Have you heard of Hoshino Kouga? The 22-year-old hails from Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. He placed second in last season's FWQ HAKUBA 3-star rankings. His unique skiing style has attracted attention, especially from snow park users, and when he published his 20th season edit in May of this year, even the Canadian ski web media outlet "NEW SCHOOLERS" published an article praising his skiing
We interviewed him looking back on last season, so be sure to check it out along with the much-talked-about video
-First of all, thank you for your hard work this season. What kind of season was it?
That's right. I was able to create a video this season and achieved some decent results in competitions, so I don't think it was bad
-How's the video coming out?
In the end, it took shape, but to be honest, there were still spots I wanted to try and tricks I wanted to do that I couldn't. I made this video short, with the intention of including only the best shots. Ideally, I had planned to make it about 1:30, but in the end, I packed in a lot of stuff and it ended up being 2:30
-Why 1:30?
I was very conscious of the XGAMES program REAL STREET. It's a video competition in which top athletes team up with cameramen to create works entirely from street footage and compete for the best works, and the judges are top riders such as Tom Wallish and viewers. As it's a once-a-year video festival, it generates a huge amount of excitement online. I thought that by making it similar to the REAL STREET style, it would be easier to compare and attract attention from media outlets like New Schoolers. Also, I thought that if I made it five or six minutes long, it would get boring, so I wanted to put together a video that was full of impactful footage
-Why did you decide to use only street footage?
From the beginning, I decided to only do street-themed content this year. That was definitely influenced by real street content (laughs). I thought backcountry and natural jumping could be done next year
-What attracts you to REAL STREET?
Maybe it's because there are no other competitions that focus on individuals and evaluate their videos. I think it's simple and good that they're judged based on the quality of the individual parts. I'm also drawn to the large organization that is XGAMES. REAL STREET is broadcast to people all over the world and votes are cast, so the sense of unity with the audience is unique
- Most of the filming took place in Hokkaido. Why?
I had been to Hokkaido the previous year, scouted some locations, and decided on the location. Also, there was a lack of snow nationwide this season, so we ended up in Hokkaido. Last year, I went there because there were a lot of street spots
-Who did you shoot with?
My co-workers are Murayama Shota and Kamimura Kenzo. We took our car to Hokkaido and filmed while sleeping in it. We went to Sapporo, Otaru, and Asahikawa
-What episode left an impression on you?
I think it's the huge wall in the final scene of the video. I found out later that the Level 1 Production team had also attempted that spot. The wall felt even bigger in person than it did in the video. The other two were injured or not in top physical condition, so in the end we spent five hours preparing our approach, but I was the only one who tried. Even the slightest mistake could have resulted in serious injury, so under pressure, I managed to make it on the second try. The joy I felt at that moment was truly enormous, considering how much time we had spent together building it
Hitchhiking to the ski resort in Whistler
-You were also featured on New Schoolers, how did that come about?
When I was in Whistler, Canada, a staff member from New Schoolers saw me skiing and remembered me. He had been following my social media and contacted me through an acquaintance, asking if he would mind writing an article about me.
But we had never met. Maybe we had? I don't really remember (laughs). We skied at the same ski resort, and they knew me even though I didn't. I'm grateful for that.
- I also went skiing in Whistler with Kouga around that time, and I remember a local guy I didn't know excitedly saying to me, "Your skiing is so crazy!" So you were 19 when you actually went to Whistler, right?
Yes, three years ago when I was 19 years old. I went with Masahiro Murayama. The reason was that Mina Itaba, a skier from the same city of Minamiuonuma, was already there, and the cost of rent, ski passes, etc. was generally cheaper than other ski resorts. Japan was nice, but I wanted to go to a high-level snow park overseas and train
-What has changed?
I definitely improved. And I didn't get injured. The biggest benefit was being able to see world-class skiers skiing right in front of me. They were amazing. I was particularly drawn to Jake Carney, who is popular on social media. He's a Whistler local, though I only went there occasionally. Every single one of his ski moves was cool, and I learned a lot just by watching him
-What was your life like in Whistler?
