Zao ski resort (Yamagata)

With 15 slopes and 12 courses, Zao Onsen is one of the most well known ski resorts in Japan.
But travelers come to Zao not only for the snow-capped mountain but the trees.
Extreme snow and seasonal winds cocoon the mountain's pine trees during the coldest winter months, creating snow towers in obscure forms known as "ice monsters" or Juhyo in Japanese.
Zao onsen ski resort, Yamagata, Japan; +81 23 694 9328