Zao Onsen - Ice Monsters

One of the things we've wanted to do since last year is go to Zao Onsen and see the Ice Monsters. Zao is a ski resort a few hours outside Fukushima in northern Japan. You don't have to ski or snowboard to see the Ice Monsters as they sell passes for visitors to go to the summit via gondola and see the formations.

The Ice Monsters are pine trees, covered in snow and then blown by the wind. It forms some pretty wild and beautiful formations. Luckily, the first day we were at the resort, the weather was BEAUTIFUL and it really reminded me of why I love skiing so much. The views of the mountain were gorgeous and we went all the way to the summit and skiied/snowboarded down. The trip to the summit from the base of the mountain + skiing down the mountain took us a total of four hours each time. We spent a few hours looking at the Ice Monsters, a few hours being lost, and then it takes some time to ride the lifts all the way to the summit.

Enjoy these pictures of the Ice Monsters. I might have more to post later.