Kaishu Hirano

The stoke runs strong in this family! Hailing from Murakami, Japan, Kaishu Hirano grew up snowboarding and skateboarding alongside his older brother, Ayumu. It’s safe to say that both brothers live, eat, and breathe boardsports whether it’s on snow or concrete. No signs of sibling rivalry, either. The Hirano brothers session together on the reg and fuel each other’s progression. Maybe that’s why they’ve become such a force on the snowboard halfpipe circuit: Ayumu has won every gold medal out there, including Olympic gold, while Kaishu is following closely behind. He already boosts the biggest halfpipe airs on the planet and set a new World Record during the 2022 Beijing Olympics with his gravity-defying method air at 24 feet, 4 inches high. At the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lausanne 2020, Kaishu finished second and then made his debut at X Games Aspen 2021 by clinching bronze. So no, Kaishu is far from standing in his brother’s shadow and making plenty of waves of his own. If you’re looking to see the future of snowboarding, keep your eyes pointed towards the sky: This kid can blast!