As travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are gradually being lifted, people from all over the world are visiting Japan to enjoy its snow, culture, and skiing. Among these, the big news this season was the arrival of international riders from FACTION, a group of top freestyle skiers, to Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture and Minakami Town in Gunma Prefecture
The visitors to this location include Alex Hall (second from the right in the top image), who boasts world-class skills in slopestyle and big air. He is a Beijing Olympic slopestyle gold medalist and a 2022 X Games Big Air gold medalist. Also
visiting is Mac Forehand (second from the left in the top image), a 2023 X Games Big Air gold medalist, who competed on January 30th local time. And
the three of them are Anti Ollira (far left in the top image), who enjoys a strong following for his unique skiing style.
The winner of last year's X Games, the winner of this year's X Games, and Anti, who leads the uniquely individual FACTION team. The FACTION team, which brings together some of the world's top riders, has come to Japan with an unparalleled lineup.
They were in the area to shoot a video produced by FACTION, and Hoshino Kouga (far right in the top image) was among them. In between their daily shoots, we were fortunate enough to be able to speak to them about the contents of this shoot and about Hoshino Kouga, who they will be working with
, Editors (hereinafter: Ed.)
. How many times have you been to Japan? What are your impressions?
Alex Hall (hereinafter: Alex):
This is my first time in Japan. I'm having a really great time because the food is fantastic and the people are so kind.
Mac Forehand (hereinafter: Mac):
This is my first time in Japan. I've always wanted to come, and I've finally made it. I've been trying Japanese food I've never eaten before. At first, I was a little scared to put it in my mouth, but now I'm enjoying it.
Anti Ollira (hereinafter: Anti):
This is my second time in Japan. The first time was five years ago when I skied powder snow in Hokkaido. This time I'm able to come to a different place and it's fun to see a different side of Japan. Also, it's been dark in Finland for a long time recently, so it feels great to see the sunshine again.
Editor - What is the snow and snow quality like in Japan?
Mac - It's interesting how snow falls in Japan in completely different ways depending on whether you cross a valley or a mountain. When we go from the Minakami area where we're staying to the Yuzawa area, it's snowing heavily, and conversely, sometimes it's not snowing in Yuzawa, but when we come back to Minakami, it's snowing heavily. In America, it doesn't matter whether you're in a valley or a mountain, it just falls heavily wherever it's supposed to, so the way it falls is different
Alex - I want to ski in powder soon. I don't know when I'll be able to ski in powder, but now that I've got powder skis, I can go anytime, so I'm looking forward to it
Anti - It was quite warm until yesterday, so it's not exactly powdery, but it's snowing now, so I'm looking forward to it
Editor - You're in Japan for a shoot this time, but what kind of shoot is it? What's the concept?
Alex - This time, filming in Japan will be mainly done on the streets. It's pretty crazy, because I don't think a normal production would come to Japan just for the streets. But it will be an all-out production
Anti - I'm mainly focusing on street skiing, but there's good snow falling right now, and Japan is synonymous with powder snow. So I need to ski on powder snow too (laughs)
Alex - Yes, that's true. A lot of my friends have come to Japan, and when they ask me, "What are you doing?" and I answer, "I'm taking street photos," they say, "Why are you doing that? That's stupid" (laughs)
Mac - Compared to other countries, Japan has many abandoned ski resorts and ruins that become the setting for street art, so they are very symbolic. There are no places like that overseas, so it's very impressive
Editor - Please tell us what kind of spots you have been able to film in Japan so far
Mac - The last time I shot, I was shooting on a ledge (a protruding part attached to a wall) on a staircase inside a disused school. There was a lot of snow, so the stairs were covered in snow and safe. I also made a lip at a closed ski resort and shot there
Editor - Were you able to capture any good shots? Also, what are some differences between Japanese streets and those overseas?
