Japanese Summer-Only Ski Resort Gassan Starts Spinning Lifts While most ski resorts across the Northern Hemisphere are winding down operations, Gassan Ski Area in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture has just kicked off its 2026 season. The unique spring-and-summer ski destination opened on Friday, April 10, once again offering one of the world’s rare opportunities to ski well into the warmer months. Related: Unveiling the Six Spectacular Summer-Only Ski Resorts […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | April 11, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 20 cm for Japan Tuesday Into Wednesday, Then Mostly Dry A wet Tuesday into Wednesday storm brings the only meaningful snowfall of the next several days across Japan, with the cleanest reset in Hokkaido and the best upper mountain returns in central Honshu. Confidence is highest from Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday, when timing is well aligned across the guidance even though totals still vary with the snow line. Expect […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 6, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 30 cm for Japan on Thursday The clearest ski weather in Japan is a Thursday hit for north-central Honshu, followed by a long, quieter stretch for the south and smaller, windier refreshers in Hokkaido next week. Confidence is highest from Thursday morning, April 2, through Thursday night, April 2, when guidance is most tightly grouped on timing and coverage. Expect dense snow and mixed snow levels […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 31, 2026 0 Comments
Pro Freeskier Kai Smart, 23, Dies After Avalanche Burial in Japan Kai Smart, a 23-year-old freeskier, filmmaker, and University of British Columbia graduate from Whistler, died March 22 from injuries sustained after being buried in an avalanche in the Tokachi mountain range in Hokkaido, Japan, his father confirmed on social media Monday, March 23. John Smart, a two-time Canadian Olympian in moguls, announced on March 13 that his son Kai had […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 25, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Hokkaido Favored for 20-50 cm in Japan Through Sunday Japan’s best ski weather in this update is centered on Hokkaido, where a colder Friday-Saturday storm cycle should deliver 20-50 cm by Sunday morning, while amounts fall off quickly to the south. Confidence is highest from Thursday, March 19, through Sunday morning, March 22, when the guidance is most aligned on timing and colder snow levels. North Honshu should still […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 17, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 30 cm in Japan Through Sunday, Then a Murky Late-Week Setup A modest Friday-through-Sunday refresh is the clearest near-term signal across Japan, led by western Hokkaido, before the forecast turns much less certain late next week. Confidence is highest from Thursday night, March 12 through Sunday night, March 15, when the guidance is reasonably aligned on a cooler, mostly all-snow setup followed by a quieter start to next week. After that, […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 12, 2026 0 Comments
Japan’s Ski Tourism Boom Sparks Rescue Frustration: Should Tourists Foot their Rescue Bill? Hokkaido’s legendary powder snow has become a magnet for international skiers, drawing visitors from Europe, North America, and Oceania in record numbers. Visa Destination Insights reports that overseas travelers accounted for roughly 80% of all visitors to Japan’s ski regions during the 2024–25 season, with Australian tourists alone representing about 30%. The appeal of “Japow” is driving a tourism surge, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | March 9, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 10-20 cm for Parts of Japan Through Wednesday, Heavier Hokkaido Snow Later This Week Japan has a useful early-week refresh lined up, and confidence is highest from Monday evening, March 9, through Wednesday afternoon, March 11. Central Honshu should do best in that first shot with widespread new snow and good ski quality, while Hokkaido stays colder but lighter at first before a stronger, less certain Thursday night into Friday storm shifts the better […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 9, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 10-20 cm for Japan Through Wednesday, Up to 40 cm at Kiroro Confidence is strongest from Sunday night through Wednesday night, when Japan should see a useful refresh with the deepest totals in west Hokkaido. Most Honshu resorts should come away with a widespread 10 cm-20 cm by then, while Kiroro has the clearest path to the biggest early total. A second Thursday-Saturday system still looks likely, but the guidance spreads out […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 8, 2026 0 Comments
The Ultimate Skier’s Basecamp? Own This 6-Story Japanese Castle Near Hokkaido for $64k Forget the tiny slope-side condos and crowded Niseko hotels. If you’ve ever dreamed of living like a Shogun while chasing Japan’s legendary “Japow,” your throne has arrived. A massive, six-story reinforced steel and concrete castle in Akabira, Central Hokkaido, has hit the market for a staggering 10,000,000 Yen—approximately $64,000 USD. Related: New Study Finds Climate Change Increased Snowfall in Northern […] Martin Kuprianowicz | March 6, 2026 0 Comments
