Olympic Ski Halfpipe Skier Touma Matsuura Takes on the Challenge with His Signature Trick, the "Octopus Grab"

The Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics are nearing the end. Freeskiing, especially the men's halfpipe, will see a Japanese athlete compete for the first time in three Olympics and 12 years, since Kentaro Tsuda at the 2014 Sochi Olympics

His name is Toma Matsuura. Originally from Ono Town, Gifu Prefecture, he would often spend weekends with his family heading to the ski resorts in Oku-Mino from a young age.
With his parents being passionate about mogul skiing and freeskiing, it was only natural that he would become fascinated with those areas.

At the time, the Oku-Mino area was a time when skiers like Shun Umemura and Shiita Takahashi were driving excitement throughout the area. Matsuura grew up witnessing the development of the park scene, skiing styles that made use of all the terrain at the ski resort, and the birth of the Super Pipe in Takasu.

Currently, the global competition scene is moving towards higher rotations and greater difficulty at an incredible pace.
Matsuura is part of this trend, pursuing not just the number of rotations, but "style" and "coolness."
Deep within this, the free spirit of skiing cultivated in the snowy mountains of Oku-Mino and his unique aesthetic must be powerfully alive.

Matsuura Toma returned to Japan after the North American World Cup in January.
We spoke to him at a time when he is almost certain to compete in the Olympics, to find out where he is at now.

"You can see the shape even with your eyes closed" - A dramatic change in resolution

In the 2025-2026 season, Toma Matsuura placed 8th in the World Cup at Copper Mountain, securing his spot in the Olympics. Behind this was a clear improvement in his technique, particularly in the "resolution of his images." 

"The image of each technique is clearer than ever before. I can instantly imagine how to do a switch double. I've gotten to

the point where I can close my eyes and immediately imagine each technique. Until last year, I wasn't sure what was going wrong with me.
But now, I'm always using the right-left 1260 in competitions, and I can immediately imagine how to create the shape at this timing by moving my body."

From simply "performing techniques" to "being able to create the ideal silhouette in the air," this change is the core of Matsuura's current stability and the beauty of his performances

Starting in the 2024-2025 season, he began trying out the double (cork) 900 as a new axis. In addition, at the end of the season in the spring, he learned the switch double at Takasu Snow Park.
In order to connect the double 900 and switch double into his routine, he practiced pipe at Kumagaya Quest in Saitama right up until the time he went to the World Cup. His
steady efforts paid off in the 2025-2026 Olympic season.

Conquering the "non-running pipe." Pay attention to the skiing techniques he has honed through steady skiing

In halfpipe, the attention is often drawn to the flashy movements in the air, but it is the quality of the bottom slide that determines the outcome. What
Matsuura is most conscious of now, and what his coaches highly praise, is the "bottom slide" from the landing to the next release (lip).

"Speed ​​is everything in pipe racing. Lately, I've been focusing on the movement from landing to the next exit. It depends on the characteristics of the pipe at each venue, but if the pipe is moving, you can gain speed and height without thinking too much, and your rotation will improve as a result. But when you're not gaining speed, it's the sliding of the bottom that's really important."

In particular, the 2025-2026 North American Series in Calgary and Copper Mountain were held under harsh conditions where snowfall made the pipes "hard to run (accelerate)."

"It was snowing during those two races, and the skis just didn't run. So, to get the height to rival the top riders, you have to accelerate well when you enter the bottom from the landing, and when you exit the lip, you have to make sure your skis run. I

think I was always conscious of that and worked on it this year. I think the quality of the turn itself, such as the angle of entry into the wall and the way you put your weight on it, is connected to speed. It's a little difficult to put into words why that is..."

Matsuura says he tried a variety of things to improve the quality of his turns. He didn't just fly through pipes, he tried lip tricks, tried switch skiing on various terrains, skied in powder, and skied through the park - through repeated trial and error he improved the quality of his turns and the level of his skiing itself.

The precision of his flashy tricks is supported by the steady accumulation of his skiing technique.

The world's long-awaited, one-of-a-kind icon, "Octopus"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Toma MATSUURA (松浦 透ま) (@tomamatsuura_ski)

The routine that Matsuura will be performing in Milan is one that is unique and original. It is a departure from the high-speed routine that pursues high rotations, and is structured to captivate both the judges and the audience

Olympic Routine:
1st: Switch Left Double Cork 1080 + Double Japan Grab
2nd: Right Double Cork 1260 + Tail Grab
3rd: Left Double Cork 1260 + Mute Grab 4th
: Alley-Oop Rodeo 540 + Octopus Grab 5th
: Double Rodeo 900 + Japan Grab

The most notable move was the fourth, the Alley-Oop Rodeo 540 + Octopus Grab. This grab requires a complex grip on both skis, making it difficult to create a silhouette

"It seems like there were people who did it in the past, but it's a move that no one does anymore (it's famous as Charles Gagner's favorite trick). It's a move that no one else does, a 540, but when you combine it with an octopus grab, I think it's a trick that makes people say, 'Wow, this is amazing!' I think that's where I'm able to show my own individuality, or style."

In fact, during the World Cup, the image of "Touma = Octopus" has become established among coaches around the world 

"Even during official training, coaches from other countries keep telling me, 'Show us your octopus!' and quite a few people say, 'That's what they want to see.' If I
make a mistake in a competition, there's a risk that I won't get a score, but I think I'm actually skating in a way that makes the judges want to see it."

Rather than an endless number of revolutions, Matsuura changes the atmosphere with a single silhouette. This is part of the skiing style he continues to pursue.
Even so, he says his body is currently in a battered state.

"Honestly, I didn't think I'd be able to skate that well until this season started. I had a sore back and shoulders, so I was pretty beat up.
But I worked hard in my off-season training right up until the very end of the season, and I'm starting to feel a little more relaxed.

So when I got to China, on the first day of my official World Cup training, I didn't do any doubles at all and just focused on skating in tune with the pipe. From the second day onwards, I tried out all the doubles I'd done before, and I was able to land almost all of the tricks I tried. My
level of completion was low, so I think it was good that I was able to improve my condition by controlling the tricks I could use, finishing 10th in the first World Cup round and 8th in the second.

This season, I was able to improve my skills in adjusting tricks to suit the pipe, which was a big benefit."

He makes up for his physical insecurity with his technical coordination and cultivated confidence, a strength that comes from his skiing style, which has allowed him to explore not only the pipe but the entire snowy mountain

"I'm basically a pipe skier, but more than a pipe skier, I'm more of a 'freestyle skier'. I'm aiming to be someone who can ski all over the snowy mountains. Your
skiing ability will never improve if you only do one specific category. I don't just ski in the park, I also do free runs and powder, and I also like to jib and have fun on my snowboard.

I believe all of those experiences have contributed to the way I skate now

It's not about whether I fail or not, or whether I perform amazing tricks or not. The situation changes depending on the weather, but I think that 'style' is something that never changes, so I'm always conscious of skating in a cool way.
The originality of grabs like the Octopus or Double Japan, and the connection and beauty of the skating. I would be happy if people would pay attention to that."

Touma Matsuura is trying to portray the fun and appeal of freeskiing, which cannot be measured in numbers, on the Olympic stage.
His unique style is sure to be deeply and vividly etched in the memories of skiers around the world.

Profile