Foreign Teen Skier Dies in Tragic Accident at Niseko Resort, Japan A viral video has been making its rounds on social media showing a rescue team taking a stretcher down with a first responder sitting on the sled, desperately performing CPR. We are not going to share the video on SnowBrains since it has crystallized that the person being resuscitated did not survive. The victim was a 17-year-old boy with dual […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | January 21, 2026 0 Comments
Jackson Hole, WY, Pro Skier Dies in Backcountry Accident in Hakuba Valley, Japan A 33-year-old American pro skier has died following a backcountry skiing accident near Mount Kotomi in Hakuba Valley in Japan’s Northern Alps, Japanese newspapers confirmed on January 19. Mount Kotomi is located in the northern Japanese Alps on the Tomi Ridge leading toward Mount Goryu, in Nagano Prefecture. According to Japanese police, the skier fell while backcountry skiing, became stuck, and […] Backcountry Julia Schneemann | January 20, 2026 4 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 10+ Feet of Snow in 10 Days for Japan Japan stays in a very active pattern with multiple waves of snow from Monday night (01/19) through Thursday (01/29), led by huge accumulations in central Honshu and steady powder production across Hokkaido. The most prolific stretch focuses on midweek into the weekend, when several reloads stack up for major totals at resorts like Nozawa, Gala, and Akakura, while Hokkaido keeps […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 19, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 4-7 Feet of Snow for Japan Japan is lined up for a busy January 8–18 stretch with multiple snow-producing waves, highlighted by a major weekend dump and several follow-up refreshers before a warmer, windier finish late week. Central Honshu is the headline with multi-storm totals reaching 50″–80″, while Hokkaido’s open resorts keep stacking frequent, generally higher-quality snow that adds up to 20″–65″, with periodic wind impacts […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 8, 2026 0 Comments
5-Year-Old Boy Dies After Arm Gets Trapped in Magic Carpet Ski Lift at Hokkaido Ski Resort A tragic accident at a ski resort in northern Japan claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy on Sunday after his right arm became trapped in a magic carpet ski lift, Japanese newspapers report. Firefighters and police said they received an emergency call from the child’s mother just before 10:00 a.m., reporting that her son was stuck on a conveyor-belt-style […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | December 28, 2025 2 Comments
Top 5 Roadtrips for Skiers and Boarders Who doesn’t love an old-fashioned road trip, be it solo, with friends, or family? That’s why SnowBrains has rounded up some of the best areas where one can boot around multiple resorts within a week. If you still haven’t planned your winter vacation yet and are looking for some flexibility, you can’t go wrong with these scenic spots. Powder Highway […] Brains travellinquinn | December 23, 2025 0 Comments
[VIDEO] Professional Snowboarder’s Close Call on Ski Slopes of Hakuba, Japan, as Bear Attacks Surge Across Japan A dramatic bear encounter captured on video by a professional snowboarder in Hakuba has sharpened attention on a growing national crisis: Japan is experiencing its deadliest year on record for bear attacks, with 13 people killed and hundreds injured across the country. Hakuba Valley is home to 10 resorts with over 200+ runs and offers some of the best backcountry […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | December 16, 2025 0 Comments
Japan’s Kiroro Snow World and Niseko’s Grand Hirafu Set to Open This Week Just a week after several major ski resorts in Hokkaido, Japan, delayed their planned November 29 openings due to warm temperatures and rain, two of the region’s most prominent operators have announced new (partial) season-start dates. Related: Major Japanese Ski Resorts on Hokkaido Delay Season Opening Due to Lack of Snow Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu—the largest of the four resorts […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | December 3, 2025 0 Comments
Major Japanese Ski Resorts on Hokkaido Delay Season Opening Due to Lack of Snow Several major Japanese ski resorts that were scheduled to open on November 29 have announced delayed openings, including Niseko and Rusutsu on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The resorts strongest affected are the ones closest to the northern coast line, while those further inlands have been able to maintain the current snow base during the recent warm spell. Related: […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 30, 2025 0 Comments