Anti - I've only managed to get one shot so far (laughs). Japanese streets allow you to take shots that make use of not only the handrails but also the terrain and buildings, so I'd like to capture some shots that are unique to Japan
Mac - A lot of street spots in America are in the city, so you can get in trouble easily, but in Japan they're in quieter places, so there's less pressure. That way you can concentrate on your tricks
Editor - Kouga is participating from Japan. Did you know him? How did you feel about playing together this time?
Mac - I saw his edit from a few years ago on "New Schoolers" last year, and I was really impressed when I discovered Kouga there. He was doing tricks in sections that would have scared me off, and I realized how amazing he is
Alex - He's a fairly well-known skier overseas, and his fame matched his riding and style perfectly. When we met, he was very friendly and showed us around various spots. I don't think this shoot would have been possible without him
Anti - That's true... I remember seeing his first edit three years ago and thinking that his skating style was really great. He took a approach that made the most of his style even with typical street items, and it was a style of skating I'd never seen before, so I really liked him from the start
Editor - Is there anything you think Kouga needs to do to make further progress in the future?
Mac: I don't think there's much to change. I think it's just about skating every day, filming, and just doing it. Keep going with the same style you've always done
Anit - Yes, just be himself and keep doing
Editor - I'd like to ask Kouga, what kind of experience did you gain from this shooting trip?
Hoshino Kouga (hereafter referred to as Kouga): In a word, they're crazy in a good way. I don't want to get injured so I carefully check my approach, but they just check the speed and then try it right away. It's like, "Wow, I should have started recording now." They inspire me, and I feel like I can grow even more
Editor - Is there anything that made an impression on you on this trip?
Koga - On the first day, we filmed a jump section using a disused building with Anti. I thought I could only do regular entries, but Anti landed a switch 5 hand drag, and his style was cool, so it left a strong impression on me.
Mac landed some tough spins, and Alex landed a rail-to-rail section with huge gaps between the rails, so I think each of us was showcasing our own style in our respective areas of expertise.
Editor - You've been shooting street scenes with your friends in Japan for a long time, but were you able to use that experience this time?
Kouga: It's really coming in handy. I'm convinced that what I've been doing up until now hasn't been wrong. In fact, since I'm used to the sections and snow in Japan, I'm making items together with them, making suggestions like, "Maybe it would be better to do it this way here."
Editor - Kouga: Thank you very much. Now, I have another question for the three of you. You've only been in Japan for a few days, what are you looking forward to?
Alex - I want to ski in powder snow and eat lots of delicious food. I also want to go back to the conveyor belt sushi restaurant I went to the day before yesterday (laughs)
Mac - That's true... I want to eat more delicious food too (laughs)
Anti - Powder, powder, more powder... (laughs) I also want to take a bath in a hot spring every day. Finland is famous for its saunas, but it also has a lot of hot springs. It's similar to Japanese culture
Editor - What kind of filming do you have planned for other countries in the future?
Mac - I have park shoots scheduled in Utah, Wyoming and the Rockies
Anti - We're also planning a park shooting event around April, though we haven't decided where yet. This video will be packed with park edits, so be sure to check it out
Editor - Is there anything you would like viewers to feel or see from this production?
Alex - I think the difference between filming with the FACTION team and filming with other productions is that we have fun skiing as a team, and that enjoyment is well expressed in the footage as a collective. So I hope that people can sense one of the charms of skiing - the "fun of skiing together."
Mac - We all have different riding styles, so even on the same Japanese street, we all look at items from different perspectives. I hope you can see the differences
Anti - I feel the same way as you two. FACTION is made up of skiers all over the world who have style and value their individuality. For this shoot, we were all in different places: I'm from Finland, Alex and Mac are from the US, and Kouga is from Japan. We all come from different cultures and backgrounds, but I hope that through skiing, we can sense the unity that only a team can have and the differences in our styles
They will be touring 3-4 sections every day, enjoying Japanese food and culture, and will be filming hard, and their footage will be released by FACTION in November
Interviewed and written by Daigo Onozuka