Freeskiing competitions, which were popular across the country until the 2010s, are now dominated by events sponsored by FIS and SAJ. The Japan Jr Freeski Open, a gateway competition for kids aiming to become world champions, ended its role after 10 years, and the number of competitions has decreased, resulting in fewer opportunities for adults and children to network and gain experience.
On the other hand, the rise of social media has made it easier to share videos and photos, making freeskiing more accessible than ever before, regardless of location or skill level. These loose online connections are now being replicated in real-life settings, creating new forms of interaction.
Freeskiing, in particular, is much more enjoyable when combined with others than when skiing alone.
we asked Daisuke Kurata , who has been making freeskiing videos since the 2000s, to report on the "Ree-Sta Cup" competition held at X-JAM Takai Fuji on Saturday, March 19th.
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The Hie-Suta Cup is Hiromi Sato (ZUMASKIS) and Eigo Higuchi (ARMADA) . "Hie" comes from the initials of their names, Hiromi and Eigo, while "Suta" comes from the event where they first met. There are still some mysteries surrounding why the kanji for "hie" was used and which event it was, but the two, both in their 20s, were concerned about the decline in competitions and session events over the past few years and came up with the idea to create a platform for kids to shine and a place for freeskiers to interact.
The competition items were originally planned to be two sections, a 2-way kicker and a Rail/Box, but due to bad weather the day before, this was changed to two sections, a 5m kicker and an 8m kicker
Although the day of the competition was cloudy, around 20 freeskiers from a wide range of ages, from teenagers to those in their 40s, gathered to take part. The preliminary round was a jam session, with 16 participants advancing to the finals. The finals were a single-run tournament format, similar to PARKAIR, which the two organizers felt was very special. From the semi-finals onwards, the four participants who advanced to the finals competed in a super final
As for tricks in the competition, SW tricks from SW landings that emphasized flow on two consecutive kickers in the middle class, and transfer jumps that made use of the wide landing of the first one were often seen. The winner was Ayuda Shohei, who decided on Rodeo 3-Coke 7 Truck Driver
2nd place: Kenty,
3rd place: Wakayama Shu,
4th place: Shibata Yuito
The guest riders and judges were Shunsuke Uemura (Riotskis) , Kosuke Kusakari (ON3P) , and Akane Nakata (ROXY) . During the demo run, they showed off their jumps in style alongside the two organizers. The MC was Takai Fuji local Seita Kimura, also known as SEI Ent. Just
like at JIB FES., which has become a Takai Fuji specialty, he focused on each individual participant, livening up the event.
It had the feel of a jam session, but also the tension of a one-off match.
It was a competitive event reminiscent of the atmosphere of an old-fashioned amateur tournament.
Photos and videos of the competition will be posted on Instagram, YouTube, etc.
Sato Daiki and Higuchi Eigo are planning to hold similar competition events in the off-season and next season as well.
For more information, check the Instagram of the two and the Ree-Suta Cup.
Sato Daiki (@hiromi__0220)
Higuchi Eigo (@eigorian2)
Ree-Suta Cup ( @hiesuta )