3 people of breathtaking slip.
Shunta Kimura on the left, Yasushi Chiba in the middle. Photo/ Yusuke Kunimi
There are two skiers who ski down the mountains of Hokkaido and keep making video records. Yutaka Chiba and Shunta Kimura. The video that they are quietly uploading for self-satisfaction on SNS is quietly attracting attention, so I tried to take a close-up of what kind of slippery two people are. He doesn't actively participate in competitions, and he doesn't make a name for himself by appealing to the video. I tried to interview them to find out how they skated in a naive and indifferent way.
, which has gradually increased since college
, is also used for skiing
ーーFirst of all, could you tell us about your skiing history?
Kimura : I'm from Aichi Prefecture, and I'm interested in outdoor education and the outdoors
. Even though I didn't have one, my senior asked me if I wanted to try skiing, and when I said yes, I was forced to buy a telemark ski on Yahoo Auctions, which was called Fischer's Watea 78. 30,000 yen including boots.The wear is Columbia that my senior was wearing.I didn't know about Telemark at all, so my skis only raised my heels, so I asked my senior, "Are you okay!?" I've been doing telemarks ever since."
Chiba : I'm from Sapporo. I have six siblings, but the two older ones skied together, and we've been skiing together since we were two years old. They bought me a season ticket and they took me to and from school.Sometimes I forgot to pick them up (laughs)
.I went to the same college of education as Shunta, but the school building was different and I was in Asahikawa.Junior high school I belonged to the soccer club until I graduated from university, so I didn't have many opportunities to ski properly until I graduated from
university.When I entered university, the ground was covered with snow, so I didn't want to go to Kamui or Santa (which is close to Asahikawa). I used to go to PRESENT PARK here and there. Until now, I've been skiing for fun, not for competition."
ーーWhere and how did these two meet?
Kimura : We were on different campuses, but we had friends in common.
Chiba : “Yes.
Kimura : "I don't remember at all."
Chiba : At the time, Shunta was wearing a Salomon jumpsuit that Mark Abuma was wearing. The traverse is really fast~"
Kimura : Traverse!? Isn't it slippery?
Chiba : I felt like my skiing was off the limit. I don't know if I'm good or bad. But I remember that we pushed each other.If there was a cliff, we would fly in search of bigger and bigger.Looking back now, it's not a big height.We pushed each other. That's why I started seeing Hoji (Eric Jorevson), and I was conscious of his style, the cliff jump that feels like he's flying straight. I came to do
ーーYou met each other in your third year of university and skated together. Is there anything that led you to push each other and skate like a buddy even at your current age?
Kimura : "What is it?"
Chiba : There was no one other than Shunta who liked cliffs around me, and liked flying. However
, when the coronavirus spread, Shunta's work decreased and he had time to skate in his private life, so we started skating together. teeth"
Kimura : Yes. Before COVID-19, I used to help guides at an inbound company in the winter. It's from
ーーYou mentioned studying abroad, but does it feel like training for skiing?
Chiba : Hokkaido University of Education has an exchange student system. To put it bluntly, I decided to study abroad for the sake of skiing.There are partner universities all over the world, and I don't want to go to places where there are many Japanese people.Also, skiing and mountains. I narrowed it down to Bergen, Norway, and Calgary,
Canada.There was a standard score for studying abroad, but I didn't reach Calgary, so I chose Bergen.There were almost no international students in either of them. I thought either would be fine.
By the way, Alaska is at a level where even Shunta can do it.”
Kimura : "Stop, stop (laughs)"
Chiba : I thought that if I continued to become a teacher, I would not be able to ski freely.
ーーWhere did Shunta-kun go?
Kimura : I'm from Anchorage, Alaska. I hesitated with Fairbanks, but I found Turnagen Pass and Hatcher Pass near Anchorage, so it's good for the environment. I always had my uncles take me on weekends, but... I was forced to move out before Christmas because I couldn't pay the university dormitory because I didn't have enough money.
ーーSo?
Kimura : “Since I have a student visa, I actually have to stay in Alaska, but I had trouble finding a place to live. I went there in January.I bought a season pass and commuted from the microbus to the ski resort until April.Then, I got a call from the university saying, I found out that I wasn't in Alaska, and my study abroad period until August was cancelled...lol."
Chiba : “He was really angry, wasn’t he?”
