‘Snow monsters’ emerge in incredible images atop of Mount Zao, Japan
Mind-blowing images have emerged from the chilly heights of Mount Zao in Japan — where a remarkable phenomenon has taken place.
Incredible images of “snow monsters” have emerged from the blizzards sweeping the chilly heights of Mount Zao in Japan — to the awe of passing skiers.
The sea of gnarled figures — some looking remarkably like dinosaurs on closer inspection — are seemingly frozen in time.
The ghoulish shapes are in fact trees trapped in layers of snow and ice. They are known as “Juhyo” in Japanese, or “snow monsters” in English.
Yamagata in Japan is one of the few places globally where the right combination of snow, strong winds, and low temperatures traps trees in this way, forming the unique shapes of snow-covered trees.
According to the Japanese government, the figures are caused by cold air blowing from Siberia before it is trapped by the mountains running north to south.
“Water droplets in the air freeze onto the trees, creating towering monsters of snow and ice,” it says. “While there are several places in the world to see this phenomenon, Zao is one of the largest.”
For anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of the “monsters”, the season begins in December, and the figures are at their biggest between mid-February and mid-March.
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