International Yukigassen Championship In Filzmoos, Austria's Largest Snowball Fight Scheduled For Saturday, March 15th:
The International Austrian Yukigassen Championship will take place on March 15th at the Rossbrand in Filzmoos. A Yukigassen team consists of at least seven people. Apart from a minimum age of 13, there are no other restrictions on participation. Previous knowledge is not required. The team sport Yukigassen (Japanese for snow fight) originated in 1988 in Hokkaido (Japan) and, to put it simply, is a sporting snowball fight with clear rules and structures between two teams. In order to be successful, there are a number of strategies and tactics that the teams can use.
This is how Yukigassen works: In a Yukigassen match, two teams of seven players each face each other. The teams throw snowballs at each other, with each team having 90 snowballs at their disposal, which are produced using a specially standardized snowball machine. On the 10 x 36 meter snow-covered playing field, there are small protective walls behind which the players can take shelter from the opponent's snowballs. Anyone who is hit has to leave the playing field. The playing time per set is three minutes. The winner is the team that has the most players on the field at the end of the set and is the first to win two sets. Capturing the opponent's flag also leads to victory. All participants are equipped with helmets and goggles for protection.
The Japanese Yukigassen came to Filzmoos via Finland
Tourism director Peter Donabauer, founder and president of the Austrian Yukigassen Association, was made aware of this new winter sport by Peter Stromberger, founder of TV Travelstories, who had observed it in Finland. Finland, or more precisely Lapland, is the European centre of Yukigassen sport. The Yukigassen European Championship takes place every year in Kemijärvi (Lapland). "After a few phone calls with Finland and Japan, it quickly became clear that we wanted to bring this new trend sport to Austria and that Filzmoos as a venue offers the ideal conditions for this," says Donabauer, looking forward to his Yukigassen tournament as another highlight of the season in the Filzmoos winter sports region.
The Filzmoos tournament management is supported by a team of experts from Finland led by Ari Pöyliö, the president of the Finnish Yukigassen Association and organizer of the Yukigassen European Championships. Filzmoos also has a seat and a vote in the International Alliance of Sports Yukigassen, the world association of Yukigassen. Together with the national associations, the goal is to establish Yukigassen as a discipline at the Winter Olympics.
15 Yukigassen teams compete at the Rossbrand in Filzmoos
The 2nd Austrian Yukigassen Championship will take place in Filzmoos on March 15th. 15 teams have registered, including the defending champions and the runners-up from last year. The games will be played from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rossbrand in Filzmoos. The winning team will be entitled to the title of “Austrian Yukigassen National Champion” and will receive the championship medals and the winner’s cup as well as prize money of 3,000 euros (the vice national champion will receive 2,000 euros, the third-place team 1,000 euros).
If you cannot attend this year or can only attend as a spectator, you can also note the date for the 3rd International Austrian Yukigassen Championship in Filzmoos: March 13th to 15th, 2026.
More information: www.filzmoos.at / www.yukigassen-austria.at
