Hey everyone, Zazi here! 🏂
Guess who went back to Japan? Last summer I fell in love with airbag training at Saitama Quest, and I've been counting down the days to go back ever since. This time the Quest crew sent me to their sister spot, Kumagaya Quest, and it had the one thing I'd been dreaming about: a halfpipe airbag.
If you've followed my journal this year, you know it hasn't been the easiest season. After two months off with my back (here's how I got back on board), every session feels like a gift. So landing in Japan, strapping in and dropping into a pipe again made me smile so hard my cheeks hurt.
The Halfpipe Airbag: A Pipe With a Pillow at the End?!
Yes, really! Picture a halfpipe wall, but instead of icy snow waiting for you when you come down, there's a giant soft airbag. You ride the brush run-in, hit the wall, go up, spin, and land on the cushion.
And here's the crazy part: the whole thing was Yas Sato's own idea. He built it on land that used to be a mini-golf course, invested around one million US dollars, and, as he told FIS, nobody knew if it would even work until the very first test day. It's believed to be the only halfpipe airbag like it in the world, and now pipe riders and freeskiers from all over come to train on it.
In Laax, when you try something new in the pipe, the wall doesn't forgive you. Here I could focus 100% on my pop off the lip, my rotation and my grab, without that little voice in my head saying "what if…". For me, coming back from injury, that confidence was everything.
It's also kind of Japan's secret weapon. At the Olympics this year, Kira Kimura said the airbags and great coaching were a big part of why Japan dominates all year round. After training here, I totally get it.
▶ Watch the halfpipe airbag training post on Instagram
Training with Yas Sato and Coach Keita Inamura
It was so good to see Yas Sato again! Yas founded Quest Snowboard Academy about 15 years ago, and this February two of his riders, Mari Fukada and Su Yiming, both won Olympic slopestyle gold at Milano Cortina 2026. Ming also took Big Air bronze plus the Slopestyle and Big Air Crystal Globes. Talk about a coach! And Yas still has that "magic eye". I'd come down feeling great about a hit, and he'd spot the tiny thing, like where my eyes were looking or when I started my rotation, that made the next one so much cleaner.
Yas describes his coaching like building a pyramid: the wider and stronger your basics, the higher you can stack your tricks. He also calls the airbag a kind of time machine, because you can try a trick so many times a day that you learn it way faster. I love that, because it means every tiny fix counts.
This trip I also worked a lot with Coach Keita Inamura. Keita knows big air from the inside: in 2014 he became the first rider from Japan to win the World Rookie Champion title, and he went on to compete on the FIS World Cup. He was with me run after run, watching from the deck and breaking down my clips on the screen right after each hit. He's super calm and patient, and he always had one clear thing for me to fix next. Small steps, but they added up fast!
The whole team made me feel at home, even with my very limited Japanese. Arigatou gozaimasu, everyone! 🙏
Want to see it in action? Check out my clips from the sessions:
▶ Halfpipe airbag reel on Instagram
▶ Another session reel on Instagram
My First Ever Jump on the Big Air Mega 😱
Okay, this was THE moment of the trip. After lots of pipe sessions, the coaches said I was ready for the Big Air Mega. Standing at the top and looking down that run-in, my heart was beating like a drum. It is HUGE.
I took a deep breath, remembered everything Yas and Keita told me, and went for it. The speed, the pop, that long quiet moment in the air… and then the soft landing on the bag. I couldn't stop screaming and laughing at the bottom!
It's a big step for me on the road to 2030, and I'm so proud I did it. You can watch my very first Big Air Mega jump right here.
▶ Watch my first ever Big Air Mega jump on Instagram
What's Next on My Road to 2030
I'm leaving Kumagaya with more confidence in the pipe, cleaner rotations, and my first Mega jump in the bag (literally!). Now I can't wait to take it all back to real snow this winter. ❄️
A huge thank you to Yas Sato, Coach Keita Inamura and the whole team at Kumagaya Quest and Saitama Quest for believing in me and pushing me higher every single day.
Stay stoked, and see you in the air!
Terima Kasih,
Zazi 🇮🇩✨
PS. Follow the adventures of Zazi, Snowboard Girl & Indonesian Model, on Instagram: Click Here!
