A Melbourne man has become the third Australian fatality on Japan’s snowfields in recent days after collapsing while skiing with friends.

Michael “Micky” Hurst, 27, was reportedly at the rear of a group of skiers in Japan’s Hokkaido region when he had a medical episode.

He was an avid skier and surfer who grew up on Melbourne’s bayside and was keenly involved with the local life-saving club.

“He was unwaveringly kind, compassionate and went through life with a smile on his face and a great sense of humour,” his brother Patrick Hurst told the ABC.

“Despite all the wonderful things he did and achieved throughout his life, he will be remembered above all for his humility, generosity, kindness and loyalty to his family, beautiful partner and friends,” his family said.

Hurst apparently skied off-course between Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort and Niseko Annupuri International Ski Resort.

He was skiing with a group of seven people on Monday but disappeared.

The others headed back up the slope to try to find him. When they did, he was being given CPR by another group of skiers.

One of the seven skiers called the lodge where Hurst was believed to have been working and the fire department rescued him, but he later died in hospital.

Police said the man had no visible injuries.

Hurst had been working at a lodge at a ski resort in Niseko, Hokkaido.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade sent its “deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time”.

Two other Australians have died this ski season in Japan.

On Friday, snowboarder Brooke Day, 22, died when her backpack got caught on a ski lift and she was left hanging mid-air at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Otari near Nagano.

An unfastened waist belt buckle on her backpack became hooked on the lift chair while a chest strap was still securely fastened, causing her to be dragged along the snow and suspended mid-air, the resort said.

The lift was stopped by an attendant, who pressed an emergency button. Day was rushed to hospital after suffering what appeared to be a cardiac arrest.

Brooke Day became caught on a ski lift. Photo: Supplied

The Tsugaike Mountain Resort and Tsugaike Gondola Lift Co jointly apologised for the accident and said an investigation would be launched into the fatal incident.

It has also emerged that an Australian teen died from asphyxiation after skiing into a rope on January 9.

Rylan Henry Pribadi, 17, was skiing at the Niseko Ski Resort in Kutchan Town, when he came into contact with a rope marking the course boundary, the ABC reports.

Pribadi was an old boy from Brisbane Grammar School and graduated in 2025.

The school said he died while “doing what he loved most”.

“Rylan was known for his friendly, approachable nature, reliability, and commitment to those around him,” the school posted to Facebook.

“Rylan’s passing has profoundly affected all who knew him, and our school community mourns the loss of a bright and valued member of the BGS family.”

Rylan Pribadi, 17, was ‘asphyxiated’ after skiing into a rope. Photo: Brisbane Grammar School

The school extended its deepest condolences to Rylan’s parents, Reza and Jacky, his two sisters and their extended family and friends.

“We hold Rylan and his loved ones in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time.”

Australians have increasingly set their sights on Japan for holidays, with more than one million travelling to the island nation in 2025.

That was up 15 per cent on 2024 and included more than 121,000 for the start of three-month ski season in December, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said.

-with AAP