Five skiers photographed by ski photographer Hiroshi Suganuma are being released as Gogglesoc in a limited edition.
For many years, Hiroshi Suganuma has faced skiers and the snowy mountains, continuously capturing the decisive moments in harmony between nature and people. He has
left behind numerous masterpieces in ski magazines such as BRAVOSKI and Fall Line, as well as in his own publications.
Hiroshi Suganuma, who can be called a leading figure in the world of ski photography, has selected five photographs of five skiers from his vast body of work to be released in collaboration with Gogglesoc.
There are only 150 of each model available at shops nationwide and the SPUTNIK online store, so be sure to purchase yours early.
Release Date: December 19th (Sat) 12:00 PM -
Quantity: Limited to 150 units of each model. Price: 1,800 yen (+ tax)
1. Takeshi Kodama
Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. A professional skier who has made it his life's work to "travel the world on skis," pursuing the best riding and excitement. His successes include skiing down from the summit of Mount McKinley, a ski expedition in Greenland using a sea kayak, summiting Mount Everest, and skiing down unclimbed peaks in the Himalayas
— "An extremely famous photograph. In November in Tateyama, a bamboo shoot bursts out, pulling a spray of color through the windrip." - Hiroshi Suganuma
2. Makoto Asakawa
Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. He has been engrossed in alpine skiing since his childhood. After a period of time away from skiing, he returned to the snowy mountains at the age of 25. He loves big mountain skiing in mountainous areas such as Mount Asahidake and Mount Tokachidake, as well as slope skiing at Kamui Ski Links and Pippu Ski Resort near Asahikawa
—"When shooting sunsets, the dilemma is whether to aim for a red-hot slope or a silhouette with the setting sun in the background. On this day, I chose the slope to aim for a silhouette with the sun in the background. I waited for the sun to be in the right position before dropping in, and Makoto was in the perfect position with the sun on his back." - Hiroshi Suganuma
3. Kenji Kono
Born in Nozawa Onsen, Nagano Prefecture. Active as an alpine racer from elementary school until graduating from high school, he switched to freestyle skiing and ski cross in 2002. For 12 years, he competed in the Ski Cross World Championships, World Cup, and X-Games as a member of the national team. Even now that he has retired, he continues to visit mountains both in Japan and abroad as a skier
—"It was early March at Kagura, a time when the snow was gradually turning into spring snow, but we timed the shoot to coincide with a weather forecast that suggested good snow conditions with low temperatures. Kenji left, his body covered in a dry, almost suffocating smoky spray." - Hiroshi Suganuma
4. Daisuke Sasaki
Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. International mountain guide. One of Japan's leading mountain skiers. While active in competitions, including coming second in the Big Mountain Ski World Tour France, he also achieved many great feats as an adventure skier, including skiing down Manaslu, Rishiri, and Denali
—"The first time I saw Pintech bindings on the mountain was when they first came out, and Daisuke was using them. I was wondering how they would be, but he said, 'No problem, they're working great,' and then he took off on a slightly hard slope at high speed. Seeing is believing." - Hiroshi Suganuma
5. Taisuke Kusunoki
In 2017, he became the first Asian to compete in the Freeride World Tour, making his presence known to the world. In 2005, he won the All Japan Championships in Dual Moguls, and in the same year came second in the Canada Cup Big Air. He currently skis mainly on big mountain terrain, from Hokkaido to Alaska
—"As we were traveling in the evening, I saw the beautiful gradation of the sky and clouds over Mt. Okudainichi, and Taisuke, in perfect harmony with me, said 'I'll jump,' and he took off like a pro, scoring a catch high above Mt. Okudainichi." - Hiroshi Suganuma
Exclusive to sputnik shop: A gift for anyone who purchases the complete 5-disc set!
Release commemorative gift campaign for STEEP readers
To celebrate the release, STEEP will be giving away a set of five Gogglesoc Hiroshi Suganuma Collection items to five lucky winners
Application period: 12/21~12/27 23:59
How to enter:
Simply "Like" the campaign announcement post on the STEEP Facebook page and leave a message in the comments section.
*Link to Facebook page
■Eligibility:
Applicants must reside in Japan.
■Announcement of Winners and Contact Method
: After the application period ends, only winners will receive a direct message from the official STEEP Facebook account. The announcement of winners will be made via a winning message sent in late December 2020.
Once you have received the winning message, your win will be confirmed upon your reply.
■Email Reply Period:
5 days from the date the winning message is sent.
■Notes
: Please note that if you do not reply to the winning message within the reply period, your win will be invalidated.
We cannot accept inquiries regarding winning or losing.
■Other
: This campaign is not provided or sponsored by Facebook.
Personal information collected will be used in the form of statistical information that does not identify individuals.