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Avalanches Hit Backcountry Skiers, Snowboarders in Hokkaido; Foreigners Make up Large Proportion of Those Affected

Courtesy of the Hokkaido prefectural police
Rescuers are seen near the scene where a Taiwan man was caught in an avalanche on Mt. Kami-Furano in Hokkaido on March 5.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, March 15, 2026

SAPPORO — A series of avalanches have hit mostly foreigners doing backcountry skiing and snowboarding in Hokkaido.

A Taiwanese man in his 40s was caught in an avalanche on Mt. Kami-Furano in central Hokkaido on March 5 and was rescued by a police helicopter. Five days later, a Canadian man in his 20s was hit by an avalanche on nearby Mt. Sandan and fell into critical condition. Both men were doing backcountry skiing or snowboarding.

An investigation by members of the Hokkaido branch of the Japanese Society of Snow and Ice concluded that the avalanches occurred at the two sites after unstable layers of snow collapsed on top of hard snow, a phenomenon called “surface avalanche.”

At a press conference in Sapporo on Friday, Shohei Sasaki, a member of the branch, urged people to “gather weather information and assess what risks are involved before heading to the mountains.”

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of backcountry skiers and snowboarders involved in accidents has been on the rise, with foreign nationals making up a notable proportion, according to the Hokkaido prefectural police.

Of the 66 people involved in accidents during the 2022-23 season, 21 were foreign nationals. For the 2024-25 season, the figure rose to 76 foreigners out of 94.

For the current 2025-26 season, 69 foreign nationals had been among the 86 involved in accidents as of Thursday.

Over the five seasons since 2020, 29 people were involved in accidents due to avalanches, and all of them were in the backcountry, according to the police.

In addition to posts on social media, the police have created posters in English and Chinese calling for safety precautions when doing backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

“As avalanches often occur at this time of year, people are advised to refrain from visiting mountains as much as possible,” an officer said. “It is important to check information on weather and avalanches and stay away from dangerous spots.”