Interview with Mr. Blue Montgomery "Protecting snowboarding for the future without setting limits" <Part XNUMX>

E_E5A5669CAPiTA was born in 2000.It started in the West Seattle garage, where the founder, Blue Montgomery, lives.At that time he was 26 years old.Over the course of 16 years, we have created a brand for snowboarders by snowboarders.Finally, in November of last year, the company's factory mothership, which had been a dream for many years, was born in Austria.What is the future form of snowboarding that CAPiTA, the brand that will lead the snowboard culture in the future, thinks?

Free Run (F): The story changes a little, but let's say that there is a person who got CAPiTA for the first time.What kind of snowboarder do you want that person to be?

Blue Montgomery (B): I don't really want this to happen.I want you to spend the best time purely in the mountains and enjoy every moment.It would be great if you could feel the inspiration from what we created, and at the same time be creative.But anyway, I want you to experience the feeling of playing with nature through snowboarding.And above all, I want you to love snowboarding.That's it.

F: Are there any plans for CAPiTA to release products in seasons other than winter?For example, camping gear?

B: I'm not thinking about that.At this point, we think our job is to focus all our power on creating the best snowboards in the world.So I have no intention of focusing on other products.

F: What do you think about the Japanese snowboarding scene?

B: I've been greatly influenced by the Japanese snowboarding scene.I think the Japanese snowboarding scene has become a leader in the world.The creative way of thinking, especially the approach and way of thinking about powder riding, is very soulful.Its powerful and soulful snowboarding is now being perceived in many parts of the world.Snowboarders around the world dream of Japanese powder.At the same time, world-class freestyle riders are also growing rapidly.Young upcomers such as Ayumu and Yuki are athletes of the highest level in the world.The evolution of snowboarding and the essence of powder riding.The Japanese snowboarding scene is growing at the same time.Don't you think it's the coolest?

F: I think I'm lucky to be in such a scene.do you know?Snowboarding seems to be the number one winter sport that parents want their children to have.

B: Good, bad, that's it.

F: It seems that Ayumu and Yuki have a big influence.And the second place is figure skating!

B: Oh NO! Really?Lol

F: Figure skating is also popular in Japan.

B: But that's fine.I hope the kids will unplug the technology as much as possible.And it would be great if you could plug it in naturally.I don't think it's possible for them to leave technology completely.But having a good time in the mountains with your friends and having a real conversation.I want you to build real human relationships by exchanging real high fives instead of conversations on mobile phones and SNS.I'm not anti-technology, but there is a powerful magical power in nature that I can't understand by itself.I believe snowboarding gives me that power, and I think CAPiTA's goal is there. It would be my greatest pleasure if CAPiTA could be a tool for kids to connect with nature and give them the opportunity to spend the best time with their friends.

F: Did Blue's consciousness change as he became a dad?

B: Hmm, that's right.Maybe.I'm a real father now, but long before that I was also the father of CAPiTA.Of those, I was always thinking about the team and the kids first.I have seen what kind of life they will live and what kind of person they will become.Now, when I actually become a father, I started to think more deeply about the future of snowboarding.I hope my daughter will grow up playing with nature, as I did when I was a kid.It doesn't matter if it's camping or fishing. Don't be a person who cares only about the world of small screens (while playing with your smartphone).

F: Is that idea related to the newly launched mothership?

B: That's right.When producing snowboards, I think it is the responsibility of making snowboards to put the impact on the earth first.I realized that the fun of snowboarding is also thinking about the environment.But there are key marketing words like "environmentally friendly" and "green", but that's not important to us.It's not the basis of CAPiTA's marketing.We are not a "green company".We are just a snowboard brand that thinks about the global environment.And I'm just doing my best to make responsible decisions.So when building a new factory this time, the main topic was "what kind of snowboard factory to build", and the consensus including the shareholder was "responsible snowboard building".I don't want to build a factory that only lasts for 5 years. It was necessary to build a factory that could continue to make snowboards even after 50 years.So what do you think the earth will look like 50 years from now?I don't think it's easy to use oil and burn fossil fuels to run a factory.

F: Everyone's consciousness, including Blue, is heading in the same direction.

B: That's right.Rather, there was no discussion about clean energy. It's like, "Of course."And the next question was, "Then, how do you realize the factory?"We are snowboarders, neither scientists nor environmental critics.Still, we have to think about how to realize a factory that uses clean energy.Therefore, it took three years for design and engineering, and one year for construction.Think twice, it took a year to build, but it took me three years to come up with an idea.I'm really lucky to be able to work with a great Austrian team and the government has backed me up.It has also created local employment and is proud of the village's factories that use clean energy.

