene. Numerous events and sessions have been held here, and it has continued to serve as a hub for park culture. Over the course of more than 20 years, cool riders like YBI have inspired kids to dream and contributed to the development of park riding, a history and source of pride. This tradition continues to be passed down to the next generation.
Ishiuchi Maruyama Snow Park is unique thanks to the high quality of its equipment, the alluring atmosphere that draws people, and its rich traditions and culture. The experiences that can only be enjoyed here at SSP will continue to captivate skiers and snowboarders.
Photo: Yuki Murayama
Movie: Jizo
Filming 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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