Hard Work & Humble Beginnings: The Oto Higuchi Interview
Photo by Blake Pickup @blakepickup
A couple of weeks ago, I grabbed a coffee with Oto Higuchi and Morgan [smorgasboardin] and we talked about snowboarding as we flipped through some old magazines. Oto’s name is one I’ve heard before and I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to meet him in person. I can best describe Oto Higuchi as humble, kind, and jovial. He has a passion for snowboarding that was palpable from across the table as we talked.
Oto Higuchi was born and raised in Queenstown, New Zealand. His parents met as flatmates in Fern Hill and then they “broke the flatmate rule and had children.” While Oto jokes about this, he speaks about his family with deep respect and appreciation. He describes his mum as very hard working, often working multiple jobs throughout his childhood to support Oto and his sister. I think there’s an unfair stereotype given to kiwis coming from the Queenstown or Wanaka area–that they are all rich and well-off. This stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth when we talk about Oto Higuichi's life and opportunities. The more I learned about Oto, the more I wondered where his snowboarding would be if the opportunities given were based on talent instead of how much your family can afford to pay. His drive, tenacity, and hard work has gotten him far, gaining support from Quest Queenstown, Slider Vision (SLDR), and Nitro Snowboards.
NP: “When did you start snowboarding?”
Oto: “I started when I was 10 for school skiing. I did some skiing and didn’t really care for it. Snowboarding was so cool. I asked my dad if I could go snowboarding and he said no. I then asked my mum and she said yes. My mum worked as an ambassador for Coronet Peak so on weekends I would go to Coronet and learn with my friends.”
NP: “Who was your crew and why did you want to snowboard?”
Oto: “My crew consisted of Matt Moore, Sam & Ben Nipper, and Carlos Wilson. I wanted to snowboard because my friends were doing it and I was really inspired by Anru Wakushima, I really wanted to be like him. I was also inspired by my community. I used to watch this guy in bright blue pants and a neon orange jacket just ripping and lapping by himself and thought he was so cool. My mum was a hustler and worked a lot of jobs. She bought me my first snowboard and pushed me into snowboarding…If it was not for my mum, I don’t know where I would be. I am so grateful for her. She met a lot of people at the mountain and just started getting closer with the people there.”
Photo by James Chao @breakfast.slider
SB: “Oto’s mum is super cool.”
NP: “Yeah, your mum seems so supportive.”
Oto: “Yeah, she is. She has helped me so much. Like when I got a job at the workshop, my mum really pushed for it. I wanted to work there because we take our boards there and I thought it would be amazing to be surrounded by the snowboard industry. I was nervous to ask and my mum just went for it. Working there, I started to be really involved with the community without really knowing it.”
NP: “That’s awesome mate. It sounds like you have good support.”
Oto: “Yeah my mum and my partner Jules are super supportive of my snowboarding. Jules humbles me in a way. She reminds me that I need to be a good person, that I need to give back and put in my time to teach others. She keeps me grounded. She reminds me to ask myself ‘Who can I help on the mountain?’ She pushes me to give so much. She keeps me humble and goofy.”
NP: “That’s honestly so beautiful. I heard you had a dry slope set-up as a kid? Did that help get to where you are now with your snowboarding?”
Oto: “Haha I would not call it a dry slope set-up. Think more of a ghetto snowboard addiction balance board and beam. I would come home from school and play around it. It got upgraded from a block of wood to a PVC pipe. I think it probably helped with some rail tricks.”
Photo by James Chao @breakfast.slider
SB: “So many kids are coached and trained. But that’s not really the case for Oto. He’s fully come through having been coached by the homies.”
NP: “How did you go from homemade balance beam to self taught dub 1080s? Especially while working full-time as a now qualified builder? (Congratulations on completing your apprenticeship by the way.) I don’t really know many people that are riding at that level, while working full time in a job that's not in the industry, and without a coach.”
Oto: “The back 10 I could see happening. Every trick has been working towards that. Back 7 was something I have been learning for a few years. There’s so many times I have had dreams, and visualisations. Once I could do it in my head, I could do it on the snow. There was a lot of daydreaming at work. I want to thank Fran [Francis McGuire], Ash [groovyradical], Morgs [smorgsaboardin] for giving tips and the people who have filmed my attempts so I could learn. I tried back 10 last year and couldn’t quite get it.”
NP: “How long was it in your head for?”
Oto: “Last year was the first time taking my visualisations to snow. The visualisations and thoughts about it have been going on for many years. I tried back 9s and couldn’t quite get it and went back 10. In high school PE class, we all had to learn one thing in the tramp class. I thought ‘it would be so sick to learn a back 10’. I did one back 10 on a trampoline and then it went from there. If I had an airbag or coach, I think it would have come around sooner.”
SB: “When Oto landed the dub back 10 that day, the rest of the crew did too. We have all been watching Oto learn it and then we built off that.”
NP: “The energy in the air that day must have been insane. Not only for you to land something you’ve spent years working on, but for the crew to ride that energy and share it with the homies must have been special.”
Oto: “Yeah it was such an insane day.”
NP: “Who are your inspirations in snowboarding?”
Oto: “Tiarn Collins is my main inspiration because he’s so relatable and so talented on a board. He grew up in Arrowtown and x games and stuff. I find a lot of inspiration from my friends and the people around me.”
NP: “Where do you want to take your snowboarding?”
Oto: “I just want to keep riding. I don’t mind working and just getting to ride. At one point, I was pretty close to going to uni but I was pretty hands on and I chose to get a trade behind me. If snowboarding doesn’t work, I have a fall-back now. I’ve always tried to put snowboarding first and have a fall-back plan, like I got my level 1 and 2 but have never instructed. However, just in case things changed in my life, I had that to fall-back on. Now that I have finished my building apprenticeship, I have that in my skill set along with the workshop and tech skills. I am just trying to set myself up to always keep a foot in the snowboard industry.”
NP: “Where do you want to see snowboarding going?”
Oto: “I love snowboarding for all that it is. Coaching is expensive in snowboarding. I didn’t grow up having a lot of money. I think there is a lot of talent out there, but accessibility is a problem. I feel there is a lot of potential that isn’t being accessed due to lack of funds. I wouldn’t mind having a coach but it is inaccessible and I would like for that to change.”
NP: “Hot-take: Does music help with flow state?”
Oto: “Back in the day, I rode with no music. I just liked listening to the snow and listening to my board. Now it's weird to go without music. Music helps with flow state. A good playlist goes hard. I’m down to listen to whatever gives the good vibes. If Sabrina Carpenter or T Swift comes on, I’m listening to that.”
NP: “What’s a song you’ve been jamming to?*
Oto: *pulls out his phone and plays song*
