Introduction
Taisuke Kusunoki and Kouga Hoshino talk to someone they both care about.
Taisuke Kusunoki is a pioneer who participated in the highest freeride competition "FWT" for the first time as a Japanese skier after going through the mogul and free ski competitions. He has now taken some time off from competitions, and continues to ski down the snowy mountains, focusing on video production, which he has been doing for a long time.
On the other hand, Koga Hoshino is a skier who has been attracting a lot of attention for his performances in domestic freeride competitions and the short videos he publishes each season, as he has gained a lot of attention for his park riding in his hometown of Minamiuonuma.
For the first time, two people who had almost no contact points such as age, place of residence, place to skate, and face started to talk face to face.
What was your last season like?
Koga Hoshino (henceforth Hoshino): Last season I started skating late. I had a knee injury and was able to skate from the beginning of February. I've been doing it for a long time because I wanted to shoot some crazy footage on the slopes. After FWQ was over, it was the flow of street shooting.
going to Tateyama from the beginning of the season to shoot with
Jackie ( *Hiroyuki Nishio, leader of MightyJamming I go to the mountains quite often and look for items (that look good in photography). There were many days when I felt like I was on a treasure hunt.
We all went into the mountains and found (items)! Something like that. It was really interesting to see the mountain from below and try to ski like this.
But it takes a lot of time to record footage in the backcountry. First of all, it is very difficult until you meet the slope. Even if you find one, the approach may be difficult, and even if you go that far, the weather and conditions may be bad.
That's why it's really just a matter of timing.
Hoshino: It's the same. Yuzawa will die (snow) in the morning, so it's a battle with snow quality. If the drop off time is 9:00 or 10:00, I would like to depart from the bottom at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.
There are so many things I want to ask...
Hoshino: There are so many things I want to ask, I have about 20 in my memo pad, lol.
FWT (Freeride World Tour), I've never been there, so I really want to hear about it. how many times did you go?
Kusunoki: Two seasons and one tournament in Hakuba.
Hoshino: Was there a difference between foreigners and line-taking?
Kusunoki: There is. After all, the athletes who are competing have been doing big mountain as a competition since they were little, so the way they perceive it is completely different. If you double (*fly over cliffs in succession), you'll get points. I was looking at the line that I could attack, but (others) connected this double more smoothly and it felt like a competition.
This happened. The conditions were perfected and we decided to hold a tournament in a hurry. Face check only for one day. Some players were unable to make it in time for the check because they were traveling from other places, and at that time, various materials such as drone footage and photos from below were specially distributed. But there is a guy who won the competition just by watching the video without doing a face check.
That's why everyone always looks at the mountains and inflates the image that they can go here. It's difficult in Japan. There are no such slopes in the ski resort, and backup is necessary in BC. But overseas it's done with a lift, so it's completely different for big mountains.
I have quite an image, and since I had accumulated things up until then, I feel like I was able to go (FWT) all of a sudden. Because before FWT came out, I had never seen any footage of FWT. There are good guys, but it felt like they didn't know each other.
Hoshino: I see. Pretty sure it's the line you're aiming for in the competition.
Kusunoki: In the first match, I made a mistake with a quick attack. Moreover, the face (of the tournament) changed on the day of the event, and I only had about 10 or 20 minutes to watch it. It was tested.
Even if you don't want to go to the competition, you have to find the line. Looking at the way the riders around me looked for them, even if they looked exaggerated when viewed from below, I was able to get a good sense of their size. Even if you think "I can't do it", everyone will go hard, so I thought I could do it.
If there was a place where I could see it up close, I would definitely go there. I wonder if I could understand the sense of size when I participated in the competition.
Hoshino: The tension is also similar between competitions and photo shoots. It's a one-shot match, isn't it?
Kusunoki: Maybe together. Shooting feels like I'm doing a competition inside myself. That makes me extra nervous. I have a backup for the tournament. Shooting in the backcountry is dangerous if you get injured, so there is that kind of tension.
Hoshino: Yeah yeah.
Kusunoki: The feeling of tension, how to spend the waiting period, taking lines, face checks, etc. I didn't go to the mountains at all until the tournament, so I feel like it started from there.
(After participating in the freeride competition) No matter which mountain I go to, I can see the line. I think I'm glad I got out.
How do they make video works, what do they think about?
Hoshino: I want to do things that people don't do with video. Shooting on the slopes is especially true, isn't it? It was really fun trying to figure out how much size I could get without being able to make a big (item).
