2nd "Bonz Cup" Report: "Motivation comes first, followed by style"

The 2nd "Bonz Cup" was held on January 20th (Saturday) at Kamoi-dake International Ski Resort in Hokkaido. This

which consists of young skiers up to the age of 30, with diverse home mountains and ages, including Tenran Katsuno, Gen Sasaki, Masaori Fujii, Daichi Motoki, Shun Hirayama, Daichi Furuya, YosukeBonzFujii, and Takashi Koyama.

The rider-led event was led by Shun Hirayama (in the red and yellow jacket in the center). The members all came together around him, with Katsuno Tenran (third from the left) as MC, judges Gen Sasaki (fourth from the left) and Masaori Fujii (second from the left), starters Daichi Furuya (far left), Takashi Koyama, and Yosuke Fujii, and PA and drone operator Daichi Motoki (far right). Of course, the Bonz crew will also be presenting the pre-race

who participated as a support staff memberDaiki Mikami of Haglofs JAPAN,we'll convey the atmosphere of the event through photos and comments from

Participants ranged from casual skiers enjoying themselves to well-known skiers like LINE rider Ken'ya Yamagishi. Even the other competitors were surprised to see Anri Kawamura there. The young men's category, in particular, was incredibly high-level, making you wonder what's going on with kids these days. In the women's category, a former ski cross competitor showed off her powerful turns, but Anri Kawamura's relaxed skiing and impressive backflip demonstrated her superior skill level. Ken'shin Muto, the men's winner, had an undeniably impressive run.

Personally, I was impressed by Ken'ya Yamagishi's runs, even though he fell on both of his runs. He executed a big Rodeo 7 and a smooth nose butter 7 using the roof of a hut just before the finish line.

Shun took the lead, and as everyone worked together to dismantle the kickers on the course, many of the riders came to help. The event was run by
hand and it wasn't a big competition, but everyone, including the riders, was cooperative during the cleanup at the end of the event.
It was a very homey and wonderful event. This is probably due to Shun Hirayama's personality and the fact that it was organized by the riders themselves, the "Bonz Crew".

Speaking of rider-organized freeride events, the Japan Freeride Open, which includes Ueki Shikaichi and others, will be held for the 9th time this year, and the Chanmero Freeride Open, which is organized mainly by Oike Takuma, will move out of Hakuba this year and add a tournament in Toyama, making it a series of four races in total

While Hakuba might come to mind when thinking of freeride, Hokkaido also boasts the "Kiroro Powder Freeride Open," which was started by Takeshi Kodama in 2012 and is now in its 12th year.
Past winners include Junpei Endo, Taisuke Kusunoki, Yu Sasaki, Gen Sasaki, Tenran Katsuno, Tomomi Kanazawa, and Mirai Nakagawa, making it a truly significant event in the history of freeride in Japan.
Shun Hirayama, who leads the Bonz Cup, also had his first freeride competition at the "Kiroro Powder Freeride Open."

One day on the ferry returning from FWQ Hakuba, Shun said, "I want to hold a tournament in my hometown of Asahikawa," and I was happy to see his passionate desire take shape with the help of his teammates and pass it on to the next generation