Faye Milligan, Hakuba Valley Views (Black and White 2019)

The Japanese landscape is rugged, with more than four-fifths of the land surface consisting of mountains. The main island of Japan, Honshu is home to some of Japan’s major ski resorts, including Shiga Kogen, Hakuba, Myoko Kogen, Madarao, and Nozawa Onsen. Many of the popular resorts are located in the Niigata and Nagano prefectures, which are renowned for their exceptional snowfall. Being close to the Sea of Japan (only 25km away), these areas receive mammoth amounts of light and dry powder (up to 16 metres a season!) as the moisture is drawn up over the mountain ranges and condenses into snow atop the ski resorts. The Hakuba Valley is one of Japan's most popular ski destinations for Westerners. Made up of 9 ski resorts, including the most well-known Tsugaike, Iwatake, Goryu, and Hakuba 47.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.