Make a little (item) and aim for the first time on the slopes to match the landing over there. Arthur Longo (Volcom snowboarder). After all, if it's a video of the slopes, the general public will watch it.
It was great to do that as well. I want to make a season edit, but frankly I haven't been able to shoot much. I wasn't able to shoot much, so there were only 2 or 3 cuts in the mountains, and 2 or 3 cuts in the story. I feel like if I can't surpass last year's work, I won't put it out.
Kusunoki: I feel like my skiing style is finally fitting in with the natural terrain. I want to show a ski style that is more suited to the natural terrain in the video.
Hoshino: Do you have a theme for your videos?
Kusunoki: The theme was "Zen". I mean, it feels really real. I want to keep it in the video.
Hoshino: I wanted to use the word “ascension”. The images are bright, the words are good, and the kanji are really cool. All of us had an imperfect burn in the 2020-21 season, so I wanted to let everyone go.
I would like to hear more about the shooting. I think it's working as a group, but does it feel like Taisuke-kun is making the arrangements?
Kusunoki: Well, that's quite difficult. There aren't many lines in Hokkaido. Even if everyone goes, there is only one hot line. My favorite thing is to skate with everyone. I really think about where everyone's line is going. Sometimes it's not where I want to go.
It would be nice if there were a lot of lines, but since there aren't any, I might think about the balance around that. But it's not possible to shoot in BC alone, so there may be places where everyone can get excited.
Hoshino: Well, when we're moving in a group, I really want to take pictures with everyone. However, there is only one aspect. Have you ever worked one-on-one with a cameraman?
Kusunoki: I don't think there's much one-on-one. I need help if anything happens. I wonder if I'll take it on the slopes.
Hoshino: Then, there is a group, and have you contacted each other that you can go there tomorrow?
Kusunoki: Oh yeah, the area of Hokkaido is quite large, and the distances traveled are great, so we have to gather here and there. Sometimes that exchange can be difficult. I really have to move.
If one person is in the neighborhood and the other is very far away, you have to move every day. There is such a thing in Hokkaido. The movement is very long, and the balance on that side may be very difficult. Where are you in the middle? The place is decided after 12 o'clock in the middle of the night. It can be tiring.
Hoshino: Do you have a night out?
Kusunoki: We don't often go out at night, but we often get together very early in the morning. However, there are times when the exchange goes beyond 12:00 and continues until around 1:00 or 2:00.
Hoshino: Huh. Is there a time when you aim for two cuts in one day? Go to the big line and go back up when you get a good shot.
Kusunoki: Absolutely. You can do one shot and move to another place.
Hoshino: That's the difference from Yuzawa. I'm dying, snow.
Kusunoki: I know it's spring, but there's no high season at all. I have a problem with the sun setting.
Hoshino: What kind of image does Taisuke-kun want to do?
Kusunoki: There is a big line that only I can find. I want to leave the image in my head in the video. When I got to the bottom of the mountain and took a quick look, I probably had this feeling that no one was going there and that I was the only one who could see it. I can see the line and feel safe, so I want to leave that kind of slide.
Hoshino: That's right. Taisuke-kun is already half-baked with pillows, and I think he can see (the lines) all the time. How do you see pillows? Face-to-face or something?
Kusunoki: First, look at it from the other side. However, it is quite rare to see them face-to-face. After that, while watching from the high line.
Hoshino: At first glance, is that riding?
Kusunoki: Pillow yes, at first sight. He used to do moguls, so he liked pillow lines.
Hoshino: The way you hit is also going to be a tail.
Kusunoki: I really like it, but I don't really have pillow lines. Probably my favorite, better than Menzl. If anything, I like places where the terrain is bumpy and you can hit something (*fly or hit).
Hoshino: Don't you ever wonder what's going on because the topography is so complicated?
Kusunoki: If you have an image or video taken from above, you can generally understand. If you look from below and from above, you might be able to go.
Hoshino: You didn't see it from the beginning, did you?
Kusunoki: Not at all. I can't see it from the beginning.
Hoshino: At what point did you become able to create such an image?
Kusunoki: The accumulation up to now, and the last five or six years. Snowboarding or riding sideways might also help. Because my line of sight is horizontal. I could only see the vertical line, but if I can see the horizontal, I can see the whole. Terrain is becoming more visible.
Hoshino: Taisuke-kun, I think you're stylish with how you hit the topography...
Kusunoki: Maybe it's because I'm doing snowboarding and snowboarding. I think that the operation of the board and how to match the terrain are probably out. The skis are vertical, and although they are the same in terms of where you hit them, the way you look at them is different.
