An original snowboard created by "SALOMON HILLSIDE PROJECT" to realize the ideal snowboarding that you envision.Taking advantage of that experience of making things, this season he released the movie "PURE JAM" that he produced.Everything is connected, and there is a desire to enjoy snowboarding in the pure, which is the most important thing.I focused on Takaharu Nakai, who is always natural and has the human power that is loved by everyone.
Photo: Tsutomu Nakata
* This article is a special release of the interview article published in the December 2019 issue of FREERUN magazine (released on November 11) as "STAY HOME" special content.
HILLSIDE PROJECT
"Now I make a board that imagines the place I want to slip, and I adjust myself to that board. That has changed completely."
-First of all, please tell us about the "SALOMON HILLSIDE PROJECT" that you have been involved in development for the past few years.Can you tell us why you started making boards to pursue your ideal snowboarding?
Until now, the only snowboard I wanted to use was regrettable.Moreover, the same can be said for boards because the categories of scenes such as freestyle and free riding are separated.I had made some signature boards in the past, but I could only fine-tune the size such as the length from the existing model ... but it's not the length. ..Once the position of the insert hole has been decided, I can't get any more setbacks, and it's not just a matter of making it thicker to get buoyancy.The rocker condition from the nose is also important for running comfortably on the snow, so it is better to raise it as thinly as possible.Looking at the various boards like that, and thinking that it would be better to do this, I thought that I had no choice but to make it myself.
-What did you stick to when making the original board?
Hokkaido, which I am based on, has many gentle slopes and is a deep powder.Brands such as GENEMSTICK are typical boards that can be enjoyed in such fields, but if we make a board similar to that, it will be shaped like giving up flying.Then I decided to make a board that is suitable for Hokkaido and that can pursue freestyle and enjoy turns.I spent a lot of time on the rocker condition and flex from the nose.In the first year, make about 1 pieces with one size flex.I don't want to kill the torsion of the board this year, but I wanted to give the flex a little tension, so I tried various ways to add carbon.It's true that it's slippery if you adjust the taper in various ways and have a camber, but there are times when that camber is in the way when it feels most comfortable.It's easy to understand if you slide down the Niseko swamp, but we say "GENTEM LINE", but even if you want to go up the line attached by someone who got on the GENTEM board in the swamp, the board at the end of the wall Does not go up quickly and cannot go up to the peak of the line in the same way.I think the reason is that it stalls because of the camber.To follow that line in the same way, the camber is thin, the nose rocker is perfect, and the buoyancy must be long enough.In that respect, I think that GENTEM was made by noticing such small parts such as 6mm camber and flat camber at an early stage, so it was amazing.I realized that this was a loss for us.That's why I gradually reduced the camber of the board I developed, but as I developed the board, I gradually became aware of that.Assuming the usual conditions, how comfortable you can slide.I became very conscious of that, and after repeating the test many times, I was asked to make all the outlines with the numbers that I really felt the best when I slipped.And although I'm also a professional, it's actually 1% to 8% that I skate on the main instance.That's why I decided to make a board that was absolutely specialized for slipping on the main instance, and the shape that was most suitable for my slipping became the current board.
-During the development of the board, various ways of thinking changed.
Until now, I want to do anything with just one snowboard.It was like making a board to suit my slip.Now I'm making a board that imagines the place I want to slip, and I'm conscious of how to fit myself to that board.I wonder if that has changed completely.Snowboarding has hybrid functions everywhere to make up for things that you can't do.In my case, it feels like I'm stripping away that kind of thing.To prevent it from becoming difficult to ride, I removed as many functions as possible that would be an obstacle for those who can.That's why my board has a plain image.It's not specialized anywhere, it's just a matter of responding honestly as much as you put it in.Is it an image that simply harmonizes with the slippery field?
PURE HOUR
"I do it because I want to do it, not because someone does it. It was a" session "with my friends that I could do it."
-This season, the latest movie "PURE JAM" that you produced has become a hot topic.Can you tell us how you started this project?
As the title says, I just wanted to slip as I envisioned.I've been snowboarding for 24 years, and I've been a professional for almost 3 years since I became a professional in the 4rd and 20th years.I used to be RED EYES FILM, I went to Canada and appeared on overseas videos for about 3-4 years, and I was in BURTON.I didn't think when my feelings were in the same direction as the scene and the brands I was supporting, but from a certain point I wondered, "Why am I snowboarding?" Becoming.If you don't do great things with snowboarding, you won't be evaluated.It's the distance, the height, and the difficulty level, and I don't like the way shooting is done because I'm too conscious of the pictorial meaning of showing it rather than my own style.
This is an extreme story, but let's say you go to shoot and have two points.One is the shade, but it looks very comfortable and it's a perfect swamp that can hit the wall for a long time.The other is a jump spot where the light is shining on the cliff that becomes a picture of a photo or movie.If there are these two points, the cameraman will definitely fly the cliff.In the past, I wanted to keep good works, sell my name, and play an active part overseas, so I focused on shooting.I think it's OK or OK to come to such a deep mountain, slip the approach side slip, do a jump technique without making a turn, and land. I'm starting to think, "This isn't snowboarding."I've come to think that the feeling that it's not a work that shows that there is no impact on slipping is different for me.I think the snowboarding I want to do is with the artists who draw pictures and the people who make music.I don't think I can say a good work unless I am satisfied with it and enjoy it.When I was about 2 years old, I was able to do the best jumping skills, but rather than not being able to do it, I wasn't so passionate about it.Around that time, I started to think, "I'm really bad at sliding a mountain on one line with a single stroke."I started to worry about the turn, and I was able to understand the simple skill of (Hirota) Teppei-kun and my seniors that I hadn't noticed before.