Kimura : “You wrote a very long letter of regret (laughs).
ーーStarted telemark skiing at university, where did the motivation to go to Alaska come from?
Kimura : That's why I skied ski resorts all the time in my first and second years. I'm not at a level where I can go to the backcountry (hereinafter referred to as BC). The first slope of the mountain looked like a wall, but when I met Chiba-chan in my third year and saw her skiing, I was genuinely told, “That’s cool, I want to improve.”
It would be strange if I said I admired it, but that's what I thought. He pushed me to want to skate that far. That's the 3rd and 4th year. There is also the feeling that I want to go abroad, and I feel that it would be even better if I could ski.”
Fate of skiing in the heyday of drones!? A
system where two people ski and take pictures
ーーHow long do the two of you skate during the season?
Chiba : I'm an elementary school teacher, so I spend about 60 to 70 days on vacation every year. Shunta should be skating a little more."
Kimura : Yes. I'm a guide, so I ski for about 100 days a season.
ーーHow often do the two of you skate together?
Kimura : We started skating together after Chiba-chan's school started winter break. Since then, we've been skating together on weekends.
ーーI think it depends on the weather and mountain conditions, but where do you ski?
Kimura : “Both of us live in Sapporo, so Mt. Yotei and Mt. Shiribetsu are often close to us. You can get there in less than an hour and a half from where you live. You can take long ski runs, so you used to go a lot.”
Chiba : "I went to Mt. Yotei once in three times."
ーーWhen you go to BC, is it usually just the two of you?
Chiba : There's one more person. I can't keep up with Shunta in conversation... My name is Imahara-kun, and he lives in Sapporo and originally graduated from Hokkaido University's mountain ski club. In addition to being able to read the weather, and rescue, he hikes very fast.Since he's Captain Russell, he's going to have a lot of trouble climbing.Recently, he found out that we were saving our legs, so he made a way for us. It's gone (laughs).
The day before the three of us go to the mountains, we all check the weather, look at the wind, look at the snow, and aim for a place with good weather in Hokkaido. Most of them are single day trips.”
ーーDo you ever go there overnight?
Kimura : Basically, no matter where I go, I always come back to my home in Sapporo. At the beginning of the season, Hokkaido is good, so the two of us stayed at an internet cafe in Asahikawa a few times. Yes, but it's possible that neither of us drink alcohol.After skating, we don't go to eat or go to the hot springs and think, 'Well, how was your day?' I sometimes think
Chiba "lol"
ーーEven though you two are skiers, you still record each other's riding by taking pictures and videos. I will ask about the method later, but what is the purpose?
Dropped a video centered on drones titled "earn your turns" Chiba's Instagram account ``Earn your turns'' is, in Chiba's words, ``thinking about and sticking to one line by earning money for climbing and sliding with your own feet''. Don't miss the aerial footage of various mountains in Hokkaido, as well as aggressive riding in Chiba.
Chiba : Hmm, I'm self-satisfied. After that, I think it's really possible to return even a little to the people who support Gear, or to return the amount of support."
Kimura : Until then, we had been shooting videos among our friends.We wanted to show it to the media as a small return to the manufacturer. The reason I did this is that if you're a maniac and you're walking for 6 to 7 hours, there are very few photographers and people willing to work with you, even in our community. If you want to leave a picture, it's best to shoot it yourself."
ーーI see. Is your main purpose to return the manufacturer's support? What do you want to achieve by expressing yourself through video?
Chiba : "How's it going? Kimura-kun."
Kimura : I love telemark. There is a theme of how cool I can skate in nature, so it would be best if I could express that in BC.However, I have no particular desire to compete in freeride competitions. It's not our o*nee, but we have a strong desire to just ski and telemark.
Telemark has a small population, so I would like to see more people wanting to try skating after seeing my skating. I wish I could create that strong community in Hokkaido. That's one of my goals, or rather, it's an extension of my enjoyment."
ーーWhat kind of cool telemark do you think Shunta-kun thinks of?
Kimura : Alpine skiing is really fast, and the sense of speed is overwhelmingly different. That's why my goal is to push up steep slopes, fly over cliffs, and get off as quickly as possible with an unstable telemark vehicle. Among them, I don't think there are many people who are as fast and straight down the slope as Chiba-chan.As you can see from the video, you can see that you can slide down slopes and streams at such a speed. I think it would be cool if I could express that in telemark.
