Nothing but Ski
I started skiing when I was about 2 years old. I was influenced by his parents who worked at a ski resort and his grandparents who ran an inn at the foot of Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort. I have been skiing since I was old enough to remember. When I was in elementary and junior high school, I did alpine racing and baseball, and I was ranked first in the prefectural tournament in skiing. In baseball, I was a regular player and also cheered on the team from the bench. When I was in elementary school, I also liked alpine racing, and after practice I would go to the park with my friends or fly down the undulating slopes on my competition skis almost every day.
スキーを始めたのは2歳ぐらい。スキー場に勤めていた両親の影響と祖父母が石打丸山スキー場の麓で旅館を営んでいて物心ついた時からスキー板を履いていた。小中学校の頃はアルペンレースと野球をしていて、スキーの実力は県大会１位、野球はレギュラーだったりベンチで応援もしていた。小学生の頃はアルペンレースも好きだったが、練習が終わると友達とパークに入ったりゲレンデの起伏で飛んだりと競技用の板で毎日のように滑っていた。
When I was in the second year of junior high school, I saw members of Team YBI, a local freeskiing group, skiing in the park at Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort and was struck by how cool they looked. I was fascinated by freestyle skiing because I wanted to be as good as these people and look cool. When I was in my second year of high school, Kyohei Miyata from team YBI asked me to join YBI, so I joined the team. From then on, I joined the seniors in filming and learned how to make films. When I graduated from high school, I had to choose between finding a job or going to college. I wanted to stay in my hometown, which I loved, and since the mountains were close by, I got a job at a local sake brewery.
中学2年生の時に地元のフリースキー集団のTeam YBIの人達が石打丸山スキー場のパークを滑っていてそのカッコよさに衝撃を受ける。自分もこの人達みたいに上手くなりたいし、カッコ良くなりたいと思ってフリースタイルスキーに魅了されていた。高校2年生の時にteam YBIの宮田恭平くんに「YBIに入りなよ」って声をかけてもらいチームに入り、そこから先輩達が撮影していて自分も加わり映像を作ったりする事を学んだ。高校卒業する時は仕事を探すか、大学に行くかを選択し、自分は大好きな地元にいたかったし、山が近いから地元の酒造会社に就職した。
When I was looking for a job, I couldn't imagine becoming a professional skier or how I would make a living, and there was no one else doing it. Winter is the busiest season for the brewer, and I only had one day off a week, so I couldn't go skiing, but I just went to work and received a salary. I didn't dislike the job of a master brewer; in fact I liked it, but I felt like I would regret it if I didn't do what I loved the most, so I quit after working at the sake brewery for a year.
就活している時はプロスキーヤーになりたいとかどうやってご飯を食べていくかなんて想像出来なかったし、やってる人は誰も居なかった。冬が1番忙しい杜氏は休みも週に1回しかなく滑りにも行けず当たり前の様に仕事して、給料をもらいながら働いていた。杜氏の仕事は嫌いじゃなかったしむしろ好きだったが、1番好きな事をしないと後悔する気がしていたから、1年酒造会社に勤めて退職した。
What I learned after getting a job and the frustration of not being able to ski made me even more passionate about skiing, so I decided to go to Whistler in Canada for a season. At that time, I didn't think about what I wanted to be in the future, I just went to the slopes every day and enjoyed doing what I loved to the fullest.Whistler, one of the largest ski resorts in North America, is filled with tons of skilled skiers and every day was truly exciting. There were times when I felt keenly aware of how lacking my own skills were and it was difficult, but I realized that I wanted to challenge myself during my stay and be able to make a living from it.Top athletes always have results in tournaments, and I didn't know anyone who was living as a movie star without any results, but I had the feeling that if I really put my mind to it, I still had time and could get somewhere.
就職して学んだ事や滑れなくて歯痒い思いをしていた事でよりスキーの熱量も増し、カナダのウィスラーに1シーズン行くことにした。その時は自分が今後何になりたいかとか考えず、毎日ひたすらゲレンデに行きただ好きな事を全力で楽しんでいた。北米最大級のスキー場ウィスラーには上手い滑りて達が山程いて毎日が本当に刺激的だった、自分のスキルの足りなさを痛感し、辛かった事もあったが、滞在している間にやっぱりこれで挑戦したいし、食べていける様になりたいと思っていた。トップ選手達は必ず大会などのリザルトがあり、リザルト無しでムービースターで暮らしている人は1人も知らなかったけど、本気で考えてやればまだ間に合うし、どこかでいけるって言う感覚があった。
After that, I started helping out at my mother's shop in the winter, skiing and filming during the day, and helping out at the shop at night, and I continued this for five years.Because I had no name recognition, my acquaintances and strangers often told me to quit skiing and get a job, and that only a handful of people could make a living as a professional skier. If you think about it normally, it makes sense to say that, but I was doing it seriously and I had always had that sense of piercing, so it didn't really affect me when other people said it.
それから冬は母親のお店を手伝わせて貰い、昼間は滑りと撮影、夜はお店の手伝いを5年間続けた。なんの知名度も無い自分に知人や他人はもうスキー辞めて就職しろよって良く言われてたし、プロスキーヤーで食べてくなんて一握りだぞって言われていた。普通に考えたらそう言われてもしょうがないが、自分の中じゃ本気でやっていて突き刺す感覚はずっと持っていたから、他人に言われても自分には響かなかった。
I just wanted my precious family and friends to understand me, so I did my best not to disappoint them. So I was flying while thinking about and praying for those precious people. I've always had that mindset, and I think it's my strongest weapon.Now I'm finally able to make a living from skiing, and I'd be happy if young people could look up to me and realize that if they put their mind to what they love and keep at it, it's definitely within their reach. I also want the profession of professional skier to become more popular.That's why I want to be a pioneer and lead the scene, and although it's not easy, I believe I have to keep doing it.
ただ大切な家族、友達に分かってもらえていれば良いと思い、期待を裏切らない様に全力だった。だからその大事な人達の事を思いながら祈りながら飛んでいる。その心はずっと持っているし、自分の1番の強い武器でもあると思う。今はやっとスキーで生活できるようになり、自分の好きな事を本気で考え、やり続けたら絶対に手が届くと若い子達に自分を見てそうなって貰えたら嬉しいし、プロスキーヤーという職業がもっと確立されて欲しいと思っている。だからその先駆者でシーンをリードしたいと考えていて、決して簡単じゃ無いけどやり続けなきゃいけないと思っている。
Of course, there are some fears ahead.But if you believe in yourself and keep trying seriously, it will work out, and that's how I've been able to do my makeup so far.I will just continue to do so.
この先、怖さや不安は当然ある。けれど自分を信じて本気でやり続ければうまくいくし、今までもそうしてメイク出来てきた。これからもそうするだけ。
Written by Koga Hoshino
Shot by Kohei Adachi