OJKspecialsnowboards behind story
interview Yukiyoshi Okada (President of Okada Resin Industry)
-I was fascinated by the fun of riding and the shape of snowboarding
"Okada Jushi Kogyo" It may be one of the company names that is still unknown to snowboarders. OJKspecialsnownboards, OJK PLATE, the name has been spreading little by little over the last few years, and especially OJK CARVING PLATE is also a hot topic this season.Mr. Yukiyoshi Okada, who serves as the president, is an active professional snowboarder and a crunchy slipper who is a JSBA Alpine 18th demonstrator.When I started talking, I asked Mr. Okada, who loves snowboarding, about the behind-the-scenes story of the OJK brand.
Career as an active snowboarder and president of a company that owns a brand
Originally, until I was about 26 years old, I loved halfpipes and freestyle, so I went to the tournament and aimed to improve.At the same time, I started as an instructor at school and started to be involved in snowboarding development at a company called Burleigh Heads, which I was also indebted to as a rider.By working as an instructor, I gradually began to challenge the technical championships in the tournament.I've been riding around freestyle boards for a long time, but in fact, I became a professional at Alpine's GS in 2009.The demonstrator is also Alpine, but it's been three or four years since I started to challenge the technical championships at Alpine.My riding itself started with freestyle, and I've been trying freestyle for over 3 years in technical championships. I started the brand OJK in 4, and while supporting and promoting the riders of the brand itself, I feel like I've been busy at competitions.Now I'm losing weight trying to get back to freestyle again.
Isn't it possible to start snowboarding and make it at our factory?I thought
Since my father started a plastic company, I grew up in an environment where there are big machines around me from the time I was born.So, when I first picked up a snowboard and found out how fun it was, I thought, "Isn't it possible to make it at our factory?"So I showed it to my dad and consulted, "This is not a plastic molding, so it's impossible."But at that time, I was also very interested in snowboarding as a thing.Until then, I grew up in such an environment, but I wasn't really interested in manufacturing.Lol
After that, after being involved in the development of the board as a rider, I became fascinated by the manufacturing.I really like the shape and curves of snowboarding, and the appeal of snowboarding to me was not only slipping, but also the feeling that I liked it as a thing from the beginning.
A world where you can challenge yourself with a board you made
The technical championship where many talented snowboarders gather, especially freestyle, has a large number of participants, and if you take a board you developed there and participate, you will feel a lot of pressure from the surroundings.If you don't get good results, your brand will be evaluated.As with the technical side, I had to be tough on the mental side as well, and that kind of part was trained in the field. When I became a professional at Alpine's GS in 2009, my goal was to become a professional with a board I designed. I developed my own Alpine board in 2005 and spent four years becoming a professional on my own board.In that way, I feel like I've come in an environment where I'm always trying my best to make things as well as slip.
Board making and riding
If you get on a board that you designed yourself, you will see something like this or something that you want to improve, but it costs a lot to change the mold drastically.So in the end, I'm going to fit the board.In fact, it is important to be able to match myself there, and when I was making the board myself, I gradually became aware of it, so technically I was more aware of that.In other words, when making boards, I've come to really care about things like ease of matching and handling.Furthermore, for racing, the structure of the board to withstand speed and speed up, and the course will change depending on the era, so I am thinking of a shape that can be bent and run according to it.
Attaching a plate to a snowboard "changes the way you grip"
In recent years, plates have come to be used in the world of alpine boards that demand speed, and the slipping technology itself has changed.The board will be less flexible and the grip will change.On the Alpine board, rather than drawing a beautiful arc, it grips with a don.It doesn't slow down more than it draws a clean arc.I use it for that kind of merit.
Plates are also being used in freestyle, but the resin plate made with OJK has a different effect from the plate of the Alpine concept, or for the purpose of grip that supports the turn using the entire board. I made.When I was training in the United States, I was told that "riding sideways should be done earlier".If you speed up and turn, you will not be able to keep up with your body and you will tend to lean backwards.Therefore, insert a plate and hold down the nose to correct the balance of the turn.By doing so, the tail can be used smoothly.We worked on development aiming for that.
Commercialization by repeating trial and error with a 3D printer
The shape of the plate was a lot of trial and error to determine how much area to hold down with the plate.Fortunately, there are 3D printers in this era, so prototypes for trial and error of shapes can be made efficiently with it.However, I spend a considerable amount of time mastering the 3D printer. (Laughs) While keeping the weight to a minimum, the durability is sufficient and the load can be firmly applied.We have created a product that fully utilizes the resin molding technology that we are good at.Especially for ladies and juniors who have little leg strength, grip support is a great advantage, so we are now aiming to commercialize a plate for that purpose.We are also developing a product for alpine.Of course, the effect is different from that of a metal plate, but I think you can enjoy riding that takes advantage of this plate.
Mr. Okada is a snowboarder and a manufacturer owner, but recently he is also active in various activities in the snowboard industry.What kind of shape does Mr. Okada's passion for snowboarding create in the OJK brand?I'm really looking forward to it.
