Most skiers and snowboarders kick off the season with a cold brew and some fresh powder. For professional snowboarder Makoto Kuroki, winter 2025 started with an ambush and a high-speed pursuit.
While carving through Japan’s Hakuba Valley on December 7, Kuroki realized he wasn’t alone on the piste. A Japanese black bear suddenly appeared downslope and began charging uphill toward him.
In a series of short clips he posted to social media the following day, Kuroki is seen carving around the apex predator as if it were just a 250-pound slalom gate. After a short chase, the bear seems to realize it has no hope of catching him and heads off-slope into the forest.
A memorable moment from my first run of the season: meeting a bear on the slopes
Let’s enjoy winter sports while respecting nature and protecting our mountainspic.twitter.com/G5Yfp2qPvz
— MAKOTO KUROKI (@MK2BLACK) December 8, 2025
Kuroki’s initial social media reaction? Peak athlete chill.
“A memorable moment from my first run,” he remarked in his post’s caption. To be fair, being hunted by a furry tank isn’t exactly forgettable.
In a December 12 interview with The Japan Times, however, Kuroki was a bit more candid.
“Had I fallen, I would have been caught,” he admitted. “Had I collided, I might have been attacked. It was a close call.”
Kuroki, who lives and works in the Hakuba region, explained in his blog that the encounter happened early in the morning, when no other skiers or snowboarders were on the slopes. If heading out to the slopes alone, particularly in the early morning or evening hours, he recommended carrying a whistle, as bears are believed to be deterred by loud noises.
While his footage looks like a scene from an action movie, Kuroki’s ultimate takeaway was humble.
“We are able to enjoy skiing and snowboarding thanks to the mountains—home to bears, deer, and many other wildlife species,” he wrote in the post. He added that for him, the incident was a reminder that humans should “appreciate this environment that we are borrowing.”
It’s been a record year for bear encounters in Japan. The country’s Ministry of the Environment reports there have been more than 36,800 bear sightings across the country since April. Although the animals are usually hibernating by now, a shortage in their primary food source—beechnut, chestnut, and oak acorns—may be preventing them from entering their deep slumber as usual.
Kuroki can be considered lucky. According to government statistics, 230 people in Japan have been attacked since April, resulting in 13 fatalities. In the United States, by comparison, there have been less than half of that.
If you’re heading to Japan this winter, make sure your reflexes are sharp. Catching an edge could result in more than just a faceplant. Kuroki’s skill on the board may have been the only thing standing between having a memorable season opener and becoming a tragic statistic.
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