Yukigassen

Yukigassen
A yukigassen tournament final in 2018
Highest governing bodyInternational Alliance Yukigassen
First played1989, Sōbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Characteristics
Team members7 players per side
TypeTeam sport, Snowball fight
EquipmentSnowball
Venuesnow pitch
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide (most popular in Japan and Finland)

Yukigassen (雪合戦; IPA: [jɯkiɡaꜜsseɴ]) is a snowball fighting-competition played between two teams of seven players each on a pitch of snow 10 meters wide and 36 meters long. The pitch is divided into halves, and each half has three defensive "shelters" and the team flag. The goal of the game is to either capture the other team's flags or to eliminate all of the other team's players by hitting them with snowballs, 90 of which are made prior to the start of gameplay. The game has been compared to capture the flag, dodgeball, and paintball.