Thanks to FIS photographer Miha Matavz for capturing this family moment!

OUR STORY

Three Sisters. One Dream. A History-Making Journey.

Some families share traditions. Some share hobbies. The Kizuka sisters share a passion that has taken them around the world.

For Kaiya, Mika, and Akina Kizuka, snowboarding has never been just a sport. It's something they've grown up with, a connection that has brought them together across continents, and a shared pursuit that continues to shape their lives.

What began with two parents who loved snowboarding and three little girls learning to ride eventually became something none of them could have imagined.

In March 2026, they made snowboard racing history.

Three Sisters. One Historic Moment.

At the FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup in Val Saint-Côme, Canada, Kaiya, Mika, and Akina became the first three siblings in history to compete in the same Snowboard Alpine World Cup event.

Sibling duos had reached the World Cup stage before. But never three siblings together.

For the Kizuka sisters, it was the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifices, countless miles traveled, and a shared love of racing.

Perhaps what made the moment most extraordinary was that each sister had taken a very different path to get there.

Kaiya, the oldest, was already a World Cup veteran with 49 starts. Mika was balancing a professional career with racing, often training and competing without a coach. Akina was attending The Ohio State University, juggling academics with competition and preparing for her first World Cup start without recent formal training.

Different lives. Different challenges. The same starting gate.

And when the moment finally arrived, their parents were there to witness it.

It wasn't just a milestone for three athletes.

It was a moment for the entire family.

It All Started With Mom and Dad.

Long before World Cups, international travel, and podium finishes, there were two people who simply loved snowboarding.

It all started in 1993, when Mako taught his future wife, Carrie, to snowboard shortly after they began dating. She quickly fell in love with the sport, so much so that she even scheduled her senior year college classes around having time to ride at their local mountain, Doe Mountain in Pennsylvania.

What began as a hobby soon became part of her career.

In 1996, Carrie began working as an interpreter for Japanese campers at High Cascade Snowboard Camp in Oregon. That experience eventually led her into the snowboard industry, where she became one of the early female engineers working in snowboard equipment design. She went on to design step-in snowboard boots for Shimano, combining her engineering background with her passion for the sport.

When their three daughters came along, Mako introduced each of them to snowboarding at a young age, passing along the same passion that had brought their parents together.

Kaiya was the first to begin competing, and her younger sisters weren't far behind.

Like many younger siblings, Mika wanted to follow in her big sister's footsteps. She entered her first race at just 10 years old, and she was immediately hooked.

Akina followed, and before long, snowboard racing had become a family affair.

As the girls progressed through competitive racing, snowboarding became an even bigger part of the family's life.

Mako has spent countless hours behind the scenes supporting their dreams, often trading his own free time for long nights working in the garage. During the winter, he tunes skis and snowboards for customers. When the snow melts, he switches gears to servicing and repairing bicycles throughout the summer.

Every cent he earns from that work goes directly toward funding the girls' racing expenses.

It's a labor of love that has continued season after season, helping cover the enormous costs of training, travel, and international competition. While the sisters put in the work on the mountain, Mako puts in countless hours off it, doing whatever he can to help keep them racing.

Carrie eventually left her teaching career to pursue professional photography. Today, she spends most of the year photographing weddings and portraits, but when winter arrives, she trades wedding venues for snowy mountains and turns her lens toward alpine snowboard racing. She's fortunate to travel to many of her daughters' competitions, documenting the action from alongside the racecourse, often with a front-row view of some of their biggest moments. Her photography extends well beyond her own daughters, capturing athletes from around the world and helping bring greater visibility to a sport that receives relatively little media coverage.

More than three decades after that first snowboard lesson, the sport that brought Mako and Carrie together has become a family legacy neither could have imagined.

Three Different Paths. One Shared Passion.

As the sisters grew older, life began pulling them in different directions.

Kaiya spent her winters in Europe, balancing a professional engineering career with international training and competition. She also discovered a passion for Olympic weightlifting, using the strength, discipline, and mental commitment it requires to improve her snowboarding.

Mika pursued her own engineering career while continuing to race throughout North America and internationally, often without the benefit of a dedicated coach or formal training program.

Akina enrolled at The Ohio State University, where she balances the demands of being a full-time college student with the challenges of competing at an elite level.

Their lives may look very different, but their commitment to snowboard racing has never disappeared.

Neither has their commitment to each other.

Even when they're separated by thousands of miles, the sisters continue to encourage, support, and push one another.

Kaiya shares the knowledge she's gained from years on the World Cup circuit. Mika helps Akina manage the logistics of training and traveling to races. And all three understand the unique challenges that come with pursuing a sport they love while building lives beyond it.

They're sisters, teammates, mentors, and occasionally competitors.

But above all, they're each other's biggest supporters.

The Reality Behind the Dream.

From the outside, international snowboard racing can look glamorous. Traveling around the world, competing against elite athletes, and representing their country on the international stage.

But behind those experiences is a reality that few people see.

Alpine snowboard racing requires an enormous financial commitment. Flights, accommodations, rental vehicles, coaching, equipment, training, lift tickets, and competition expenses add up quickly.

Unlike many athletes in more widely funded sports, the Kizuka sisters have had to self-finance much of their competitive careers.

That means working full-time jobs, balancing demanding academic schedules, training independently, and making difficult decisions about which races and opportunities they can afford to pursue.

Sometimes, the biggest obstacle isn't talent, dedication, or determination.

It's simply the cost of getting to the starting gate.

And yet, they keep showing up.

They keep training, competing, and finding ways to move forward.

Because for the Kizuka sisters, the dream is still worth chasing.

A New Chapter: The Road to 2030.

The historic 2026 World Cup moment wasn't the end of their story.

It was the beginning of another chapter.

Following the 2026 Olympic season, the sisters are using the 2026-27 season to regroup, rebuild, and prepare for the next Olympic cycle.

Akina enters the season as the reigning NorAm Cup champion, having earned a World Cup starting position. She also carries momentum from a silver medal in the mixed team event at the 2026 FIS Junior Snowboard Alpine World Championships.

Mika and Kaiya are focusing on the North American NorAm circuit, determined to build on their accomplishments and earn opportunities to return to European competition.

Their paths may continue to change. Their goals may evolve. And the road ahead will undoubtedly bring new challenges.

But one thing hasn't changed.

They're not finished.

They've already accomplished something no three siblings had ever done before in their sport.

Now, they're determined to see how much further they can go.

Be Part of What Comes Next.

The Kizuka sisters have built their journey on determination, perseverance, and the unwavering support of family.

Now, they're inviting others to become part of that story.

Whether through sponsorship, financial contributions, encouragement, or simply following along as they compete, every bit of support helps create opportunities for these three athletes to continue pursuing their dreams.

They've already made history together.

Help them write the next chapter.