The following article was originally printed in the October 2025 Issue of Slush. To get more articles and subscribe, click here.

Ryo carries the charge of snowboarding’s more clandestine past. He emanates a certain unguarded conviction—an unwillingness to sand down the edges of who he is just to fit the mold of what snowboarding is supposed to look like.

I first met him at an X Games some years back. Most riders, standing at X Games, would look at the massive 3D broadcast sign depicting the x games logo and think, that’s for TV, better stay away from it and stick to the course. Ryo didn’t. He was jibbing it like it was put there for him. At first I figured he was another contest kid, another big spinner from the East. But the more I watched, the more it became clear he was something else entirely.

I don’t throw this around lightly, but Ryo is one of the most unique and impressive riders in snowboarding right now. Leather jackets, tighter pants, smashing through spots with an energy that feels both raw and deliberate. He’s hard to categorize, impossible to pin down, and yet—when he straps in—you can’t look away.

First pro snowboarder you admired?
Keegan Valaika.

First music album you ever bought?
I don't remember.

First video you appeared in?
I think it was a DC video.

Last snowboard video you watched?
It was an old Japanese TV show called Endless Night. The 1990 halfpipe competition was amazing. Watching videos from before I was born teaches me a lot.

Last time you got kicked out of a spot for snowboarding?
This past March in Japan with Vans.

Last thing you do before dropping into a spot?
Check for the police.

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