Yu Sasaki (right) and Chuck (left), who are based in Revelstoke,
are photographed by Shikaichi Ueki from early morning until sunset.
Photo & Caption =Tempei Takeuchi
Shikaichi Ueki strives for excellence as a rider while also working to establish freeride culture in Japan.
Starting his riding career at the age of 25, he has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to becoming a rider who can compete internationally for nearly the past decade.
Now that he is no longer considered a young rider, he shared his experiences and mistakes, hoping to inspire ambitious young skiers.
[Profile]
Shikaichi Ueki
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1985. He travels the world, including North America, Japan, New Zealand, and Europe, in search of exciting slopes and continues to ride. In recent years, he has been particularly devoted to climb and ride, venturing deep into the mountains. He is passionate about challenging himself on bigger slopes. In parallel with his riding activities, he works as an organizer for the JAPAN FREERIDE OPEN (hereinafter JFO) held at Hakuba Cortina, handling everything from planning to operation. With the desire to take root the freeride culture he experienced in North America in Japan, he is working to liven up the domestic freeride scene from Canada.
https://www.instagram.com/shikaichiueki/
Sponsored by: Sweet protection, Hestra, Arva, board butter glide wax, Fintrack north America, Tsubasa Acupuncture and Osteopathic Clinic
Kaichi Ueki, a skier based in Golden, Canada
Golden is a small town in the Canadian interior, just a short drive from the eastern tip of British Columbia, in the province of Alberta. It is here that freeride skier Ueki Kaichi, who skis the mountains of North America, makes his base of operations
Now 37 years old, he moved to Whistler, Canada at the age of 25. He started skiing seriously at the age of 18 and became addicted to park riding, but after moving to Whistler he began competing in big mountain competitions, what we would now call freeride competitions, and continued his activities with the dream of becoming a professional rider who could compete overseas
In recent years, he has shifted his focus from competing in freeride competitions to photography, traveling to various locations such as Alaska and the Yukon Territory to capture footage and even shooting cover shots for Fall Line.
At the same time, he has been active in a wide range of fields, including co-organizing the JAPAN FREERIDE OPEN (hereafter JFO) held at Hakuba Cortina with his friends. Although travel has been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, he has continued to ride, resulting in increased media coverage. As a rider who embodies the general image of a rider, he has grown and gained a sense of fulfillment by trying new things each year.
However, Ueki, who has been working for the past 10 years to reach the level of an international rider, is currently struggling with his current situation. His
riding level, sponsorship environment, and results are not quite at the level he envisions. Currently, Ueki receives equipment from North American distributors such as Sweet Protection and Alba, but he has not yet managed to break into their top teams. To secure contracts with their home countries in North America and Europe, he needs not only media coverage in Japan, but also exposure in North America and elsewhere.
I'm also feeling the time limit at the age of 37. Most riders who are active as international riders are around 20 years old. As you get older, only those who have achieved great results or are at the top of freeride competitions are able to continue as riders.
Considering my current physical condition, skiing skills, experience, mental strength, and the financial resources to continue my activities, I believe that the next few years will be my last chance to stand on the front lines and perform at the highest level.
Shikaichi Ueki, who has been active as a freeride skier in North America for over 10 years, said that now, more than ever, he wants to share his journey and the various things he wishes he had done differently with young freeride skiers
If you want to become a professional rider, "Go overseas and start skiing in your teens"
"In the Japanese freeride ski scene, I think most of the so-called professional riders for manufacturers, like me, are under product contracts
The number of people who can make a living as a rider without having another job is even more limited, so if we define a professional rider as someone who makes a living solely from riding, there are probably very few of them
In the current situation, when young riders develop their skills and achieve results, there are absolutely no rewards or opportunities to step up, making it difficult for them to maintain motivation or move on to the next stage.
Also, when photos of their riding are published in the media, the riders basically receive no money at all. There is currently no system in place to pay the riders.
