The Fire Festival is one of the three most famous fire festivals in Japan. It is held on January 15th every year to pray for a plentiful harvest, health and good fortune in the coming year. The festival dates back to 1863, and though the location has changed, the festivities remain the same. During this festival the twenty-five and forty-two year old men from the village play a very important role. An old belief in Japan dictates that, for men, these years are unlucky ages. The twenty-five and the forty-two year old men in their unlucky ages construct the shaden (shrine) from beech wood that reaches a height of 18 meters. Every year it takes 100 villagers to build […]
What a Day!
Base up top: 360 cm Temp Top; -6 Degrees Base at bottom; 220 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Clear Today is the day that we all expected yesterday. A clear full blue sky in combination with the occasional streaky high and astoundingly photogenic cirrus cloud. The views from the top this morning had to be seen to be believed with every mountain in the surrounding 100km revealed in startling detail. Chutes, spines and open powder fields of the soaring Japanese Alps that would take days to reach were just in grasp for the pleasure of mind skiing. Oh, and the skiing was pretty good too. Stubborn clouds remain most of the day yesterday cloaking the […]
Getting Deep in Nozawa
Base up top: 370 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 235 cm New Snow since close: 30 cm Weather; Overcast We were expecting a full bluebird this morning but it looks like the skies haven’t quite cleared just yet. Mostly overcast conditions with the occasional flurry still persist. We should see these clouds to move on at some point later today. Expect the skiing and boarding to be as good as it gets in Nozawa Onsen with deep dry powder blanketing all areas of the resort. The groomers will be soft and silky smooth. For powder enthusiasts skiing in the trees will enable you to obtain no shortage of face shots. Yesterday was also just about […]
Just a Cool 45cm
Base up top: 360 cm Temp Top; -9 Degrees Base at bottom; 225 cm New Snow since close: 45 cm Weather; Snow As predicted the snow really came down hard and fast last night with no less than 45cm falling at the top of the gondola, 30cm down in the village. Indicating the strength and instability of this system, a thunderstorm passed over the village this morning. Very rare indeed for the winter season in Japan. Snow is still coming down hard as of 9am so there is sure to be some significant totals by the afternoon and great riding in the improved depth perception of the trees. Very cold temperatures have swept across the resort so make […]
Festive Atmosphere Locally
Base up top: 325 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 190 cm New Snow since close: 5 cm Weather; Overcast More of the same in Nozawa Onsen as conditions are really similar to yesterday. Its a mostly overcast sky with clearer visibility at the bottom than the top. We have had some snow fall overnight with 5cm recorded at the top and 1-2cm at village level. With a Japanese long weekend it will be markedly busier on the hill, something which took us all by surprise yesterday. A festive air was experienced in the village last night with traffic control shutting off the main street to cars for everyone to take part in a giant game […]
Fresh Snow Continues
Base up top: 325 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 200 cm New Snow since close: 5 cm Weather; Light snow We have some light snow flurries in the village of Nozawa Onsen at the moment. A nice collection of fresh snow is visible distributed on nearby roofs. The resort is reporting 5cm at the top and 2cm down the bottom. Looks like today will be another great day with abundant fresh lines, as usual for this season. Yesterday was also a great day on the hill. Snow showers cleared earlier than expected leaving cloud lingering at the peak and long breaks of blue sky elsewhere, increasing during the afternoon. Mid afternoon saw some spectacular light […]
Pumping Skiing at Nozawa
Base up top: 340 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 205 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Overcast Another cold cloudy morning here in Nozawa Onsen. While there is no snow falling at present, we expect a couple of isolated flurries throughout the day. Overnight totals were not too significant only a dusting recorded in the village and peak. There will be good riding and skiing across the hill today with exceptionally uncrowded slopes for this time of year and the obvious quality snow. Watch out for dangers on South facing slopes, such as death cookies and an extremely prominent ice layer producing very high instability. North facing slopes are only very marginally safer […]
Windblown Features
Base up top: 340 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 215 cm New Snow since close: 20-40 cm Weather; Snow Looks like we have received some significant snowfalls overnight, more than expected. Around 40cm has fallen at the top of the gondola and 20cm at Yamabiko, indicating windblown conditions. There is sure to be some outstanding riding on offer today with knee to waist deep stashes of powder. Time to get out there and enjoy! Yesterday saw light to moderate isolated snowfalls continue all day with the occasional patch of blue sky. The snow was not quite deep enough to make the effects of rain the day before unnoticed with an icy base layer with many […]
Snowy Conditions Return
Base up top: 325 cm Temp Top; -10 Degrees Base at bottom; 190 cm New Snow since close: 15 cm Weather; Isolated snow showers Fifteen centimetres of the good stuff has fallen across the resort last night and we have patches of blue sky. Today is going to be a good day. Make sure you head up to Yamabiko to slash and spray some fine white japow; or try out one of the long winding groomers for silky smooth carving action. Be sure to rug up with an extra layer to protect yourself against the cold windy conditions! An unstable ice layer is something to watch out for off piste as are the dreaded death cookies in gully […]
A good rest day
Base up top: 320 cm Temp Top; +2 Degrees Base at bottom; 200 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Overcast Warm prefrontal temperatures and cloud is what we see when we look out the window this morning in Nozawa Onsen. Luckily this southerly inflow will be short-lived as a cold front is forecast to make an impact over the region later tonight delivering snow and very cold temperatures. High traffic groomers will be the pick of the runs today which will offer the fastest snow conditions. Yesterday saw very interesting atmospheric conditions and quality snow on the upper North facing slopes. An inversion layer had trapped air pollution blown in from the south to create a thick […]