Annnnnnd Cut! Winter Officially Wraps Up For 2024/25

“Never mind I’ll find [another season] like you... I wish nothing but the best for you…”

Look, while we’re all here for a witty (super witty, in fact) parody of Adele, let’s be real, we probably won’t find another season like the one we've just copped – it’s been an absolute record-breaker in every sense of the word. Guinness World Records don’t even know what to do about it, that’s how many records it’s shattered... 

So, as today officially marks both the last day of lifts spinning across Japanese alpine resorts, and the last day of winter operations for Rhythm Japan (before get busily underway with the store flips for summer operations), we wanted to look back at the season that was. The season that for years to come will be known as the ‘record breaker.’

So let’s break it down, what made winter 2024/25 such a monumental season for the books?

The Pow

The pow – it’s why we’re all here, and if you’re one of the unlucky few who didn’t make it over, it’s why you wished you were here! And over the 2024/25 season, we bet you REALLY wished you were here. 

In mid-December alone, Niseko saw its highest early-season snowfall in 20 years (as reported by Niseko United), and it didn’t slow down. By peak season, Niseko recorded its largest snowfall for the season, clocking in a whopping 90 cm over a 24-hour period. 

But that was nothing compared to Hakuba, who at this stage should take a bow after the season they’ve just had, recording their highest snowfall total in 13 years, and best early-December snowfall since 1956! Take that in for a second. The last time Hakuba saw this much snowfall, 'The Dark Knight Rises 'was in cinemas and Psy’s ‘Gangam Style’ was the most popular song on radio… that's how long it's been.

So let's break it down, what were all the stats for each region?

The Events

It wasn't just the pow making sure punters were leaving town absolutely stoked, with 2024/25's winter season offering up some of the biggest and best events Japow has ever seen. Here were a few our our standouts:

Rail Jam 2K25

Bigger, better and harder than ever before, The Rhythm Rail Jam was back, and undeniably, in its biggest form to date. 4,000 punters, 50 of Japan’s mountain resort’s best riders, some of the region’s best food trucks and entertainers – it was MASSIVE. 

Mad Dog Jam 

The term ‘send it’ is well and truly ingrained in ski and snowboard culture, but nothing quite sums it up like Moiwa’s Mad Dog Jam. Trust us, it was probably Niseko International Clinics' biggest day. People were SENDING IT, coming together to boost the biggest and most ludicrous tricks in their playbook, all with the intention of having fun and not winning a prize.

Snow Machine 

Finally, after years of doing rain dances to the ‘Snow Machine’ official playlist, we scored not one, but two events spanning across both Hakuba and Niseko – talk about a win. From Bliss ‘N Eso reinvigorating Niseko punter's youth with classics like ‘Zion Bash’ and ‘The Sea Is Rising,’ to Japanese-American tech-house icon Hiroko Yamaura’s Chicago-house style and non-chalant delivery adorning the Hakuba crew for her Boiler Room set, Snow Machine 2025 was an epic event for everyone in attendance. 4 days of music, shredding and après with your best mates = lifelong memories. 

78th Annual Happo-One Risen Slalom

One of JaPow’s longest running events, the Risen Slalom saw a collection of the nations best skiers battling it out over a multi-day event to be officially crowned Hakuba’s king or queen of slalom skiing.

Yukimi Film Festival

A showcase of art, creativity, and good vibes, all within the heart of Hakuba, Yukimi promises to be an unforgettable celebration of ‘the Hakuba experience’, showcased through the lens of our local creatives – this year’s edition of the Yukimi Film Festival was a mammoth step-up. Over 400 eager attendees, a huge selection of local shorts, and some of the biggest giveaways seen over the 2024-25 season (let’s just say a few people went home with GoPro’s), it was an EPIC celebration.

Korua Shapes Demo Day

If there’s one thing every snowboarder can agree on, it’s having a deep rooted desire to try out a Korua Shapes board. There’s just something about them. So simple, yet so elegant, with the bright pop of red constantly popping out from the base–they’re impossible to ignore. 

So as a special exclusive for all those in Niseko and Furano, the Korua crew came to town, bringing their arsenal of new boards to finally test out!

Yukiita

No bindings, no worries, with Yukiita’s second event seeing an even bigger park setup constructed in both Niseko and Hakuba, giving local frothers the chance to test out Make Yukitta’s handmade ‘no-boards.’ 

 

The Wins

Gomi Pickup

It’s a harsh reality, but if you've hung around the mountains until a few weeks after the winter when all the seasonaires have cleared out, tourists have all wrapped up their winter trips and businesses have started closing for the off-season, you’ll always notice, regardless of which mountain around the world you’re visiting. THE TRASH. Once the snow starts to clear, there’s trash – a lot of it and here at Rhythm Japan, we HATE that. So to combat our beautiful areas being turned into makeshift gomi tips, we ran our annual rubbish pickup day, coinciding with earth day, across Niseko, Hakuba and Furano. The results? 430kg of rubbish in Niseko alone. That’s over the weight of 3 averaged sized Sumo wrestlers…

Clothing Drives

Here at Rhythm Japan, we think everyone, no matter their circumstances, should have the opportunity to get out on the slopes in their steeziest outerwear options. Although for some, it’s not always possible. Which is why Rhythm annually conducts clothing drives and free on-snow ride days for the local Ranokshi and Iwani orphanages, and this year, it was bigger than ever, with Rhythm crew and local Niseko residents alike donating upwards of 1,000 items of clothing!

Volunteering

Every year at Rhythm we pledge a minimum of 1,000 volunteer hours to make sure that we are giving back to both the community and landscape that we live and love, and we are stoked to announce that for Winter 2024/25 we comfortably hit our commitment of 1,000 hours! Huge effort to all involved! Here's to another 1,000 before the start of next winter!