On the other hand, if we look at the riders themselves, for example in North America, the top riders are able to make a decent living. However, by "top riders," I mean those who appear in major films or achieve results in the Freeride World Tour.
These are the people who are featured at the top of manufacturers' rider pages. Even in North America, the riders below that level all have some kind of other job during the summer. So, in terms of the level of riders who can make a living, I think there isn't much difference between Japan and the rest of the world.
That's why I think we riders have to aim for that level, and I'm sure that's the level of a rider who's called a professional. For junior riders who aspire to be professional riders, the best thing to do is to look at that level, go abroad as soon as possible, and ski with high-level riders. I think that doing everything you can
in your teens and twenties, and then choosing a path in your thirties that makes use of that experience, will give you a wide range of options for your second career as a skier.
Looking back, I realize I was lacking in two areas: not knowing how to proceed, being unable to take the first step, being overwhelmed by the demands of daily life, and losing sight of my goals. In my
case, I was injured for a long period, so I spent a lot of time recovering. I believe it's essential to not only improve your skills from a young age, but also to broaden your horizons through various activities, develop communication skills, and create an environment where you can continue skiing.
I only realized this after turning 30, and since then I've started organizing competitions and actively sending my portfolio to manufacturers' representatives. For example, instead of going through a domestic distributor, I've sent direct messages to Black Crowes' headquarters Instagram multiple times, expressing my desire to become a rider. I'm very
close, but honestly, I don't have any notable competition results or representative videos to share, so at my current level, it's quite difficult to get them to take me seriously.
When I ski with North American skiers, everything is on a completely different level. They're looking at different lines, they're jumping further off cliffs, and they're skiing at incredibly high speeds. I think European skiers have a racing background, but Canadian and New Zealand skiers don't have that, yet they're still so good (laughs). I
think it's because they've been skiing on slopes with fewer restrictions since they were little, and they've been skiing there with friends who have a similar mindset. I can't bridge that advantage, so I'm now learning from Noriko (Fukushima) about turning techniques and positioning, like putting weight firmly on the outside ski and proper stance, even though it's a bit late."
JFO was born from the desire to spread the skiing experience that I had experienced in Canada to Japan
Deeply immersed in Canadian freeride culture, Ueki, along with his friends Junta Nakashio, Takuma Oike, and Riki Nakajima, started the "JAPAN FREERIDE OPEN," or JFO for short, in 2017. It
has continued alongside the FREERIDE WORLD TOUR (FWT), which was held in Japan around the same time, and is playing a part in the growing popularity of freeride skiing in Japan.
In particular, the ski open class is such a popular event that all the entry slots are filled in less than an hour after registration opens.
Canadian skiing, which Ueki grew up with, is enjoyed by both advanced skiers and visitors alike, with everyone participating in what is known as freeriding in Japan. It's not just about jumping and spinning; when it snows, they ski on good snow, enjoy the early morning grooming, and challenge themselves on tree runs and steep slopes.
Occasionally, they have adventures in the hike-up zones within the ski resort. With 80% of skiers using freeride skis, this kind of skiing is the standard.
Kids who grow up skiing like this inevitably change their perspective on slopes, and they become able to control their runs down any slope.
JFO has a junior division, and in addition to competitive competitions, it also holds sessions with top skiers and workshops to learn about avalanches and safety, all with the aim of increasing the number of skiers like this
"What I'm glad about after five years is that when I first started, the participants were mostly in their 30s and 40s, but after we established a junior class in the second year, Tenra (Katsuno Tenran) emerged. Other players such as Daichi (Furuya Daichi) and Kouga (Hoshino Kouga) followed suit, and now the players who came out of the junior class are at the top
Junior athletes are getting better every year, and it's clear to see that they look up to Tenra and the others. I think one of the JFO's goals is to keep that connection going
I don't want the tournament to be just for young people, but it would definitely create a better age balance. I don't think there are many sports where people of all ages can compete on the same terms. And if the young people shine, the older guys' polished aura will also come into play
Since COVID-19, I haven't been able to go to Japan, but being alone in Canada reminds me how important it is to have a place where people who love freeriding can gather. People who normally ski in different places can communicate with each other, get inspired by watching other people's skiing, and it must be an opportunity for all kinds of emotions to intersect."
