ABOUT THE COVER:

Mammoth, CA

This photograph is from the very last session of Burton’s two-year project—we were wrapping a stout park shoot on the backside of Mammoth to gather as a team and finish things off strong. We had been waiting out weather and wind, and this feature was our final objective during these shoots. As the full moon rose out of frame from the lower angles, the sun was descending and firing up one of the most steadfast backdrops in snowboarding. The session re-ignited, and Takeru began maxing out the hip, placing himself amongst the raking light coming off the Minarets before falling away into darkness.

Takeru’s recent shift in focus has seen him moving from the competitive arena to filming video parts and riding in the backcountry. His general demeanor is about as casual as it gets, yet his riding is incredibly powerful & his style is flawless (this image being case & point). He’s quickly becoming a staple in an epic lineage of Japanese riders, and his presence on the silver screen and in the pages of these magazines feels both earned and inevitable.