MEMBER STORY
```
In search of freedom.
Why a "mischievous office worker"
keeps riding Lehman Stick
KUMA-CHAN / BRAND AMBASSADOR
INTERVIEWED ON MAY 24, 2026
```
With his gentle manner and calm way of speaking, Lehmans rider 熊倉大樹 — better known as "Kuma-chan" — leaves a lasting impression.
```But once he's in the mountains, that impression changes a little.
He charges into the bushes, bumps into trees, and sometimes plows right into rocky terrain.
Behind his gentle personality hides the true face of a mischievous snowboarder.
We talked with Kuma-chan about his snowboarding life — working as a company employee and heading to the mountains in search of freedom on his limited days off.
```01. Beyond winning and losing: the freedom I found in the mountains
```Kuma-chan was born in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture.
He grew up in a close-knit neighborhood where people were always in and out of each other's lives, so he was around people from an early age.
That environment may be part of why he's so friendly and easygoing today.
"I'd play with Mini 4WD cars or card games at friends' houses, but we had almost no video games or manga at home.
On weekdays, going to lessons after school was just what you did. I did piano, calligraphy, violin, kendo and tennis."
Of all those lessons, tennis was the one he stuck with, and it became the center of his school life.
He says moving his body always suited him better than studying.
He was good enough to get into high school on a sports recommendation.
He commuted about an hour by train to a high school in Niigata City, and after class he'd practice at a tennis club.
He often had matches on weekends too, so he had almost no free time to play.
But Kuma-chan's approach to tennis was a little unusual.
Of course he was happy when he won.
But he says he never felt that burning frustration when he lost.
His first encounter with winter sports, meanwhile, came in kindergarten.
His parents took him skiing, and he kept it up until he finished elementary school.
Around the time he started junior high, he was drawn to the style of snowboarders he saw on the slopes, and switched from skiing to snowboarding.
"I was a cocky kid back then, so I thought lessons were lame (laughs).
I hardly remember anyone properly teaching me.
I'd find someone who looked good, sneak along behind them and copy how they rode, or slip into a lesson group and eavesdrop on the instructor."
In tennis, there's winning and losing.
But on the snow, you don't have to beat anyone.
You can ride the line you like, at the speed you like.
Free from winning and losing,
enjoying it purely by feel.
After starting high school, he threw himself into tennis practice and stepped away from snowboarding for a while.
Even so, that feeling of freedom from winning and losing would eventually pull Kuma-chan back to the mountains.
```02. Meeting Lehman Stick
```"I actually met my wife, Natsumi, through tennis too."
They hit it off over their shared hobby and started dating.
Around then, Kuma-chan had also returned to snowboarding after a friend invited him.
So the two of them naturally started going to the mountains together more often.
"The funny thing is, Natsumi knew Taiga before I did.
She said, 'I've been riding with this really good guy — want to come?' The first time I met Taiga was riding together at night at Okutone."
By then, Taiga had already started Lehmans.
Kuma-chan ended up borrowing his wife's early Lehman Stick model, the "Akasaka."
He took it into the park, hit kickers, and even went for rails.
He says he rode it so hard that, even though it was borrowed, it was covered in scratches in no time.
A no-holds-barred way of riding — classic Kuma-chan.
```03. A new world opened up by a powder board
```The next year, he planned a trip to ride in Hokkaido.
Thinking, "If I'm going to ride powder, I might as well do it right," he chose the prototype of what is now the Tohoku as his first-ever powder board.
"Back then, powder and backcountry were outside my world.
If you're riding park, jibs and kickers, a twin tip is the only option. A powder board wasn't even on my radar.
But even though that model was a short, quick board, once I got into Hokkaido powder, it floated like crazy.
That one second board showed me a whole new view."
For Kuma-chan, who had mostly ridden park until then, discovering powder boards opened up the world of snowboarding in a big way.
Here's how Kuma-chan describes what he loves about Lehman Stick.
"Typical powder boards cost around ¥100,000, but with Lehman Stick you can get your first one at a reasonable price.
I think a lot of people want a powder board as a second board for good conditions.
Seen that way, this price range is just right.
The other big thing is that each model has a clear concept.
It's explained in words what conditions each board suits and what kind of riding it's made for, so I think it's easy for regular snowboarders to picture."
