Snowboarders setting off from the longest route from atop the Yamagata Zao Ski Resort at Mount Jizo in Winter

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Mount Zaō (蔵王山 Zaō-san?) is a complex volcano on the border between Yamagata Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. One striking feature of Zaō's famous ski resorts is the snow monsters (樹氷 Juhyō?) that appear in mid-winter. Strong wind over the nearby lake fling water droplets which freeze against the trees and their branches, until near-horizontal icicles begin to form. Falling snow settles on the ice formations, and the end result is a grotesque figure of a tree. The effect of a full forest of such trees gives visitors a ghostly impression. The Yamagata Zao Onsen Ski Resort (山形蔵王温泉スキー場 Yamagata Zaō Onsen Skī-jō?) is the largest ski resort in Tōhoku region, Japan, operated by Zao Onsen Tourism Association

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Size: 4892px × 2752px
Location: Yamagata-shi, Yamagata Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan
Photo credit: © Moonie's World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 100, cold, country, famous, freezing, frost, fun, ice, japan, japanese, juhyo, monster, mountain, mountains, people, resort, rime, ski, skiing, slope, snow, snow-covered, snowboard, snowboarding, snowscape, sports, tohoku, winter, yamagata, yuki, zao