Mothership was born in Austria last November.A factory designed to protect the future.It has the potential to sustain the environment, the community, and the snowboard culture.We set out for the goal of making the best snowboards.This model is a mothership mini chia
Mothership was born in Austria last November.A factory designed to protect the future.It has the potential to sustain the environment, the community, and the snowboard culture.We set out for the goal of making the best snowboards.This model is a mothership mini chia

F: I heard that the Austrian government has provided a considerable amount of backup for the construction of this factory. If you made the same plan in the United States, would it have been realized?

B: That's a good question.Hmmm.I don't know.It might be possible, I said Everything is Possible.But government backing, local employment, craftsmanship, and the Austrian Alpine Spirit, and we've been building snowboards there since 2002, and there was no reason to build a factory outside of Austria.

F: Has there been any change in technology since Mothership was launched?

B: We have been devoted to building the best snowboards in the world so far.Technology improves and quality improves every year.Therefore, what is important is not "how clean" but "how efficient". In 2009, we released a board called Green Machine.We have created the most environmentally friendly snowboards of the time, including plant-derived resins, recycled ABS sidewalls, and RFC-certified wood cores.I learned a lot there.First, the reason customers choose a board is the same as the reason they choose another board.It was based on graphics and shape, and how environmentally friendly the board was wasn't very important.And another thing I learned is that it is necessary not only to consider the environment but also to make responsible decisions as a brand.For example, saying, "This product is environmentally friendly, you should buy it," and the company itself is making the worst decision, isn't it a contradiction?It's important to make responsible choices not just for the product, but for everything that surrounds it, to reduce its impact on the planet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaDl0kZNYo4
To protect the future of snowboarding. The snowboard factory "Mothership" for snowboarders, created by snowboarders, which embodies the ideal of CAPiTA, has started.A movie that reveals the whole picture of our own factory that has the world's most advanced technology and is environmentally friendly.

The other day, at the exhibition SBJ, where the next product was announced in Yokohama from February 2th to 16th, a party was held to commemorate the birth of the mothership.Blue also came to Japan to convey his thoughts on the CAPiTA brand and mothership.
The other day, at the exhibition SBJ, where the next product was announced in Yokohama from February 2th to 16th, a party was held to commemorate the birth of the mothership.Blue also came to Japan to convey his thoughts on the CAPiTA brand and mothership.
At the CAPiTA booth, which was the party venue, many shops, riders, and related parties from all over the country gathered and the topic of snowboarding was endless.
At the CAPiTA booth, which was the party venue, many shops, riders, and related parties from all over the country gathered and the topic of snowboarding was endless.
Mike Miyazawa, the president of Advance, who is a distributor of many American brands such as LIB TECH, which has been leading the Japanese snowboarding scene for a long time, also gives a hot message to CAPiTA on this day.
Mike Miyazawa, the president of Advance, who is a distributor of many American brands such as LIB TECH, which has been leading the Japanese snowboarding scene for a long time, also gives a hot message to CAPiTA on this day.

F: This is the last question.Do you think there is something missing in the current snowboarding scene?

B: I can answer clearly.There's nothing missing.I think the snowboarding scene is the best now.If there's one thing that's missing, it's positive energy.In psychology, negative energy is said to have greater power than positive energy.There are financial crises, lack of snow, and various challenges.Among them, the snowboarding industry is always talking about "things that don't go well".Only negative things.But is it related to the 14-year-old snowboarder?It has nothing to do with it, right?They just want to snowboard.So the industry should be aware, why are the challenges one after another?Negative factors have nothing to do with the market.Positive energy is a necessary asset for the market.And our job is to create something that kids will be excited about.The industry, the media, the brand, everything has to excite customers.So what's missing?Nothing is missing.Products, athletes, gear technology and the environment are among the best in the history of snowboarding. The industry should confidently say, "Snowboarding is changing the world."That's the only element I'm missing right now.

F: One last thing.What is your message to Japanese CAPiTA fans?

B: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you very much! I'm really grateful for your support.Today CAPiTA is here with the support of everyone.Thanks to Japanese fans, snowboarders, distributors, partners, everyone.I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.thank you!

Interview with Mr. Blue Montgomery "Protecting snowboarding for the future without setting limits" <Part XNUMX>

BLUE MONTGOMERY
born February 23, 1974 in Marshalltown

J_E5A5611Interview & Translation: Kenji Kato, Photo: Yoshifumishimizu