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Following the previous interview with Jake Burton, Yosuke Aizawa himself now writes about Vail and the Burton US Open. As the designer of "Burton Thirteen," what are his thoughts on snowboard culture in the home country, and what did he experience firsthand?

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America meets Europe.
Snow Resort was packed with things I loved.

I have traveled to many places over the past few years.

Of course, there is a lot of work involved, but by defining a business trip as a trip, I can feel many things more than if I just see it as work. For example, in January of this year. For example, in January of this year, when I had shows at Pitti Uomo and in Paris, I took time out of my schedule to go snowboarding in Zermatt, Switzerland.

Having two shows for two brands means that I have to carry a certain amount of samples, and I made a plan to sneak in some Burton clothing and boots and go see the Matterhorn. People around me said that this was not the luggage of a designer going to a show, but for me, feeling the snowy mountains is a necessary element in designing and energizes my creativity, so I did not want to waste even a little bit of time.

Well, this may sound like an excuse to snowboard.

So, at the end of February this year, when I heard that the Burton US Open, a world-class event, was to be held in Vail, Colorado, one of America's leading snow resorts, I was eager to see it and actually ski the mountain, so I headed there.

I arrived in Denver via Dallas from Haneda. From there, it took another three hours by car to arrive in Vail, 25 hours after leaving Japan. It was quite a long trip. However, the city of Vail soon made me forget my fatigue. Although Vail is famous as a so-called "luxury snow resort," its vast slopes and scenery modeled after Swiss towns are very beautiful, and the unique world that seems to be a fusion of American and European cultures is full of things I like.

The magnificent slopes where you can dynamically ski down from the top of the mountain, which is over 3,000 meters above sea level, and the modern village where you can warmly wrap up your exhausted body after a day of skiing. Everyone enjoys the unique mood of the place, freely moving between the snowy mountains and the town in their snowwear. At night, delicious steaks and drinks. The hotels are upscale, yet full of local warmth and comfort. I was reminded once again that the best part of a snow trip is not only skiing, but also enjoying the culture and atmosphere of the town with all five senses.

Burton US Open Reaffirms the Importance of Snowboarding Culture

The main purpose of this trip was to experience the current top snowboarding scene and the current state of "Burton" by watching the "US Open". I also wanted to get some ideas for my future product development, but I learned some very important things during my few days of experience.

I think that the Burton brand offers a way to enjoy life through snowboarding. Shaun White's riding was amazing, and the competition itself was of a very high level and really worth watching as a competition. However, I was impressed by the fact that everyone there, young and old, men and women, seemed to focus more on enjoying the atmosphere of the snow, watching the snowboarding, skiing, listening to music, and drinking than on the content or results of the competitions. This is exactly what I had imagined as the ideal way to enjoy snowboarding.

Jake ( and Burton ), whom I interviewed in my last column, said that snowboarding is like a child. Looking back on the competition again like this, I see what he meant. As the founder of "Burton," I could clearly see that he has been carefully nurturing this culture of snowboarding itself for a long time.

There are not many brands that give us an emotive impulse that goes beyond the practicalities of work.

This is my third year designing for Burton, and I was able to once again realize the love for snowboarding, including the staff involved.

I am very happy to work with such a company like Burton.

Now, the news of snow is beginning to arrive again this year.

Let's enjoy the culture they have fostered to the fullest this year, shall we?

Yosuke Aizawa