Japan powder,decoded.
Japan gets some of the most snow on Earth, but scoring it takes more than booking a week and hoping. The Powder Hunter, OpenSnow's meteorologist for Japan, Europe and South America, broke down the 2026/27 season live and how skiers and boarders should plan for it. Missed it? Watch the full replay free, Q&A included.
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Hunter
Most skiers and boarders pick a resort and hope. Luke picks the storm.
Luke is the OpenSnow meteorologist for Japan, Europe and South America, and a lifelong snowboarder who has turned powder hunting into a science. If you've checked the OpenSnow forecast for any of those regions, you've already read his work, and his deepest experience of all is in the mountains of the US and Canada. He spends his year tracking storm systems around the world and going wherever the snow is deepest. Most of the time, he's strapped in and standing in it when it lands.
He doesn't wait for a snow report to tell him it was a good day. He reads the atmosphere days ahead, commits to the chase and shows up for the storm. More than 270,000 skiers and boarders follow along, including 203,000 on Instagram at @imlukesnow, to see where he's headed next.
Japan powder isn't rare. It's predictable, if you know how to read the storms.Luke Stone
No two Japan seasons are the same.
Japan gets some of the most snow on Earth, but what worked one winter can miss the next. Luke is breaking down what 2026/27 really looks like for Japan, and how to plan around it, in the recorded briefing.
What 2026/27 looks like for Japan
Where Luke would be standing
When to be there
What goes into true powder hunting
This isn't a resort ranking or a highlight reel. It's how a meteorologist actually hunts powder, and what that means for anyone planning Japan this season.
- 01What the 2026/27 season really looks like for Japan, and how this winter's setup changes the way you plan
- 02How the Powder Hunter decides where to go, and why most skiers and boarders get it backwards
- 03The difference between a "good snow year" and being there the day the storm hits
- 04What Luke reads that a snow report never tells you
- 05The planning mistakes that cost people their powder days, and a lot of money
- 06The full live Q&A: real trips, real dates, real questions from skiers and boarders
If Japan is on your list, watch this.
- Skiers and boarders who want deeper days and less guesswork
- Anyone who checks OpenSnow and wants to know what Luke is really seeing
- First-timers who want to get Japan right on the first trip
- Crews, couples and families of skiers and boarders
- Anyone tired of booking a trip and hoping the snow shows up
- Powder chasers who want to think like a meteorologist
The Q&A, plus a way to plan your trip with Luke 1-on-1
Luke answered skiers' and boarders' questions live at the end. He also shared how you can work with the Powder Hunter directly to plan your Japan trip.
- 1The Japan briefing
- 2The live Q&A with Luke
- 3How to work with Luke 1-on-1
Hunt Japan'sdeepest powderwith the Powder Hunter.
The OpenSnow meteorologist who chases storms around the world for a living, on what the 2026/27 season really means for your Japan trip. Recorded live, Q&A included.
Watch the free replay