New Study Finds Climate Change Increased Snowfall in Northern Japan by 7% A new analysis by researchers at Japan’s science ministry and the Meteorological Research Institute at Japan Meteorological Agency suggests that climate change may actually increase snowfall in some parts of Japan, even as warming temperatures reduce snow in others. The study was entitled “Global warming affects the heavy snowfall in late January 2026,” and was published on March 3, 2026, […] Weather Julia Schneemann | March 5, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to 120 cm in Japan Through Tuesday, Then a Lower-Confidence Reload Japan has a solid two-wave snow cycle through Tuesday night, with the best coverage this weekend and another colder refresh Monday into Tuesday. Guidance is generally aligned on timing through Tuesday night, so skiers can plan around two primary snowfall windows instead of scattered one-off bursts. The weekend wave favors Hokkaido first, then snowfall broadens and shifts with a second […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 4, 2026 0 Comments
8-Year-Old Australian Girl Dies in Snowmobile Accident in Hakuba, Japan An eight-year-old Australian girl has died after a snowmobile overturned during a tour in Hakuba Village, Japan, Japanese news reported. The accident occurred just before 11 a.m. on February 28 in the Hokujo area of the popular ski destination in Nagano Prefecture. Emergency services received a report that a snowmobile had overturned and that a young girl had struck her […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | March 2, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 1 Meter Plus for Japan Through Monday, Then Lower-Confidence Midweek Snow Japan is set for two meaningful snow cycles from Tuesday through Monday, followed by a lower-confidence and generally lighter midweek pattern. The first cycle builds Tuesday afternoon and peaks Wednesday into early Thursday, then a stronger and windier round arrives Saturday into Monday with the best chance for widespread refreshes. Snow levels stay low during both main periods, so most […] Weather WeatherBrains | March 2, 2026 0 Comments
Successful Weekend for Team USA in Nanto-Toyama, Japan, With an All-American Women’s Dual Moguls Podium There is no rest for the wicked—or the wickedly good skiers. Just one week ago to Olympics wrapped up and the FIS Freestyle Moguls World Cup continues in Nanto-Toyama, Japan. It is the first Japanese Moguls World Cup in six years—and Team USA delivered in a big way. Saturday: Moguls Saturday’s moguls competition saw Olivia Giaccio firing on all cylinders, […] Competition Julia Schneemann | March 1, 2026 0 Comments
Rare Full-Depth Avalanche Strikes Inbounds “Powder Line” & Injures 4 at Japan’s Madarao Kogen Ski Resort An avalanche at Madarao Kogen Ski Resort on Saturday, February 28, injured four people—including a 14-year-old boy—after five riders were caught on a popular powder run. All five were rescued within about an hour by a team of 21 professionals consisting of members from the police, fire personnel, ski patrol, and rescue dog teams. Related: At Least 35 Dead as […] Avalanche Julia Schneemann | March 1, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Quiet Start Then 20-40 cm Midweek for Japan A mostly manageable weekend and Monday transition into the highest-confidence snow window from Tuesday through Thursday, followed by a larger but lower-confidence storm signal for Saturday into early next week. Guidance is most aligned on a moderate midweek refresh, strongest in central Honshu, where many mountains should pick up 10 cm-35 cm, with the wettest favored terrain closer to 25 […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 28, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Japan Starts With Hokkaido-Favored Snow, Then Broader Uncertainty Midweek Japan is lined up for a snowy stretch, with the most dependable near-term turns in Hokkaido from Saturday through Monday before forecast confidence drops on exact placement and intensity for the Tuesday through Sunday period. Expect colder air to keep snow quality generally fair to good, but there will be short windows of denser snow when snow levels nudge higher, […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 25, 2026 0 Comments
[OLYMPICS] Japan’s Mari Fukada Wins Gold in Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle While Zoi Sadowski-Synott Becomes Most Decorated Snowboarder in Olympic History Women’s snowboard slopestyle wrapped up for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics with the finals round on Wednesday, February 18. The final, held in Livigno, Italy, saw the top twelve riders from qualifying battle it out for spots on the Olympic podium. Each rider had three runs, with their best run’s score counting for placement. The story of the event was […] Olympics Quinn Brophy | February 19, 2026 0 Comments
[OLYMPICS] Yuto Totsuka Takes Gold as Japan Dominates Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe While Australian Scotty James Claims Silver Japan’s Yuto Totsuka took gold in men’s snowboard halfpipe on February 13, 2026, cementing Japan’s spot as the new mecca of men’s snowboard halfpipe riders. The event took place in Livigno, Italy, where the best halfpipe riders in the world put their skills on display in an intense battle for the podium at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Related: Satellite […] Olympics Quinn Brophy | February 13, 2026 0 Comments