I started snowboarding because I liked it, so I think there are probably people who will appreciate it if I feel comfortable slipping, even if I don't do that great thing.When I feel like it, I wonder if I should attack with a natural flow.I do it because I want to do it, not because someone does it.After all, it was a "session" that was able to do that.For example, (Okubo) If you were with Yuri, you would say "Jump, me too".If you slip on Minocchi (Yusuke Mino) or Shinya (Nakagawa) and there is a slope that seems to be comfortable from peak to bottom, "I wonder if I can slide comfortably".It also means that I want to cherish my intuition and the urge I wanted to do at that time, so it's not like the title "PURE JAM", but rather the pursuit of awesomeness, "How can I enjoy snowboarding purely?" ".I wanted to pursue that in this movie.
-The theme was "session" to convey that.It is said that you take a picture of a snowboarder who has a common sense and a purely enjoyable figure, and put it out as it is.
Of course, the session is shooting.There is my own attack of "I can go, I can't go" when I'm shooting, but it's not "I'm scared, I don't want to do it".I'm doing it because I want to do it.As I said earlier, I definitely didn't want to be in an environment like "I want to do this, but hmm ..." and I'm going to enjoy what the rider said he wanted to do.Depending on the person, "Maybe you like this kind of place, do you want to go around here?", Or "Let's slide here", "It's good!"I really enjoyed the styles of various people with that person's vibes.
-Each cast rider is basically shooting in Hokkaido, right?
As a result of giving top priority to snow quality, all shooting was done in Hokkaido.The timing of shooting with Ruiki (Masuda Ryoki) was from the end of February to the end of March, so it's not always good where the snow is good at that time.On the other hand, Hiro (Hiroumi Fujimoto), Teppei-kun, and Yuri, who often took pictures of the snow in January and February at the right time, said, "I'm going to the slopes!" you know.But it's not like having a special park built.It feels like playing at full throttle in an environment where anyone can go, such as face vine powder and leftover powder.
-You wanted good quality snow rather than location.
I think that professionals can enjoy how they can enjoy themselves even in limited situations.Even if the situation is bad, you can definitely find a good place.I've been looking for things by walking, such as looking at the direction of the surface and the fact that it's better to have snow at low altitudes, so I'm going to have that kind of sense of smell to slip comfortably.That's why I didn't really care about the location because there are so many items.The ultimate is how to attract in a place where there is only a 50m open burn.I felt like I should do what I could do in the given conditions, so I just wanted to "slide on good snow" rather than sticking to the location.
-What else did you think about or want to convey in this movie?
There's a reason for something or a brand that's been around for a long time.I think the rider is the same.There are more and more young and good guys coming out, but there are things that you can understand because you've been doing it for a long time, and there are movements that ooze out in the slip.The older ones I spoke to this time were Teppei-kun, Ue-san (Uemura Nosei), Minoch, and Shinya-san, but they were all seniors who had been snowboarding for a long time and had experience. ..I think I'm just the middle generation between those seniors and the younger generation of freestyle riders.I know the cool parts of both, but if I focus only on new scenes in the future, I feel that it's just a sport with a focus on tricks, it's a cool part of culture and style, and I lose sight of the fundamental part. I'm Teru.Today's young children don't really realize the important thing of turning or slipping, but it's all about turns.Isn't the jump also an extension of the turn, winding up with a line and flying?In that sense as well, we, who are between seniors and young people, must convey the essence of snowboarding.Through this PURE JAM, I want to convey that from an easy-to-understand message of "fun."While pursuing free riding, I want to fly hard.We value classic things and want to express our new style in it.I think what we should pursue is neoclassical music.
Second partContinue to.
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What we can do now.
Thinking about the next season, "Reading for staying at home".
Message from Takaharu Nakai to readers
"Now, I think that the coronavirus is spreading all over the world and everyone is living a different life than usual. It seems to be quite depressing to refrain from going out unnecessarily, telework, work in the first place. I've been spending my time just slipping, so I'm very worried about not being able to slip and changing the way I work, but even if I care about that, I can't move forward. Now I have to think positively about what to do. It's the same with telework, and I think it's good to find out what you can do at home and use it for the time you want to do what you wanted to do but couldn't do. I want to use this as a job someday, or use it as a time to prepare more concretely. While writing such a big thing ... I like coffee, I want to do a cafe someday, sweet tooth That's why I wanted to put out donuts too! I'm trying to make donuts with my kids now. Maybe that's the trigger. I'm forced to do something different than usual, but I managed to change. It's hard to do without it, and I think it's a good idea to use this timing as an opportunity to start something new, think about various things, reconsider, stop, or change something.-Koji Nakai'