ーーWhat about Chiba-kun?
Chiba : Well, now that I think about it, I think I'm proud of the fact that I'm recording footage. No, the bottom line is that I want to do something that no one else is doing.
There are some videos of mountains in Hokkaido, but there aren't many records of how fast you are skating or how fast you are skating from an objective aerial point of view. So I guess it's my destiny to be skiing in this age of drones. I think it's time to think about becoming the first person in Hokkaido to become a pioneer.
However, drones are very troublesome. It is heavy, and if it crashes, it will cost money, and there are various stresses. Even just skiing normally is a lot of fun on the mountain, but when everything goes well, the feeling of accomplishment when you get it right is irresistible.
I really hate climbing mountains. But if you know that feeling, you can't go back to the ski resort. My goal is to use a drone to take pictures of all the places that have been recorded so far, and to become the standard for mountain skiing in Hokkaido.”
Kimura : That's pretty annoying lol
Chiba : If the video is on the web, anyone can watch it anytime.
ーーWhich one of you originally said that you wanted to do a drone?
Kimura : I started using drones at TAC Tokachi Adventure Club. We couldn't move together.Then the first thing is to do it ourselves.It feels like we're practicing little by little so that everyone can shoot equally.There
is one drone and two transmitters It's a style in which everyone can take pictures by taking one with them.When one person slips, lower the aircraft to the bottom and raise it again.If you do that, you can also take pictures of people skating later.It's a style that allows you to take pictures of people skating. I feel like I've come
ーーYou are using two transmitters for one drone. Are there many problems?
Chiba : At first, there were a lot of problems. First, the battery. I use it as a connection monitor to fly, but when it crashed, the connection between the iPhone and the transmitter suddenly broke, and I couldn't see where I was flying. It has a detection function.In the
winter, even a minute amount of moisture reacts and the connection cuts off on its own.I've experienced a lot of such small troubles and investigated, and now the iPhone 7plus does not have a liquid detection function. I'm using it as a monitor.To be honest, I don't like drones because they cause a lot of trouble (laughs)."
ーーThere seems to be a lot of stress other than skiing.
Chiba : Well, I often shoot the first one, but when I take the second one, I wait for the weather and end up not being able to shoot it.
Kimura : There is a stress of digging snow caves and waiting until the drone is ready to fly. I'm always curious.If only there was another person who could do it with just a drone...I feel like it's going to be a lot of work because we're doing it in the midst of the risk of an avalanche."
ーーAre you not shooting with anything other than a drone?
Chiba : Last season, I only used drones and GoPros. Sometimes I was taken by Kei-san (Kei Sato) to take pictures. Also, I met someone in the mountains who likes photography. There are times when I go there with the feeling that
Kimura : I would like to buy a gimbal and be able to take follow-up shots with a single lens.
Chiba : "I can't do it in the big line"
Kimura : That's right. Besides, we don't think about filming on bad weather days.
Chiba : “Especially in the last few seasons, you’ve been emotionally neglecting deep powder, haven’t you?”
Kimura : “Yeah. I often go to the crunchy place. The conditions are good except for the slopes where I want to slide, but the lines I want to slide are ticking.
Last season's highlight was Optateshike's Bakuretsuzawa
.
ーーYou've skied mountains all over Hokkaido.
Chiba : There are so many. I can't even choose. Where is it?
Kimura: "It's on the southeast side."
Chiba : “Yeah, it’s called Bakuretsuzawa.
ーーHow long do you climb?
Chiba : When I went to Bakuretsuzawa with Shunta and the others, it took about five and a half hours, right?
Kimura : About 6 hours
Chiba : At that time, Imahara-kun, who I mentioned earlier, wasn't there (laughs).
ーーWhat kind of slope is it?
Chiba : The altitude difference is about 700m. It's not as good as Mt. Yotei, but it's a long line. You can split, go to a thin line, or go to a wide single barn.
What I did at that time was a line that felt like a knoll that was changing considerably and merging from there into a large stream. what is the slope? Not at all at first. at about 30 degrees. From there to Nord, it's about 40 degrees. There's no rush to get that tangy."
Kimura : “However, depending on the amount of snow, it is unstable, and there are lines where the snow may collapse, so it is quite numb.”
