Slalom Sensation
As Japan’s ski slopes open up for another season, Member Rei Aiba reflects on his years careening down mountains.
For a former competitive slalom skier, Rei Aiba had little affection for the sport at first.
“I started skiing when I was 3 and I absolutely hated it,” says the American, whose initiation was on the slopes of Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut. “For the first few days, I just lay on the snow balling my eyes out.”
What the instructors did to change his attitude, Aiba can’t recall. But by 8 years old, he was skiing every winter weekend and had been nominated for the local racing program.
“It was never my ambition to be an Olympic gold medalist,” he says. “I always just proceeded to the next level because somebody said, ‘You can, and you should.’ I was just enjoying the ride.”
That “ride” took him to Burke Mountain Academy, a ski school in Vermont that combines academia with an intense training program on the piste.
During his five years at the academy, Aiba competed in slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill events in the United States and internationally, including in South America, Europe and Japan. Although he admits that hitting speeds of more than 120 kilometers per hour in downhill competitions “scared the hell out of [him].”
In skiing, national rankings are dictated by points, which are tallied based on race times. Faster times mean fewer points and a higher ranking.
Coming into an early season slalom event in Canada when he was 18 years old, Aiba was among the top 40 skiers in the country for his age. Following a few 30-point runs, which “blew [his] mind,” he shot up to fourth in the US and was ranked in the top 50 in the world.
“That was a huge eye-opener for me,” he says. “I really started thinking there was more potential in terms of where skiing could go.”
Aiba continued competing through his years at the University of Vermont and has fond memories of the “camaraderie” he shared with his teammates and the “grind” of off-season training.
Now running a body- and health-focused AI startup with his business partner, after moving to Tokyo in 2012, Aiba admits that his thrill-seeking side has had to take a back seat.
“I like to drive fast, I like to ski fast, I like to take risks. But after having kids, you have to tone it down a little bit,” says the 34-year-old with a laugh.
But Aiba points out that those years of maneuvering between poles at heart-in-mouth speeds have helped him in his current career.
“The biggest [connection between skiing and business] is resilience,” he says. “A lot of ski racers are very successful in the business world because they understand that failure is not negative.”
While race day routines are no longer a part of his life, Aiba hasn’t forgotten the slopes altogether.
“Every time I do ski, it’s a beautiful sensation to be back on snow and feeling the cold air and seeing the blue skies,” he says. “I should probably do it more.”
Alpine Getaway
A Connections-organized day trip to Gala Yuzawa snow resort on February 2.
Words: David McElhinney
Top image: Rei Aiba competing in 2006