Hoshino: Taisuke-kun, you're riding with the tail a little, you know?
Kusunoki: I feel like I'm operating with the soles of my feet.
Hoshino: It looks like that kind of style. I like it, like walls and lips.
Kusunoki: I like it. I don't see any terrain anymore. I like it more than Menzuru, lol.
Hoshino: Have you been saving up video works for about three years now?
Kusunoki: No, I don't want to put out the feeling that I'm doing it right away. I know what I'm doing. Recently, I have come to the conclusion that even if you look at it from that point of view, it might be good.
Hoshino: It will also be a teaser (for the video to be released).
Kusunoki: You can choose the sound freely, especially for Instagram reels. You will get a direct response. Even if it's a one-cut, it's really interesting just to put the sound on and match it. Before, I used to choose sound sources that didn't get caught (with copyright) from my favorite DJ mixes, but now I can use them freely.
Hoshino: Compared to the past, we can release single shots.
Kusunoki: I wasn't the type to use Instagram or SNS, but Instagram isn't what everyone is looking at. I'm watching so much. When I do (SNS), I get DMs from people I was watching. It's like I'm finally connected to the world, lol.
I really thought it would be great if I could somehow link what I was doing with someone I really looked up to. It's really interesting to be able to do it directly now. It seems that the sound is good, such as reposting it.
Hoshino: Well, I don't really like it either. I was the one who didn't give it (on SNS) at all.
But if you give me something that gets a great response, it can also be used as a business card (for myself).
That was really bad the other day, it's like that guy. Because I can feel it now. I'd like to continue uploading memorable one-shots from now on, it's a really bad guy. Where would you like to go next season?
Kusunoki: There are so many places I want to go and things I want to do. There is always something that I want to do without changing. I feel like I'm going to enjoy my life as a whole without getting bored (skating). Kouga?
Hoshino: That's right. I have so many ambitions that I can't really express them in words... If it's total, it's like how far can I go before I die. It's the same with tournaments, but I'd like to focus mainly on filming, and I don't want to participate in tournaments like that in five years. I would like to take it in that direction, such as having it put in my favorite shop. In order to do that, I want to raise my name recognition while I'm still here, and become a person who can express what I'm doing even when I go abroad.
No matter where I go, I always feel like he's here. That's how it is.
Kusunoki: Hot. I want to keep skating It's not a goal, I just want to keep going. I've never done skiing like this before. I think it's life
I want to go higher and higher, but I don't know if I can see it as I go along. I think I'm very happy now that I can always do it without getting bored.
A once-in-a-lifetime encounter, the terrain also meets. I also met Kouga. Let's have a session.
Hoshino: Please. On the other hand, I'm the type that gets overly enthusiastic...lol.
Kusunoki: No, it's better to get fired up. If you are not enthusiastic, you may get scolded, so lol. Even if I try to be cool, I end up getting all fired up when I put on the board...
Hoshino: But that's why I failed a lot...
Postscript
From beginning to end, Koga Hoshino was always interested in Taisuke Kusunoki.
Rather than a conversation, Koga seemed to be checking his own answers to Taisuke-senpai's actions and thoughts. The two are attractive with lines that incorporate freestyle elements such as jumps and hits in fast turns that drop vertically.
What kind of slope do the two seek?
What kind of line do you draw there? The two promised to have a session on the snow, and immediately after the talk, a specific location name, such as Tateyama in November, popped out. I can't wait to see the release of the video of the two people who will have an impact both domestically and internationally.
Coverage Cooperation/ Peak Performance Sapporo
SPECIAL THANKS/ FACTION JAPAN
Taisuke Kusunoki
He devoted himself to moguls from an early age, and also achieved results in freestyle events such as big air and slopestyle. In 2017, after winning the Freeride World Qualifier, the first freeride tournament held in Hakuba, he became the first Asian to participate in the highest peak, the Freeride World Tour. Currently, he continues to ski on snowy mountains all over the country in order to create his video works.
Born August 22, 1984, lives in Sapporo.
Instagram: @taisuke0822
Koga Hoshino
Born and raised in Minamiuonuma, a snowy country, he started skiing at an early age. Influenced by free skiers based in Ishiuchi Maruyama, he gradually devoted himself to freestyle skiing. He became a member of the local free ski team "YBI" and is active in the ski resort and backcountry. He won the right to participate in the FWQ FINALS held in the 23rd season as a wild card because of his results in the domestic FWQ in the 22nd season.
Born February 25, 1998, lives in Minamiuonuma City.
Instagram: @hoshinokoga