Chiba : "When I went with Shunta, it was a little too deep."
Kimura : “It was snowing more than I thought, so I couldn’t get much speed.
Chiba : Wasn't one of the transmitters broken at that time? Only that day, I went out to eat after I got home (laughs).”
Kimura : It's the only one. Chiba-chan's video is so good. I really felt that the skating and shooting were really well matched. That was the most comfortable.
Chiba : “Well, if I were to mention how comfortable it is to ski, I would say Mt. Ashibetsu. Honya.”
Kimura: “Me too.”
ーーHow long does it take to climb Mt. Ashibetsu?
Chiba : "Ashibetsu doesn't take that long, about five hours."
Kimura : “If you go normally, it will take about 7 hours, right? At that time, our manager Russell (Mr. Imahara mentioned above) was there.
Chiba : When Imahara-kun is around, I get spoiled. Ashibetsu is all about the final return part. For a little over an hour, you cross the river from right to left all the time. There is a nice slope in the middle of nowhere, and I think that may be the reason why not many people come.
I thought about various things because the crossing was troublesome. I used pickle bags available at supermarkets. First, take off the boots, put on the inner boots, put on the pickle bag, and finally put on the outer boots. It was assumed that the contents would not get wet, only the shell would get wet, and the passengers would be able to cross safely. Outer boots are made of metal, so they tend to tear easily. I was putting them on carefully so that they wouldn't tear, and Imahara-kun and Shunta said they would go in if they put it in. When I did exactly that, I took three steps and went home soaking wet with water in my boots. Well, it's spring, so it's fine (laughs)."
Kimura : “The pickle bag is 150 yen for 6 pieces.
ーーDo you ever go upstairs and turn back?
Chiba : "Not even once last season."
Kimura : “Sometimes we ask you to change the line a little.”
Chiba : “There are things like changing the line and avoiding knolls. Basically, if you think you can just slide vertically, you just go as far as you can without stressing the surface of the snow.”
Kimura : That's right, straight is the safest way.
Chiba : In an interview with Akira Sasaki, I could 100% agree with you that going straight is the safest route.
ーーIn the future, is there anything you want to do individually or as a couple?
Chiba “I have a clear bucket list. There is one big line of mountains I want to do. Ashibetsu X Runze. Seen from above, the mountain looks really cool. Well, not only X Runze, but I want to skate cool lines in the mountains of Hokkaido in a cool way.I want to do that every year.Also, I want to update every year if I'm not satisfied even if the video is taken.The line is Even if I was satisfied, I was scared at the cliff, and I couldn't fly straight, and I flew a little sideways.
Kimura : I feel the same way. There aren't many telemark skiers skating on steep terrain, and the number of video footage is even smaller. If I can skate aggressively with Chiba-chan and my friends who can push, I'm satisfied. I would be happy if I could gradually connect the horizontal connection of Plus Telemark in Hokkaido.In the future, I would like to create a telemark community over a long span.”
Chiba : That's why I started telemarking too.
Kimura : "I'm really good at it"
Chiba : I started at Bankei, but junior skiers are skating here, and it's almost like a skating rink. I almost got sick of swiping my feet over and over, but when I went to the Canmore Ski Resort in Higashikawa-cho for a night game on a day when it rained, I completely understood Telemark.”
Kimura : It's too early to be philosophical (laughs).
ーーThank you both. I have high hopes for his future success.
Yutaka Chiba was born on June 20, 1992. Born in Sapporo City. His riding, which flies over the cliffs of the mountains in Hokkaido and attacks narrow chutes, is posted mainly on Instagram, and has fans both in Japan and overseas. also presides over
deerhorn_poles" with the concept of being kind to the earth using bamboo supported: @paddleclub_sapporo @armadajapan
Instagram: @yutakachiba.newaccount
Shunta Kimura Shunta Kimura was born on May 17, 1991. Born in Aichi prefecture. Based in Sapporo, he skis down ski resorts and mountains in Hokkaido. His riding style, which pursues speed with telemark skis and carves aggressive lines, is attracting his attention. Friluftsliv , a guide that proposes river activities based on the Toyohira River that flows through Sapporo city .
Sponsord: @sweetprotection_japan @pow_mas @deerhorn_poles @woollayer
Instagram: @dadadadavo603