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Japan's Ski Season Started Without Its Famous Powder

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 7:14 AM ET

The race to begin the 2025/26 ski season had North American resorts like Keystone and Arapahoe Basin scrambling to open doors and spin lifts, but it seems an international player might have beat everyone to the punch.

Japan's Snow Park Yeti opened for the season last Friday, on October 24, 2025. For 27 years in a row now, Yeti has been Japan's earliest ski resort to open, but not because of Japan's signature blower pow. Yeti, which is located in the foothills of Mt. Fuji just south of Tokyo, uses 100% man-made snow for its late fall opening date.

Tap or click below to see a video from opening day at Snow Park Yeti. North American skiers regularly call this kind of ski trail a 'White Ribbon of Death'.

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Yeti has seen some unsavory ski weather lately, with high temperatures in the low 50s and high 40s, and lows in the mid-40s.

There's also been a fair bit of rain and wind to really put a damper on things. However, despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the ski area still kicked off its season with a costumed celebration and plenty of folks showing up to welcome the ski season in.

The Snow Park has a village located at the top and guests ski down to its main quad lift or double lift, which you can see in the above video. In total, the ski area has four runs, three lifts, and three magic carpets with an average slope angle of 11 degrees. Yeti sits at an elevation of 1,300m or roughly 4,265 ft. with the top of its lifts just 150m higher.

Elsewhere in Japan, ski areas are planning opening dates closer to the end of November. Honshu's biggest ski area, Shiga Kogen, which is northwest of Tokyo and Yeti, is planning to open on November 15, 2025, conditions dependent. Hokkaido's famous resort, Niseko, is currently scheduled to open on November 29, 2025. Here's hoping Mother Nature turns the faucet on for Yeti and the rest of Japan soon!

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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