ItalianoGACKT Official X Update. Translation below
This is a story from long ago.
Did you know?
That there’s a mountain in Las Vegas where you can snowboard?
‘In the middle of the desert? No way!’
It’s normal to think that.
But it’s true.
Early in the morning while I was in Las Vegas,
my friends and I gathered in the lobby dressed in our snowboarding gear.
The stares of the customers in shorts and T-shirts were piercing.
‘Are these guys crazy?’
I could feel that atmosphere all too well.
‘Well…I guess so…’
With that thought in mind, we all got into the van.
It was about a 40-minute drive from downtown Vegas.
With desert as far as the eye could see,
we climbed towards the mountain.
To be honest,
‘Is there really snow in a place like this?’
I myself had my doubts.
But the moment we reached the top,
a strange slope and lift jumped out at us.
It was an entirely bizarre sight.
And there were quite a few customers.
There were other people who were also looking to snowboard.
I was truly surprised by this fact.
There was a big problem.
The lift here was really old.
Normal lifts,
slow down just before you board,
and then slowly accelerate after you’re on.
But this was different.
No slowing down.
The two-seater lift came hurtling towards us at incredible speed.
It was also so narrow that it was essentially for one person only.
We had to get on one at a time.
It was seriously scary.
The lift spun around,
and it was hurtling towards us at full speed.
What’s more, the seats were insanely high.
They were at waist level, not butt level.
You had to hop on a little to get on.
At the time,
I had a friend on staff at a record company
who went by the nickname “Jimon.”
He was a nice guy,
but he had a habit of showing off.
After a few runs,
we all lined up in front of the lift,
and I took the lead.
I was relieved to somehow manage to hop on.
Next,
he skated on one foot to the boarding position,
but he had already lost his balance.
The lift was approaching at high speed.
He must have wanted to appear confident.
The moment he jumped on,
he couldn’t sit down, and his elbow got caught and he was left hanging in the air.
I yelled,
“It’s dangerous! Jump off!”
But he
somehow managed to climb up and sit down…
and fell.
“Jimon, are you OK!?”
When I shouted,
he stood up and replied,
“Ah, I’m totally fine!!”
Moment after that,
the next lift coming from behind hit him.
Bang.
There was a dull thud.
He hit his head hard and fell face up onto the snow.
The lift that had knocked him down with one hit now swayed with satisfaction.
“Jimon-chan!!!”
Then he slowly turned toward me and gave me a thumbs-up.
It was just like the ending of Terminator 2.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
But the blood from his head stained the snow at the lift station crimson red.
Lifts are scary.
Recently, there have been casualties in lift accidents.
If you’re going snowboarding or skiing this season, keep this story in the back of your mind.
“The more fun a place is, the more likely it is that a careless moment will take your life.”
Be careful.
And enjoy it to the fullest.
I’m waiting to share your tragic memories of the snowy mountains.
昔の思い出話だ。
オマエは知ってるか？
ラスベガスに【ボードができる山】があることを。『砂漠の真ん中で？嘘だろ』
そう思うのが普通だ。
だが、これは本当の話だ。ラスベガス滞在中の早朝、
仲間とボードウェア姿でロビーに集合した。
短パンTシャツの客たちの視線がやたら刺さる。… pic.twitter.com/0S9d6C14Ka— GACKT (@GACKT) February 21, 2026
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA