A summary of public reports, written by Ski in Sky and checked against each source. It is not an official investigation, and it may change as investigations continue.
What happened
A four-person party was backcountry skiing north of Mt Kotomi at about 1500 m. One skier fell and could not be reached; the party reported that the skier had 'fallen into a waterfall while skiing'. The other three got down on their own. Police and rescuers, eight people, searched from the morning of the 19th and found the skier's body at about 13:30 near where the fall happened.
The fall was on 18 Jan 2026 (Japanese reports); the body was found at about 13:30 on the 19th. Some English-language reports give 19 January.
Where
Outside the ski areaMountains north of Mt Kotomi (小遠見山), Northern Alps, at about 1500 m (reports). Mt Kotomi rises above the Hakuba Goryu ski area, but no report seen says the party started there.
Known only to the area.
Link to the ski area
Near a ski area, not inside it
Reports (search titles): backcountry skiing 'in the mountains of Mt Kotomi, Northern Alps' (北アルプス小遠見山の山中) at about 1500 m. No ski area is named.
People
Died1
Injured—Not reported
Rescued—Not reported
Not confirmed
- Cause of death.
- Which ski area or lift the party started from.
- Exact date: 18 January in Japanese reports, 19 January in some English-language reports.
- Fell into a waterfall in a creek while skiing (party's report, as quoted by NBS) (reported by NBS Nagano Broadcasting (via Yahoo! News); that source could not be re-checked).
Sources
- NBS Nagano Broadcasting (via Yahoo! News) ↗ · 2026-01-18
- abn Nagano Asahi Broadcasting (via Yahoo! News) ↗checked in search results
- SBC Shinetsu Broadcasting (via Yahoo! News) ↗checked in search results
- NBS Nagano Broadcasting (via d menu news) ↗checked in search results
This record was checked against search results for these reports (date, place and outcome); the original articles could not be opened.
Last checked against the sources on 2026-10-22.