Senior Airman Max Weinstein, left, and Senior Airman Chris Carroccio, right, with friends at Geto Kogen snow resort, Japan, on Feb. 1, 2025. The pair rescued a Japanese snowboarder trapped in a snow hole during their visit. (Max Weinstein)
Two American airmen used a rope to rescue a snowboarder trapped in a hole at a Japanese snow resort last month, according to the 35th Fighter Wing.
Senior Airman Max Weinstein and Senior Airman Chris Carroccio were snowboarding Feb. 1 at Geto Kogen resort when they encountered the trapped snowboarder, the wing reported in a Feb. 19 news release.
Geto Kogen, in Iwate prefecture, is three hours south of Misawa Air Base, the fighter wing’s home base.
“Geto Kogen commonly gets dumped on with insane amounts of snow,” according to the Powder Hounds website.
Each season the resort gets almost 50 feet of snowfall with a typical base of 13-16 feet and sometimes as much as 23 feet, the website states.
The young airmen, both experienced riders, were snowboarding between trees in a remote part of the mountain when Weinstein spotted a hole in the snow, he told Stars and Stripes by phone Friday.
“It was in a river area that you couldn’t see from the mountain,” he recalled.
A helmet camera captured video of the moment Weinstein spotted the Japanese snowboarder trapped in the hole. The man was standing upright with water running under his feet, he said.
“The Japanese guy was exhausted,” added Carroccio, who had joined Weinstein at the entrance to the 15-foot-deep hole.
Fortunately, the aerospace propulsion technicians, assigned to the 14th Fighter Generation Squadron, had a rope with them.
“We attached it around a tree and pulled him out,” Weinstein said. They also retrieved the man’s snowboard.
The pair checked out the victim, who didn’t speak English, in a flat area, away from the hole. After discovering he was uninjured, the trio snowboarded through trees to the bottom of the hill where their new friend reunited with a companion.
“He hugged me and that was when I realized what it meant to be an American warrior on and off duty,” Weinstein said. “We are here to help.”
Japanese snow resorts have experienced heavy snow in the past month. Avalanche warnings are common, and skiers and snowboarders risk being buried in deep snow each winter.
Eighty-four skiers and snowboarders died in Japan between 2011 and 2023, according to a February 2024 study published in Sage Journal. Collisions with trees claimed 23 lives, while plunging into deep snow took 18 and avalanches killed five, according to the study.
The Misawa airmen advised other service members hitting the slopes to ride within their abilities and come prepared.
“Always bring equipment,” Carroccio said. “Take account of the people you are going with and don’t go alone.”
