RIDE Snowboards has been an iconic brand in the freestyle snowboarding scene for more than 1992 years since its founding in Washington state in 30. "Ride with the People Japan Tour 2024", an event where team riders and users participate in riding sessions, was held in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture in late February. The skiing of the team riders on the slopes was sure to be burned into the minds of many of the snowboarders who participated. A team shoot was also held to promote next season's products, and I participated as a photographer. 2 days spent with RIDE Snowboards. I will report on the situation.
Photo & Text: Junichiro Watanabe
I departed from Niseko, Hokkaido, where I am based, and took a ferry from Otaru to Niigata. The Sea of Japan is typically rough in winter. I let the tremors sway me to sleep as I headed toward my destination.
The purpose of this event is to provide users with the opportunity to skate with team riders, allowing them to interact more deeply with the brand and express their gratitude. In the United States, right after the brand's launch, a project was being carried out in which users who purchased RIDE gear at a shop were randomly selected from the registered information on the warranty card and had a session with a team rider at the user's home mountain. It follows the name.
In addition to Japan team riders active throughout Japan such as Kenji Ando and Ryota Sumiya from Hokkaido, Hiroki Matsuura from Tohoku, Masaki Kitae from Hakuba, Yuku Kakimoto, Kentaro Miyawaki, Ayaka Kato, and Emi Sudo, there will also be Brandon Davis from the United States. Jacob Krugmire comes to Japan. 51 users participated.
Test drive machines for next season's models were lined up at the Able Hakuba Goryu booth, which was the venue, and users participated in the session while riding the board they were interested in.
With Kitae and Kato in the lead, the local line was flown. Hit the bank, hit the jump, and raise the slash between carving turns. The rhythmic, powerful style that plays with the terrain of the course is the true essence of RIDE.
The users who participated also liked RIDE, so they were able to get on board. As each lap goes on, the distance between them gets shorter and the smiles on their faces increase. This is the real pleasure of the session.
At the booth, riders and users were exchanging opinions about gear and settings. Ando had the know-how of unique settings, such as centering bindings, which he had cultivated through his experience, and was able to provide detailed explanations to users. You can receive advice directly from riders and try it out right away. I think it was a good opportunity to get to know the performance of the gear.
The model that was popular was the new model ``MODERATOR,'' which will be on sale from next season. This is an all-mountain board with directional extra camber, keeping the same shape as the existing DEEP FAKE, but with a slightly softer flex and torsion. It floats well in powder and carves perfectly when grooming. It looks good for tree runs in the mountains of Japan where there are many trees. Rider usage rate is also high.
In the team shooting session, we first took pictures with Kitae and Jacob who ride MODERATOR, and Matsuura who uses DEEP FAKE. The MODERATOR features a colorful sole, and just holding the board makes it stand out.
Hakuba has seen a large number of inbound tourists over the past few years, and the slopes were crowded on the day the photo was taken. Press the board with butter while weaving between people, land a layback on the bank, and jump over the rope with an ollie. The colorful sole of MODERATOR stood out even more.
I met Jacob a few years ago at Holy Bowly in Canada. He was a rider for another brand at the time, but learned of his transfer to RIDE from the RIDE team movie ``RATED R'' released this season. The street part was really cool and I was looking forward to seeing them again. His knee didn't seem to be working as expected and he didn't seem to be able to ride at full speed, but it was impressive to see him having fun with the Japanese riders with a beer in hand.
Speaking of RIDE's representative board, many people would mention WARPIG. Ando's signature model ``ANDY DAYZE WARPIG'', a short fat board that Ando has been using for many years, has been released this season. Brandon's favorite is also WARPIG. Ando and Brandon's WARPIG session was realized.
Two people are riding a train through the park. Brandon skates with the same stylish style you see on Instagram. Every move, from grabs to pokes, is sophisticated. Best of all, it looks fun to slide on. He was smiling even during the air.
Ando throws a slash on the spine bank, and Brandon jumps over him. Using snowboarding as a common language, communication deepens.
Ando says of Brandon's skating, ``He's really good at riding the board.It feels like he knows everything about WARPIG.'' On the other hand, Brandon looked at Ando's signature WARPIG that I had brought with him and said, ``It's a cool design. I want to display it on my wall at home.'' They both respected each other.
Young players such as Kakimoto, Sumiya, and Seinan Ogasawara excited the crew with their energetic skating, while Matsuura, Miyawaki, and Kei Nakanishi showed off their impressive skating skills backed by experience. The night session at Mountain Wave held in Hakuba Goryu was also a special time.
Over the three days, we were able to reaffirm the strengths of the RIDE team, which fused various styles and respected each other. Global Brand Director Jim Linberg, who was in Japan, also said, ``It was a meaningful time where we were able to confirm that RIDE is a part of Japan's snowboarding culture and core scene.''
I head home, remembering the moment I ran through. Thinking about another session on the snow next time.
