Category
Snow and Ice
ActivitiesSnow and Ice
Japan’s reputation for the best snow on Earth is well earned — Niseko’s international powder scene, Nagano’s dense concentration of resorts, and Tohoku’s quieter, heavier-snowfall hills that never quite make the international lists. Our complete guide to skiing and snowboarding in Japan covers all of it, region by region, alongside dedicated coverage of backcountry touring, avalanche awareness, and the annual Japan Snow Guide. Browse below for resort deep dives, trip reports, and season-by-season updates.
Snowmobiling
Mission Impossible
About 180 kilometers into the mission, the gravity of the situation pulled me down like a lead weight toward the thick ice and th...
Winter
Beyond Fukushima
Travelers who can get beyond the name will find the mountains in western Fukushima filled with beautiful scenery, excellent ski r...
Art and Film
Car Danchi 6: On Location in Kusharo
The Car Danchi filming style has always combined searching for new locations and the unwritten rule we must have fun wherever we ...
Cat Skiing
Niseko Cats
Niseko snowcats are found deep in the snowy mountains of the north island; they detest crowds, preferring to travel in small grou...
Backcountry Tours
Risk & Reward in the Backcountry
Training and preparation are paramount to playing safe in the backcountry, and recently guides and instructors are putting more e...
Backcountry Snowboarding
Lights, Powder, Action! Jeremy Jones Interview
Over the last decade, Jeremy Jones has been perhaps the biggest name in big mountain snowboarding. He has appeared in numerous ex...
Snowboarding
Lights, Powder, Action! Neil Hartmann Interview
For those of us growing up in Portland, Oregon, Mt. Hood was our home mountain. On weekends we’d drive up Highway 26, through a t...
Skiing
A Focus on Fun: Celebrating 50 Years of K2 Skis
There are brands out there, bigger than the products they make. They make good stuff, of course, but a company becomes iconic whe...