#hakuba

#hakuba

The 2025-26 winter saw extreme weather, with the eastern half experiencing consistent cold and heavy snowfall, while the western half endured record warmth and a lack of snowfall.

Northstar California Resort offers a well-balanced mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain, making it the perfect place to learn, progress, and have a blast.

Whitefish/Kalispell, Montana: United Airlines has expanded its direct service from San Francisco to Glacier Park International Airport, a short drive to world-class Whitefish Mountain Resort and the smaller, family-owned Blacktail Mountain Ski Area. You won't find either on the Epic or Icon passes, which means fewer skiers and shorter lift lines. The proximity to Flathead Lake, even larger in surface area than Lake Tahoe, also means stunning views and a phenomenon called snow ghosts when ice crystals form on the pines.

I spent 18 seasons here before moving to Park City, UT, in 2018, and I long to come back every day. This place shaped me as a man and a skier. It forged my career and gave me a skillset that has translated into an ability to ski all over the world, and I'm forever grateful.

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. Built in 1991, this isn't a crumbling ancient ruin, but a modern structural feat totaling 1,571m² of building space on a sprawling 5,045m² freehold lot.

Both avid and casual skiers know that winter requires preparation. If you want to ski as many days as possible, you must have a game plan. After all, skiing is an expensive sport, so budget is typically one of the top considerations. But before you book flights, hotels, and lift tickets, or decide if you want to invest in an Epic Pass or Ikon Pass, you'll need to identify which ski resorts you want to explore over the course of a few months.

You won't find either on the Epic or Icon passes, which means fewer skiers and shorter lift lines. The proximity to Flathead Lake, even larger in surface area than Lake Tahoe, also means stunning views and a phenomenon called "snow ghosts" - when ice crystals form on the pines. Both resorts have long, lazy runs for multigenerational skiers and boarders but also challenging terrain for advanced skiers and riders.

Mt. Baker is the PNW's snow vacuum. It's close enough to the Pacific to get storm after storm, and the North Cascades do what they do best: force moist air straight up, wring it out, and bury everything in sight. Maritime storms roll in wet and heavy, then pile up fast when they hit terrain.

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 cm-45 cm.

Located just 15-20 minutes from downtown Banff, the adventure begins at the Gondola Base. Eight passengers at a time ascend 1,650 vertical feet over roughly three miles in about 20 minutes. Along the way are stunning views in every direction. There are three stations along the way - a mid-line directional change, the Goat's Eye offload, and finally the upper village terminal.

Lift lines often feel like a complete waste of time. You're just sitting there, waiting to be given the opportunity to go back uphill. A short line isn't that big of a deal, but a longer, 15-20 minute line can be mind numbing. Japan's Inawashiro Ski Resort has found a rather interesting way to make the lift line feel more productive, offering a free, fast waxing for your skis or snowboard while you're waiting.

Anyone who visits Japan, whether it's just for sightseeing or for skiing/snowboarding, needs to do some karaoke. In the U.S., most karaoke is done in a bar with everyone watching. In Japan, most karaoke is done in private rooms for just you and your friends. It really takes things to the next level. Skiers and snowboarders at Hakuba Goryu Snow Resort in Japan don't need to go far out of their way to get some karaoke in.

WeatherJapan 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 on the most exposed terrain.

Just recalling this wild video out of Niigata Prefecture in central Japan where a boar attacked a snowboarder on the slopes of Alpen Blick Snow Resort in Myoko City back in 2023. After taking one snowboarder to the ground, the boar switched directions targeted another man who was able to defend himself by swinging his snowboard at it. NHK reported resort officials and police estimated the animal was 1-meter long.

WeatherJapan stays in a very active winter pattern through early next week, with the most reliable snow from Thu night (02/05) through Mon (02/09) and frequent refreshes in Hokkaido. Snow levels sit at or near sea level for much of the period in Hokkaido, and that keeps precipitation as snow even down low while temperatures hold well below freezing. Snow quality should improve as colder air settles in, with SLRs often rising into the 16-19:1 range later in the weekend.

This video serves as yet another reminder of how important it is to ski or snowboard with a buddy if you're planning to head off trail, even just to pop into the woods. While trail hazards might be well marked at some resorts, you can run into hidden rocks, trees, or even holes no matter where you are. That's especially true outside of the country, where off-piste terrain isn't necessarily mitigated like it is in North America.