[Rider Interview] Drawing a path on the kicker, creating a future in the park ─ Digger Captain Daiki Yajima's challenge

Q1: The season has finally begun, but have you started yet? Daiki: I went to Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort on the first day it opened! Since it was a weekday, the lifts were empty and it was a great start to the season.

Q2: What kind of activities do you have planned for this season? Daiki: I'm planning to do some digging at Norn Minakami Ski Resort again this season. I've also been appointed as the digger captain, so I'll do my best to make the park a fun place for everyone! Q3: What is your main riding style? What kind of snowboard do you like? Daiki: I mainly do parks and free runs, but what I'm best at is flying off kickers! I also like hiking alone in silence, but what I like most is having fun skating with friends and taking videos of each other. Q4: Last season you took a lot of cool photos of kickers! I'm sure you practiced a lot to get to that point, but when did you start snowboarding? What made you start? Daiki: I started snowboarding when I was in the fifth grade of elementary school. My dad got me started, and at first I was excited to tag along, but I kept edging, it was cold, and I got left behind, so to be honest, for the first two or three years I didn't really want to go, even if he invited me. Q5: So it wasn't a fun memory at first (laughs). What made you get into snowboarding from there? Daiki: Even when I was taken there, I would ski a little and wait in the car the whole time (laughs). I had a friend who was good at snowboarding when I was in junior high school, and I didn't want to lose to him! I think that was the main reason. At that time, my friend was by far the best among my generation, so I desperately tried to keep up with him. Q6: When did you start kicking? What was it like at first? Daiki: I started going to kickers about two years after I started snowboarding. But I didn't start practicing seriously until my first year at university, when I went with a friend using Yukimagi. I started thinking, "I want to get better." At first, I didn't know how to jump, so I was reckless and just fell over and over and got hurt. From there, I followed behind good skiers and listened to their tips, and gradually I was able to turn, and now when I arrive at a ski resort, I unconsciously look for where I can jump!

Q7: I see. If you unconsciously look for places to fly, then your job as Captain Digger is your calling! Do you also produce parks? Daiki: Being a captain has given me more responsibility, but it's made skating even more fun! Last year I was in charge of park production, but this season my former producer, who is like a mentor to me, is returning, so I hope to work with him to create an interesting park. Q8: What do you think is the “ideal park”? Daiki:My ideal is to create a park that everyone can enjoy, from beginners to advanced skiers. I feel that if a park is not just for skilled skiers or people who can ski, but also for people who want to start or have just started, then it will not be quite what I want, and that is what I strive to create every day. Q9: Please give some advice to those who want to enter the park this season! Daiki:You may think that you can't enter a park unless you can ski, but on the contrary, as a creator, we are really happy when people who have never been to a park before or who are just starting out come, and it is a great motivation! That's why we want people to come to the park without fear. At first, you may feel scared to jump or enter the items, but I think the shortcut to improvement is to ski together with friends, watch skilled skiers, and sometimes even take the plunge and ask for advice. In fact, there is no one in the park who would feel bad if you were asked! Please feel free to talk to us! Q8: Thank you! Finally, what are your goals for this season? Daiki: My goal this season is to improve my level in all aspects from last season and to enjoy snowboarding more than ever before! I think the best evaluation I can get is when people who see me snowboarding feel like "this park is a fun place" or "head boards are so much fun to snowboard on" because I'm having fun snowboarding!