When most of us were knee-nippers, it probably took a fair amount of convincing, screaming and cajoling to get the parents outta bed and onto the hill. Not for Kazu, who’s Dad was usually leading the charge across the mountain dragging him along for the ride. Quickly adapting his riding style to the terrain, the young samurai spent his time hitting the pillow lines and backcountry faces of Asari, without a park or pipe in sight. This makes it all the more impressive that he subsequently went on to become one of the world’s finest halfpipe riders, winning the US Open in 2010 and 2011. At the same time, his major sponsor Burton supported him in his various film projects and he went on to play a starring role in movies like ‘The B’ and ‘Standing Sideways’.
This year Kazu switched sponsors to sign for Capita and Adidas and will feature in ‘Naturally’. He’s also been backing Ayumu Hirano and supporting his rise to the top. Watch Capita welcoming him to the team here:
