Idea from Japan

9000 balls flew during a snowball fight

Small walls offered protection, but you always had to be on your guard.(Bild: Filzmoos Tourismus / Michael Simonlehner)

What a spectacle! On the Rossbrand in Filzmoos on Saturday, the balls flew around the ears of the Yukigassen athletes. A total of 9000 snowballs were ready for the Austrian championships in this Japanese sport. Radstadt took the victory.

A new sport from Japan is making its way to Austria. Yukigassen - professional snowball shooting - took place for the second time in Filzmoos on Saturday. In this Austrian championship with lots of fun, the teams threw a total of 9000 pre-formed snowballs at each other. Whoever was hit had to leave.

The winner of the event on the Rossbrand was the BORG Radstadt team. The team members had had small snowball fights at every opportunity beforehand. With their victory, they qualified for the Yukigassen European Championships in Finland at the beginning of April and received 3000 euros in prize money. Peter Donabauer, head of tourism in Filzmoos and president of the Yukigassen Association Austria, hopes: "Maybe Austrians will make it to the World Championships in Japan one day."