These days, Kuma-chan's go-to board is the all-round model, 如意棒 (Nyoibo).
"I ride 如意棒 as my only board from the start of the season to the end.
Backcountry, groomers, park — I ride it everywhere.
Being able to get an all-mountain board at this price is huge for weekend snowboarders."
Because the price is within reach, he can ride hard without hesitating or worrying about a few scratches.
For Kuma-chan, Lehman Stick is both a tool for performance and a partner for playing freely.
By the way, his riding is so wild that the other members jokingly refuse to let him ride the fishtail model: "We can't let Kuma-chan on that one."
```04. Time alone, and time shared with friends
```For Kuma-chan, snowboarding is something he "couldn't do without."
Work on weekdays, head to the mountains on weekends.
That cycle is naturally built into his life.
What matters most is the time he spends with friends.
"But when I'm riding, I'm basically on my own.
Once I get off the lift, I ride at my own pace.
Then we meet up at the bottom, talk about how it went, and ride the lift up together again.
We're not together the whole time.
Time on my own, and time sharing the fun with everyone — that balance feels really good."
There's no need to ride the same line as anyone else.
Everyone rides freely, then shares their thoughts at the end.
Having both time to play on his own and time to connect with friends seems to suit Kuma-chan's style.
```05. 14 years in sales, and a new way of working
```While he plays freely in the mountains, on weekdays Kuma-chan works as a regular company employee.
After graduating from university, he joined a specialized trading company and spent 14 years in sales.
Then in 2026, he moved to a major telecom company.
Leaving behind his old, grueling work environment, he chose a workplace that values work–life balance and family time, and now works in consulting sales for sales agencies.
Besides snowboarding, Kuma-chan has plenty of other ways to enjoy his days off.
"I've always loved music, so I go to live venues and festivals a lot.
Having a drink and soaking up the sound of a rock band I love feels amazing.
I'm also hooked on golf, and in summer I play a round once or twice a month.
The fact that a drink out in the hills tastes incredible might be part of why I keep at it (laughs)."
Snowboarding in winter.
Music and golf in summer.
He may carry the title of rider, but on weekdays he works in an office and makes the most of his limited days off.
Kuma-chan is an office worker through and through, just like the rest of us.
"I've been given the cool title of 'rider,' but basically I'm an ordinary company employee who works in an office on weekdays.
That's exactly why I think I can relate to the worries and questions weekend snowboarders have, from the same point of view."
06. What I want to share as the "voice of working people"
```Kuma-chan's way of life isn't the story of a snowboarder with a special setup.
On weekdays there's work and family time, and the free days he has are limited.
Even so, when he gets to the mountains, he plays all out.
He embodies the reality of the weekend snowboarder.
Lately, he says, he's been getting more questions about setup, like recommended stance width and binding angles.
"Honestly, I'm not that particular about my setup.
I think Lehman Stick is a free-spirited brand that doesn't force a 'right answer' on the details.
Adjusting things however you like as you ride is part of the fun of snowboarding.
I hope everyone keeps exploring the way of riding that suits them and keeps expanding what snowboarding can be."
Not a set right answer, but finding what feels good to you.
Not comparing yourself to others, but riding the line you love.
Playing freely — that in itself
is Kuma-chan's snowboarding style.
Working as a company employee and enjoying the snow to the fullest within limited time.
For many weekend snowboarders, that's a realistic, relatable way to ride.
As the "voice of working people," Kuma-chan will keep bridging snowboarders and Lehmans.
```Quick Q&A profile
```- Main stance Regular
- Stance width Totally random!!!
- Bindings UNION Falcor (borrowed from Taiga and never returned)
- Boots RIDE FUSE
- Home resort None really, but Kawaba on a weekday
- Favorite spot Happo-one, Garagarasawa
- Happiest moment Making it all the way to the top, and finishing the day without getting hurt
- Signature move Charging into the bushes!
- Snowboarders I look up to Louif Paradis, Arthur Longo, Kazu, Ryo Aizawa
Stepping away from winning and losing, and riding by feel.
```Treasuring both time on his own and time sharing the fun with friends.
Working as a company employee and playing hard on his limited days off.
That's why Kuma-chan keeps riding Lehman Stick.
No fixed right answers — just play freely.
Making working people's days off even richer.
Lehmans Member
Kuma-chan
Interview and text: 安井一輝