Base up top: 330 cm Temp Top; -9 Degrees Base at bottom; 215 cm New Snow since close: 30 cm Weather; Snow How many best runs of the season can you have? If you were to say one, you’d be wrong as this line was dropped more than a few times yesterday. Deep blower dry pow is what we all came here for and it was delivered in ample amounts on Boxing Day as moderate to heavy snowfalls continued from first to last lifts. The winds were also lighter than expected. Epic, just epic. The bets are in that skiing and boarding should be similar to yesterday, perhaps even better as skies are forecast to clear and winds drop […]
Nozawa gets Buried
Base up top: 310 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 215 cm New Snow since close: 75 cm Weather; Snow Ok, this winter in Nozawa Onsen is getting ridiculous for big dumps. Just another 75 cm overnight, pushing storm totals well over a meter and a half. I hope you all had an awesome Christmas. A bit of a repetitive statement so far, but yesterday was one of the best days of the season. Light, deep powder that challenged worlds arid zones for its dryness. Faceshots were the order for the day, the real issue was avoiding them to maintain a path of visibility. Today should be similar to Christmas day, albeit with stronger winds forecast […]
A 20cm Christmas Present
Base up top: 250 cm Temp Top; -5 Degrees Base at bottom; 180 cm New Snow since close: 20 cm Weather; Snow Merry Christmas to all! The snow gods have rewarded us with a fresh dump of snow right on time. 20cm of fresh powder has fallen across the resort, 15cm up top. Why less at the top? Windblown is the word. Look for characteristic wind lips and spines up in the Yamabiko for hurling a few freestyle spins. If your a fair weather skier then stick to the lower slopes that will be more sheltered from adverse conditions. Quite a contrast to yesterday, which saw nice scattered bluebird conditions corresponding with ample fresh powder snow. North facing slopes […]
35cm Overnight
Base up top: 260 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 155 cm New Snow since close: 35 cm Weather; Light snow Deep snow has once again buried Nozawa Onsen last night. A shift of the wind to the north west has resulted in a dramatically increase snowfall rate and we have accumulated around 35cm across the mountain. There will been excellent riding today especially in the Yamabiko tree area. Yesterday saw less snowfall than expected and as a result in was a good day for the groomers. Up top saw some nice powder amongst the trees. Off piste on the lower slopes were affected by a crust layer, which should be sufficiently buried by today. In […]
Monday Funday!
Base up top: 240 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 150 cm New Snow since close: 10 cm Weather; Light snow This morning we have isolated light snow showers falling across the resort. Totals have not substantiated to forecast amounts; we have had 10cm on the upper slopes and just a dusting in the village. This system is moving in from the west, not an ideal direction for Nozawa Onsen due to blocking mountain ranges. Again, the best riding will be had today on the well groomed runs, which will be fast and smooth. Yesterday was quite nice, better than expected. Wind and visibility was mostly fine, and the snow was running fast on the groomers. […]
Great Day for Groomers
Base up top: 250 cm Temp Top; -3 Degrees Base at bottom; 160 cm New Snow since close: 10 cm Weather; Isolated showers Looks like we were hit by some sour weather last night. Rain has fallen about the village resulting in loss of snow, not really a problem given the deep base. The good news is that the freezing level is expected to drop during the day resulting in snowfalls from top to bottom. Yeahaa! The best riding today will definitely be found on the pistes. Skyline will get your legs burning and Yamabiko will offer plenty of natural features to slash and jump off. For steep fall line skiing head to the Hikage area and take […]
Resort Opening Day with the Deepest Skiable area Worldwide!
Base up top: 260 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 195 cm New Snow since close: 0 cm Weather; Partly cloudy A partly cloudy morning today and there is very good news. Today marks the day in which Nozawa Onsen ski resort fully opens. All lifts will be running, depending on weather conditions as will all slopes. With no shortage of powder on offer today looks like it will be epic! Early on its worth exploring the slopes which have been closed without access so far this year. Skyline, Hikage, Kandahar will all be great. Once tracked out head to the treed areas for your fix of powder. Heres an amazing fact for you. Yesterday Nozawa […]
Snowfalls ease
Base up top: 290 cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom; 200 cm New Snow since close: 50 cm Weather; Partly cloudy It looks like the very heavy snow we have had for the past couple of days has finally abated. Small patches of brief blue sky are gradually making appearances with the occasional isolated snow shower passing over. We expect a continued clearing trend today with hopefully a full bluebird afternoon. Light winds are forecast. The snow is extremely deep off piste so its recommended to avoid these areas without adequate experience and equipment in dealing with the overhead depths. Yesterday only the lower slopes were open with horrendous wind conditions up top. Nevertheless there was so […]
You can stop the snow dance now..
Base up top: 270 cm Temp Top; -10 Degrees Base at Uenotaira 250 cm New Snow since close: 50 cm Weather; Still dumping It was less than a week ago we reported a 70 cm base up top. This morning it is 270cm we have had over 300cm fall now in less than a week. I have been here for a while and never seen a season start like this. Talked to my old Ski Patrol boss last night, he has done over 50 seasons here and he said he also couldn’t recall a mid December like this ever! It is proving hard work for all the locals trying to keep from literally getting buried with everyone on the roof […]
The Dump Begins
Base up top: 210 cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom; 150 cm New Snow since close: 25 cm Weather; Light snow Heavily overcast conditions have engulfed Nozawa Onsen this morning and we have some light snow falling across the mountain. Unfortunately high winds are forecast so fingers crossed the resort is able to open the upper lifted areas. As usual, this system looks to be slightly delayed in comparison to forecast timings, expect snowfall intensity to build steadily throughout the day. Best riding today again will be Yamabiko, provided wind intensity is below the safety margin for lift operation. Yesterday we saw strong prefrontal winds aloft which kept the Nagasaka Gondola closed all day. With only the Nagasaka […]