Levi Siver left Maui to surf the snowy mountain on Rishiri Island in Hokkaido (Japan). Shredding the snow with a classic snowboard and a windsurfing sail is quite popular already, but the Hawaiian uses a surfboard with rails without edges and a binding. Levi uses his slim rail and a center fin to find proper grip in the powder. Japan’s gentle slopes seem to fit perfectly for this venture as they remind us a bit on waves.

Levi: “The board has the rail and fin you need for surfing and there are no bindings. It has straps and it’s ridden with surf boots so on the drop in you get the same feeling as when you’re windsurfing. But you’re looking down on a mountain, not the ocean.”

The filming conditions were harsh. The days started with a two hour hike up a mountain with temperature lows of -13°C. After that, shooting took an average of 7 hours each day. Sometimes Levi and the crew would wait at the summit for up to 3 hours to make sure they caught the perfect winds. It took a total of 20 days to shoot. The location for the shoot was Rishiri Island in Hokkaido, off the northern tip of Japan. Distinctive terrain where you can look down on the ocean while riding down the mountain.

Windsurfing Down a Snowy Mountain with Levi Siver

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