Ueki said
Initially, there was uncertainty about the direction of JFO. Should it be a competition that connects athletes to the world, or should the focus be on development, or should it be a style that showcases the riding of top athletes? With no right answer in sight, one turning point came when the FWT was held at the same time.
The FWT is based on a globally standardized format, and by accumulating points at each competition, it is possible to participate in higher-level competitions step by step.
With the FWT, which has accumulated know-how for more than 20 years, now being held in Japan, JFO has become a place where top athletes can shine, but also a place where people who are interested in freeriding can take their first step, and a place where people who enjoy it on a regular basis can freely express themselves.
Regarding the future of JFO, Ueki continues:
"I would be happy if the junior generation continues to challenge themselves in competitions. I think it would be great if this would deepen the rider pool and make the scene more interesting. It's always young skiers who show us cool, new, genuinely having fun, and new freeride styles
The current freeride scene in Japan is older, but just like other sports, your physical peak is in your 20s. It's not just older guys, but active riders in their 20s who are the ones who are most featured, appearing in the media and leading the scene. I think it's important to have lots of young riders like that emerge
On the other hand, I want to express and communicate the multifaceted and fascinating aspects of freeriding that we know, not just freeriding as a competition or tournament. I don't want to be too biased towards competition. I want to keep the door open at all times
I would really like to increase the number of competitions and incorporate ideas to attract more university ski clubs and junior skiers, but I can't devote 100% to that right now because I also have my own riding activities."
Life in Golden, my base, and the future
When Ueki decided to move from Whistler, Revelstoke was the first place he had his eye on. Home to top skiers such as Sammy Carlson and Yu Sasaki, Revelstoke is a rare ski resort in North America with long, continuous steep slopes. The BC area is dotted with steep slopes and slopes with rich natural topography, including cliffs and pillows, so you'll never get bored
Still, the decision to choose Golden, further east from Revelstoke, was based in part on the advice of Ueki's partner. Another appealing point was that there were several ski resort options from Golden, with many mountains perfect for skiing. Unlike Japan, ski resorts in Canada are far apart. It's rare to be able to drive two hours to reach the next ski resort
Golden, on the other hand, is home to Kicking Horse, the site of the FWT, Lake Louise is about an hour and a half east, and Revelstoke is two hours west. And above all, the snow quality is exceptional. The snow in Revelstoke is known as cold smoke, where the snow lingers like smoke after skiing, rather than settling back on the surface. Golden, where Kicking Horse is located, gets even drier snow
Ueki Shikaichi lives in Golden. He lives in a self-built tiny house that he brought over from Whistler. It sits alone on a large plot of land so large that the neighboring houses are invisible, and he lives in the middle of nowhere, so he is surrounded by nature. In addition to skiing in the winter, he also works as a carpenter in the off-season, and in his spare time he rides his mountain bike, enjoying every moment of his life
When he was in Whistler, he mostly lived among a large Japanese community. When he skated or hung out with others, it was usually with Japanese people, but since coming to Golden, he has started to skate and hang out more with local Canadian buddies. This is another aspect of how his life has changed since he moved
While living this lifestyle, Ueki Rikuichi dreams of becoming an international rider. Currently, he is focusing on his riding activities, so it is difficult for him to find the time, but he hopes to find an opportunity in the future to pass on the experience he has cultivated to the next generation
"I think freeride skiers know what they like and what makes them comfortable. They can feel the joy of playing in nature, truly believe that people live in nature, and feel firsthand that the world is connected to them when they travel with their skis. Being able to have these kinds of feelings is normal among us skiers, but from a society perspective, I think it's surprisingly rare and wonderful
I hope to be able to make time to provide opportunities for the junior generation in Japan to broaden their horizons in skiing, rather than simply skiing down the slopes or experiencing skiing as a sport."
