We told you it was only going to get bigger...
Look, we’re going to level with you for a moment here. When the Rail Jam wrapped up last year and our recap blog claimed that our next edition was going to be even bigger – we didn’t actually know if it would be possible.
In fact, we were really just throwing a claim out there and hoping for the best. 
Thankfully, looking back at the Jam just gone, we feel comfortable claiming that our assertion was absolutely correct.
Our biggest pool of riders, craziest course to date and over 5,000 attendees (depending on who you ask), 2026 was MASSIVE.
Enhanced Vibes
The weather was shocking, conditions in the lead up were poor, the wind was hitting from every direction, putting a few gazebos into full-send mode even before the Jam kicked off. But still, the vibe was electric, with punters braving it out and going mental with each and every trick.
Bigger Course
After last year, we knew we had to level up our course even more. As to how we were going to do that, we didn’t know. So this year, alongside the help and support of Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu, we got our friends at the Swatch NINES to offer up some tips, ending up with a course fully endorsed by their crew, and one that’ll be spoken about for years to come.
Yeahhhhhh, that S to Down, ambitious? Sure. Did it make some enemies with the riders? Oh yeah, you bet. Was it a sick feature? Definitely.
The Golden Ticket
Now for the juicy deets you’ve all been waiting for….
As a special perk of this year’s Rhythm Rail Jam, we actually scored a golden ticket to enter the Swatch Nines: Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu, the first of its kind in Asia. 
And if you know anything about the Swatch NINES, you’ll know that it isn’t some backyard jam set-up. It’s one of the biggest extreme sports events in the world, known for serving up truly unique courses that are almost incomparable to anything else in the snow sports world.
Naturally, it was a big undertaking – this isn’t the kind of event just anyone could sign up. So for this special prize, we left it up to the riders to decide who they thought would be the best fit.
There were whispers it may go to Olly Nicholls, a local shredder and Youth Olympics finalist, others thought it might get slung towards Tim Herbet, an ex-Rhythm alumni who now works at Offshore Snowshapes as a board shaper, but it was Rikuto Watanabe who came out to clinch the golden ticket on the day. 
A 21 year old ripper originally from Hakuba’s Tsugaike, Watanabe won over both the crowd and his peers with his unique all-send, all-the-time approach.
The dude went hard, and with a background in both freeride and big air, as well as a proven ability to absolutely rip rails, he stood up as the perfect homegrown talent to step up his career another level (or NINE).
The Winners
You best believe Rikuto wasn’t the only winner on the day. With a prize pool of over ¥1 million yen, a whole stack of competitors went home with a pocket loaded with cash and a vvveeerrrryyyy big cheque. 
Here’s the complete winner’s list.
Division | Winner |
Men’s Snowboard 1st Place | Ryoji Fujiya |
Men’s Snowboard 2nd Place | Zoltan Strcula |
Men’s Snowboard 3rd Place | Marc McClement |
Men’s Ski 1st Place | Tastuya Yamagishi |
Men’s Ski 2nd Place | Olly Nicholls |
Men’s Ski 3rd Place | Reagan Wallis |
Women’s Mixed Discipline 1st Place | Shiori Takahashi |
Women’s Mixed Discipline 2nd Place | Elise Tate |
Women’s Mixed Discipline 3rd Place | Yu Sato |
Grom’s 1st Place | Rumuya Omura |
Grom’s 2nd Place | Saku Mastuda |
Grom’s 3rd Place | Sasha Needham |
Not a Finalist, Still A Winner
Division | Winner |
‘Rhythm Spirit’ Award – Groms | Lea T |
‘Tough As Nails Award’- Groms | Daniil McLean |
‘Style Master’ Award – Groms | Dai Monzen |
| 'Best Crash' - Groms | Souta Shibazaki |
‘Rhythm Spirit Award’- Adult | Gabrielle |
‘Tough As Nails’ Award – Adult | Yushi Saito |
‘Style Master’ Award – Adult | Tim Herbert |
‘Best Crash’ Award – Adult | Asami Takegawa |
Arigato, We Couldn't Have Done It Without You
We’d like to give a MASSIVE thank you to all of our sponsors who helped bring the 2026 Rhythm Rail Jam to life!
