The Legendary Swatch Nines Is Coming to Japan Next Ski Season

Swatch Nines, the famed freeskiing and snowboarding gathering with massive, otherworldly terrain park features is heading to Japan for the first time next winter. 

The watch company and event sponsor Swatch said in a press release that the Swatch Nines 2026 will be held at the Hokkaido ski resort Niseko Tokyu Grand HIRAFU from April 6 to April 11, 2026.

Swatch added that halfpipe snowboarder and X Games medalist Kaishu Hirano will be involved in the design of the Japanese course alongside some of the “biggest names in the snow sporting world.” Similar to past Swatch Nines events, the course is set to include skatepark features so skateboarders can ride alongside the snowboarders and skiers.

Beyond that, the Swatch and Swatch Nines didn’t have much else to share about the upcoming event, but said more details, including the invited athletes, would be coming soon.

Last spring, Swatch Nines was held at Schilthorn Piz Gloria, part of the Jungfrau ski region in Switzerland.

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Founded more than a decade ago, Swatch Nines started as a gathering for freestyle skiers. Since then, it’s gone through multiple sponsors and names (you may remember the Suzuki Nine Knights), as well as expanding into different action sports. This summer, there were also mountain biking and surfing versions of the event. The latter took place at Texas’s Waco Surf wave pool.

Despite the massive features included at each stop, Swatch Nines isn’t a competition with scores and winners. Instead, it’s billed as a free-form opportunity for skiers and snowboarders to push the snowsports envelope. Over the years, the event’s seen world records and new tricks, as well as producing a yearly trove of memorable freeskiing footage. 

A few memorable Swatch Nine moments include Andri Ragettli‘s quad cork 1800 and Kim Gubser’s world record hip air. 

While Swatch Nines will be on a different continent next season, those fundamentals don’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

Related: Introducing The 2026 Photo Annual—Chris Benchetler Leads POWDER’s New Print Magazine