The Ultimate Ikon Pass Odyssey: How to Spend a Year Skiing Across 5 Continents As the mega passes grow in both mountain access and price, being a casual skier is no longer worth the hefty cost. The Ikon Pass nearly spans the entire skiable world, covering both hemispheres, five continents, 13 countries, and 70 resorts. So what’s the most value someone can get from one Ikon Pass? Did you know that access to Southern […] Brains Zach Suffish | November 13, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Japan’s Mount Fuji Receives First Snow of the 2025-26 Season as First Japanese Ski Resort Opens Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji has seen the first snow of the 2025-26 season. Fuji City confirmed the sighting of the first snow cap on the iconic peak on its Twitter (X) account on October 23, stating, “The first snow of the season! This morning, taken from the city hall #fujisan. We could see it adorned with a snowy veil.” While […] Julia Schneemann | October 27, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Most Bizarre Ski Resort Mascots in the World From fire-breathing dragons to half-boiled eggs on skis, the world of ski resort mascots is far weirder and far more wonderful than most people realize. Across the globe, resorts have dreamed up outlandish characters to charm kids, entertain visitors and embody their mountain’s spirit, often with results that defy logic and delight everyone. #7 Schmidolin: The Fire-Breathing Dragon of Schmittenhöhebahn […] Laughs Jack Bynum | October 25, 2025 0 Comments
Ikon Pass Offers the Best of Asia With 9 New Destinations Throughout Japan, China, and South Korea for Winter 2025-26 Ski & Ride Up to 77 Days Total in the Legendary Snow of Asia with Ikon Pass Ikon Pass invites skiers and riders to adventure further into Asia throughout winter 2025-26 as Niseko United and Arai Mountain Resort are joined by Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort, Mt.T, Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort, Furano Ski Resort, APPI Resort, NEKOMA Mountain, and Zao Onsen […] Industry News SnowBrains | October 21, 2025 0 Comments
A Look at the Word “Snow” in Different Languages Snow is a worldwide phenomenon. Different cultures experience the same excitement and struggles from snow and its effects. It’s present in the icy tundras of Antarctica to the majestic mountaintops of the Himalayas. It’s more than a word. It’s a lifestyle that comes with its own set of rules and a lot of fun. Related: The Ultimate Guide to Skier […] Brains Quintin Mills | October 7, 2025 0 Comments
102-Year-Old Becomes Oldest Person Alive to Summit Japan’s Mt. Fuji A Japanese man recently became the oldest person ever to summit Mt. Fuji at the age of 102. In August, Kokichi Akuzawa broke the previous Guinness World Record while also overcoming recent heart failure, a battle with shingles, and a recent fall in order to complete the climb. On the morning of August 3, Akuzawa began his journey up the […] Climbing Joseph Kaufmann | August 29, 2025 0 Comments
Vail Resorts Announces 2025-26 Winter Opening Dates and Sneak Peek at What’s New Across its Resorts Spend More Than Half the Year on the Slopes with Epic Pass, which Provides Access to More than 90 Resorts Across the World Epic Pass Holders Now Get “Epic Friend Tickets;” Lowest Price of Fall Ends September 1 Vail Resorts today announced target winter opening dates for the 2025-26 ski and ride season for resorts located in the North American […] Industry News Press Release | August 20, 2025 0 Comments
Top 7 Most Unexpected Animals Seen on the Slopes Like any outdoor activity humans participle in, from time to time we tend to come in contact with the original inhabitants of the area we choose to make our playground. Many ski resorts are on national forests, and in those dense, often remote areas one can run into some pretty striking wildlife. In fact, Colorado’s White River National Forest is […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | July 9, 2025 0 Comments
[VIDEO] Mt. Hood Jake’s Japow 2025 Director’s Cut Powder Edit Japan continually lives up to its lofty “powder paradise” reputation, with super fun trees and unreal snow quality. But a pow safari to Japan is so much more than that. A welcoming culture, delicious food, relaxing onsens, beautiful natural landscapes, and superb wildlife are just a few of the attractions. As well as the good times to be had […] SnowBrains | June 23, 2025 0 Comments
Niigata, Japan, Trip Report Pt. 2: Skiing During the Legendary Storm Cycle That Dropped 25 Feet of Snow in 12 Days Report from February 2025. Snow Country, also known as Yukiguni in Japanese, is not only a place of beauty and a region with a tremendous amount of snowfall, but it is also the title of a famous novel by Japanese Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata. History lesson aside, transitioning from the previous five days of insane powder skiing in the […] Conditions Report Daryn Edmunds | May 12, 2025 0 Comments
Summer-Only Ski Resort in Japan Opens 2025 Season with Record Snow Depth While most ski resorts across the Northern Hemisphere are winding down operations, Gassan, Japan, has just started its season last month. Tsukiyama Ski Area at Mount Gassan opened for its 2025 ski season on Friday, April 11, offering one of the world’s rare opportunities to ski in summer. Located in the town of Nishikawa in central Yamagata Prefecture on Japan’s […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 3, 2025 0 Comments
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