Crystal Globe series: The Mitsuki Ono interview

Right now there’s no argument about who’s the best pound-for-pound halfpipe nation in the world - as far as power in the pipe goes, it’s Japan’s world and everyone else is just living in it.

You can start at the top with Ayumu Hirano, Beijing 2022 Olympic gold medallist and two-time Olympic silver medallist, 2021/22 halfpipe crystal globe winner, and first rider to land a triple cork in competition.

Then throw in three-time halfpipe crystal globe winner and Aspen 2021 World Champion Yuto Totsuka, Beijing 2022 Olympic bronze medallist Sena Tomita, 2022/23 crystal globe winner Ruka Hirano (no relation to Ayumu), halfpipe amplitude world record holder Kaishu Hirano (definitely related to Ayumu), World Cup winner Ruki Tomita, young Shuichiro Shigano…the Japanese roster goes on and on, and no other nation on earth can boast one like it.

However, coming into the 2022/23 World Cup season, it had been over 17 years since a Japanese woman last claimed the halfpipe crystal globe, with Melo Imai in 2004/05 making it back-to-back Japanese women’s globe wins after Soko Yamaoka earned the trophy the previous season.

That somewhat surprising 17-year cold streak for the Japanese women came to an end this past February, when 19-year-old Mitsuki Ono claimed her third-straight World Cup victory on a chilly night in Calgary, giving her a total of 360 points on the season and winning her the 2022/23 women’s halfpipe crystal globe.

Mitsuki’s huge season in the pipe would loom even larger a month and a half later in Silvaplana when the USA’s Julia Marino would fall just seven points short of her in a bid to claim the Park & Pipe overall crystal globe - making Mitsuki the first female Japanese halfpipe rider in World Cup history to win the overall trophy.

With her combination of top-to-bottom amplitude, four-way rotations and undeniable, locked-in style, Mitsuki Ono has solidified her place amongst the halfpipe world’s elite - and she’s only just getting started.

Read on for our mid-summer email catch-up with one of the halfpipe world’s finest, below…

FIS - Congratulations on an incredible season! First up, I wanted to know how your summer has been and what you've been up to since the season ended?

MITSUKI ONO - Thank you! I’ve been in college since the season ended and just now have a long vacation coming up, so I’ll be travelling with my family next month. So excited!

Awesome. You actually made history in 2022/23 by becoming the first Japanese halfpipe rider to win the women’s Park & Pipe overall globe, and just the third Japanese rider to win the women’s halfpipe crystal globe. Did you have those trophies on your list of goals before the season?

I am really happy to achieve such good results this season. Before the season one of my goals was getting an overall top-3 medal, but not the crystal globe. I knew it would be very hard for me to win a trophy.

You also became the first woman in 23 years to win three World Cup halfpipe events in a row - meaning that even Chloe Kim and Kelly Clark have never done that. Not only that, but you’re also only the fourth woman in World Cup history to do that - how cool is it to put together one of the best seasons in the history of the halfpipe World Cup, which goes all the way back to 1995?

I’m so honoured to be a part of this amazing history. I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family and coaches. I’m not just satisfied with this past season though - I want to keep working to become a cool snowboarder.

What was your favourite competition moment of this past season? Is there a non-competition snowboard memory from last season that also stands out?

The Mammoth Mountain World Cup was my favourite moment of the season. I was happy to get the win, but most of all I was stoked to land the 900 combo (frontside 900 and cab 900) in my winning run. I felt really good at the time, and that day was the first time I ever landed that run.

Also last year I enjoyed snowboarding with my family for the first time in a long time. I had a great time because I had been a little busy training for the Olympics the past few years and it was difficult to take enough time to snowboard with my family.

What new tricks are you working on and hoping to put into your run for next season?

I hope to try for back-to-back 1080s next season. I think it will be so hard, but I’m super excited for the new challenges.

There were some different challenges for you last season, as well. Can you tell me about World Championships in Bakuriani, where you were one of the favourites for gold but ended up earning bronze behind Cai Xuetong and Elizabeth Hosking?

It was a little frustrating at the World Championships. I wish I could have landed my best run.  But Cai and Elizabeth had such cool runs with high air, so I was still happy to get the bronze medal.

The language barrier between Japanese and English can be a pretty tough one to overcome - I wanted to know what it’s like dealing with that language barrier, as far as interacting with the other riders, or even interacting in the finish area and doing the interviews when you when the competition?

Dealing with different languages was a challenge for me, and even now I sometimes wonder if I am communicating well. But I enjoy trying because I like learning and speaking English. I’m also taking English classes at university, so I have regular opportunities to speak English.

You’ve posted some clips riding jumps on the airbag this off-season - are you thinking about maybe entering some big air or slopestyle competitions in the future?

I don't plan on competing in slope or big air, because I’m afraid of heights and I'm not good at jibbing 😂 But I do like jumps, so I’ll just do it for fun.

You’ve been riding on the World Cup for four years now, and in each of the last three years you’ve finished in the top three overall - how are you able to stay so consistent over the course of a long season, every season?

I had the opportunity to participate in many competitions like Junior World Championships and Youth Olympic Games since I was a junior, and I think that experience has had a great influence on my World Cup career. The strong mentality that allows me to be myself on the big stage comes from my experience as a junior, and I was able to achieve this by practicing a lot and enjoying even the nerves of the competition.

The Japanese team is the strongest in halfpipe snowboarding, with Ayumu, Ruka, Yuto all winning crystal globes and obviously Ayumu with Olympic gold, Shiuchiro getting his first podium last season, Kaishu blowing minds at every event, and then of course Sena Tomita becoming the first Japanese woman with an Olympic halfpipe medal after winning Beijing 2022 bronze - tell me what it means to you to be part of such a strong national team?

Having so many cool snowboarders on the same team influences me a lot. I am sometimes inspired by my teammates who keep trying new things, and I feel lucky to be in such a great team.

What are your goals for the 2023/24 season?

Of course winning the World Cup is one of my goals, but most important thing for me is to show creative runs with my new tricks.

Anyone you would like to thank?

I want to appreciate all the people who support me, come to watch our events and those who run the comps. We all had to go through a tough time because of the Covid situation the last few years, but thanks to everyone exciting snowboarding competition is back. I’m so happy to travel the world with snowboarding again.

Thanks, Mitsuki...looking forward to seeing you crush it again next season!