I didn't do my research properly, and even though rent is expensive everywhere in Whistler in the winter, we rented a house in Squamish, a little way from the ski resort. The bus to the resort cost about 4,000 yen round trip, and we couldn't keep paying that much. I happened to be living with a Japanese person on a working holiday. He had a car and loved snowboarding, so I would ride with him on the days he was out. The
rest of the time, I would hitchhike, carrying a cardboard box with "whistler" written on it. It was pretty tough. Some days I got caught right away, and other days I couldn't get caught for an hour. Sometimes it didn't work at all. The people who gave me rides were local couples and office workers on their way to work. One time, the police came and asked me all sorts of questions. Apparently, I was in an area where hitchhiking wasn't allowed (laughs), so nothing happened. My English isn't great, so I was pretty scared. When it was time to go home, all I had to do was look for people going in the same direction in the parking lot, and I was able to catch them pretty quickly. Anyway, it was quite a struggle to get to the ski resort...
On sunny days like the Sun, I used the bus generously. 4,000 yen round trip seems expensive in Japan, but I felt like I had no choice but to go!
That lasted for about two months, from January to February. Then, when rent became cheaper, I moved near Whistler. From there, it was only a 10-minute bus ride to the ski resort, and there were lots of skiers and snowboarders from Japan around, so I had a great time living in Whistler. The first two months were really tough, but I guess it helped me mentally
- Will you continue to tour overseas in the future?
That's true. But next time I'd like to go for a shorter period of time. Long-term trips are quite difficult in terms of research, finances, and lifestyle. I also want to ski at various ski resorts in Japan. I'd also like to go to places other than Canada, like Perisher in New Zealand. Learning from my experiences in Canada, I'm currently studying English little by little
HAKUBA FWQ 3-stars still feeling regretful
-I see. So, let's change the subject. How was the freeride competition?
This year I came in second in the FWQ HAKUBA 3-star tournament. I got a good result, but I'm not satisfied at all. First place gives you the right to compete in the FWT, but second place gives you nothing. I thought it was meaningless unless I came in first, so I'm pretty disappointed. But there were some good things too. I usually mainly post videos on social media, but being on the podium helped people who didn't know me to remember me. I think that was really good
I ended up in second place with bib number 1, which is not an advantageous starting position.
- Will you continue to take part in competitions?
I'd like to continue putting effort into freeride competitions, but if I put in more effort, it will have to be balanced with film production. I'm a bit worried about that. Rather than just participating in each season lazily, I'm trying to treat each year as a crucial year, so next year I want to compete in the FWT and then make a clean break from competitions (laughs). I think the attention I get will change if I compete in the main event, so I'm just thinking of participating as a stepping stone
-What are your plans for this season?
This season, I'd like to start off by going to Revelstoke in Canada. It's a big mountain, so I'll use it as a training opportunity. My ideal plan is to gain some freeriding experience there, then come back to Japan in mid-January and compete in the FWQ in Hakuba. I'm not sure what I'll do after that, but I think I'll probably make videos
-Do you have an idea for the video works you will produce next season?
Yes. This season I'm putting in a lot of natural jumps (laughs). I'd say it's about half street and half jumps. I'm also holding back on the street spots that I couldn't do this season. I think next year's footage will be voluminous again, so please look forward to it
-What are your plans for the near future?
I haven't decided on my future goals yet, but in the near future I would like to participate in FWT HAKUBA and REAL STREET. I will continue to make videos and participate in freeride competitions
Hoshino Kouga, 22 years old, 2020FWQ HAKUBA 3-star 2nd place
He was born and raised at the foot of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture, where snow park culture has been cultivated. Influenced by his parents, he started skiing at around the age of three, and was naturally inspired by the freeskiers he saw at the ski resort when he was in elementary school, and began freestyle skiing.
Later, when he reached high school, his talent was recognized, and he became a member of the local freeski team "YBI," organized by members such as Miyata Kyohei and Takahashi Takuzo. He was particularly influenced by Takano Daisuke, who was close to him in age and lived close to him. He
currently focuses on photography, and continues to ski around the country, mainly in the Minamiuonuma and Yuzawa areas, with his classmate Murayama Masahiro.
Interview by Daigo Onozuka, Editorial Department,
Recorded in July 2020