Base up top: 445 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 250 cm New Snow since close: dusting Weather; Mostly fine How can it still be so good? After the lacklustre final 10 days of winter many had given up hope of fresh snow of enough significance to improve riding conditions back to mid winter levels. In this case patience has paid off and we are currently experiencing one of the best weeks of the season, mostly facilitated by the entire lack of crowds. Yesterday was extremely good, certainly one of the best days of the season, deep dry powder that was effortless the glide through in combination with sun between the drifting snow clouds. Just perfect. […]
Unbelievable March Conditions
Base up top: 440 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 230 cm New Snow since close: 3-10 cm Weather; Snow Its still coming down here in Nozawa Onsen. Looking out the window this morning will incite no shortage of excitement for powder enthusiast with persistent moderate snow accumulating 10cm of fresh since last lifts yesterday. The word of the day today will be ‘epic’. Yesterday we saw some superb conditions, certainly the best in recent memory, probably since mid February at least. Deep but not bottomless powder snow blanketed the resort once more creating a blank canvas to work upon. The snow was in excellent conditions all day with cold temperatures and light to moderate winds. […]
Above Expectations
Base up top: 445 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 230 cm New Snow since close: 40 cm Weather; Snow Over the last few weeks in Nozawa Onsen we have been through several storm cycles that had shown much promise, according to forecasts, but failed to deliver snowfalls of any significance. Im pleased to say that this run of over expectations has well and truly finished. Since late yesterday afternoon the snow has fallen thick and fast with overnight accumulations pushing up towards the 40cm mark on the upper reaches of the mountain. Snow to village level has also been significant with 20cm of collection at 600m above sea level. Safe to say the riding will […]
Fresh snow alert!
Base up top: 410 cm Temp Top; -4 Degrees Base at bottom; 220 cm New Snow since close: 20 cm Weather; Snow Snow has fallen once more in Nozawa Onsen. 20cm has collected on the upper mountain while around 5cm has accumulated in the village. Heavy rain fell in town last night, however this obviously fell as snow from mid mountain and the upper elevations. Expect the snow on the upper slopes to be wind packed with a denser consistency than normal. Wind strength for today has been downgraded to moderate levels with snowfall totals for the next 24 hours receiving an upgrade. A win win situation. Yesterday we experienced some more quality spring conditions. Although overcast, the […]
Powder is coming!!
Base up top: 395 cm Temp Top; 0 Degrees Base at bottom; 220 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Overcast Today we have a fairly windy, overcast but dry morning. The freezing level is sitting high, at around the same elevation as the peak of Nozawa Onsen, Mt Kenashi. As a result predominantly soft and slushy snow will feature on the hill today. Well groomed pistes again will be the best bet and the less ridden slopes will be stickier. We may experience some precipitation in the form of prefrontal rain showers later in the day but these will only be light and localised. Yesterday was an awesome day for spring skiing. The slopes were soft […]
The Slopes are on Fire in Nozawa
Base up top: 400 cm Temp Top; -3 Degrees Base at bottom; 225 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Overcast The latest forecast is in and since this time yesterday we have seen predictions make some incremental upgrades to both snowfall amounts and wind strength for next weeks series of fronts. This could be one of the last prolonged period of very cold and snowy weather for the season, at this stage we are expecting just under a week of cold conditions with snowfalls. Snowfalls are expected to be heaviest Monday night, Tuesday and then again on Wednesday night. Heavy falls are expected during the subsequent time periods with lighter falls mixed between. Will this weeks […]
Perfect Spring Weather
Base up top: 400 cm Temp Top; 2 Degrees Base at bottom; 225 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Overcast Its been a cool morning so far but with a warm inflow of southerly winds and some incident sun rays impacting the snow we should find conditions softening through the afternoon, if it hasn’t already. Groomed runs will be in excellent condition, almost as good as they get if the weekend crowds are ignored. The park and pipe are also in fine form. Off piste is still extremely variable and best avoided for today; south facing aspects will fare better. Yesterday in Nozawa Onsen we had some beautiful clear weather and almost perfect temperatures for spring […]
Spring Conditions Prevail
Base up top: 410 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 230 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Clear With the amount of cold sunny mornings we have had so far this month there is a definite spring vibe in the air. Expect conditions today to be firm and fast earlier, softening with the incidence of solar radiation. Off piste areas may have the occasional patches of spring corn beginning to form, that will be very fun to ride. But today the best bet will be riding the groomers that will be perfect for some carving action. The snowfalls that were predicted over the last 36 hours amounted to nothing more than a few passing […]
An icy base
Base up top: 410 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 235 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Partly cloudy Its a cold and windy morning here in Nozawa Onsen today. With no new snow to report and a temperature reading of -7C at the summit of Mt Kenashi the snow will be very firm and/or icy today on all but the lowest of slopes. On piste areas will be the pick and they will be fast, good edging technique required. Yesterday we saw some warm sunny weather last the duration. It was a nice day to be outside with soft and forgiving spring skiing making for ideal conditions to practice and improve. The park […]
Better than expected
Base up top: 420 cm Temp Top; -1 Degrees Base at bottom; 240 cm New Snow since close: 5 cm Weather; Cloud The rain that was forecast for last night has seemed to of missed us here in Nozawa Onsen and instead we have received the lightest dusting of snow in the village and 5cm up top. Good news, the skiing and boarding today will be better than expected. Looks like today the freezing level will gradually decline, currently sitting at 1200 meters, to around 200 meters. During this time isolated light snow showers are also a possibility, enhancing conditions. Yesterday was also a nice day to be up on the hill. With colder than predicted temperatures the […]