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
The rider had told family they were going to the ski area and did not come back; the family called police. While snowboarding off the course the rider was buried in snow and could not move. About 14 hours 30 minutes later they got out on their own, and the next morning ski-area staff took them in. Police warned that areas outside the ski area are not safety-managed and carry risks such as avalanches, getting lost and hitting trees.
Buried about midday on 13 December 2024 (HBC, search result); freed himself about 05:00 on the 14th and was picked up by a staff member driving a snow groomer.
Where
Outside the ski areaOff the course (コース外) at a ski area in Rusutsu village. The resort is not named in the snippets.
Known only to the area.
Link to the ski area
Near a ski area, not inside it
UHB title: '『コース外』でスノーボード滑走 北海道留寿都村' and 'スキー場スタッフが…保護' (riding off the course, Rusutsu village; ski-area staff took the rider in). The ski area is not named in what was seen, so no resortId is set.
People
Died0
Injured0
Rescued1
Not confirmed
- Which ski area, and whether the place was inside or outside its managed area (UHB says off the course).
- Rode off the course and became buried in snow, unable to move (reported) (reported by UHB Hokkaido Bunka Hoso; that source could not be re-checked).
Sources
- UHB Hokkaido Bunka Hoso ↗
- HBC (via Yahoo! News) ↗checked in search results
- UHB (via Yahoo! 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.