Base up top: 230cm Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom: 125cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Clear We awoke to another clear day here in Nozawa Onsen. It looks like it will be another nice days across the resort both on and off piste. Groomed runs with be fast early, but will soften during the day as the temperatures creep into the positives in the sun. It would be wise to apply some sunscreen before heading up today. There is no shortage of cars making their way into the car park this morning so it should be relatively crowded on the hill today. Yesterday, it was also somewhat crowded and with the long weekend, tomorrow […]
Fire Festival Preparations Underway
Base up top: 240cm Temp Top; -9 Degrees Base at bottom: 130cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Clear After a couple of days of snowfalls, the weather has returned to intense sunshine here in Nozawa Onsen. Looks like a great day for skiing with the perfect visibility. Many of the well known areas became tracked out when the snowfalls stopped around lunchtime yesterday, however with a bit of exploration you would be sure to still find some untracked Japan powder. Conditions on the groomers will be fast early, but will soften in the afternoon with the warm temperatures forecast. The weekend crowds began to roll into the resort early this morning. It will be significantly busier […]
Surprise 35cm
Base up top: 250cm Temp Top; -9 Degrees Base at bottom: 150cm New Snow since close: 35cm Weather; Snow showers Unexpectedly moderate snowfalls persisted overnight delivering an excellent surprise this morning. From last lifts till midnight last night we saw about 15-20cm gather on top of railings and by morning 30cm had accumulated in the village, with even more up high. It looks like there should be some outstanding and deep riding on offer today. A clearing trend is expected during the day, but this is hard to imagine as the snowfalls show no signs of letting up. Like the past week crowds are looking like they will be minimal. Yesterday there were many happy faces on […]
Fresh Snow!
Base up top: 230cm Temp Top; -12 Degrees Base at bottom: 120cm New Snow since close: 15cm Weather; Snow Looking out the window in Nozawa this morning it seems the much anticipated fresh snow has arrived. Since last lifts yesterday we have had 15cm up top and 5cm in the village. There should be fun riding throughout the resort today, but likely there will be a bit of a dust-on-crust phenomenon occurring. The snowfalls will continue till sometime tonight so the riding should improve through the day. Yesterday was extraordinarily quiet on the mountain, but today looks like it will be busier with noticeably more cars making the way up to the car parks. Temperatures […]
Waiting Day
Base up top: 230cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom: 120cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Cloudy, possible snow A misty and overcast day here in Nozawa Onsen, however the forecast snow has yet to eventuate. It seems this upcoming system has been delayed. This is often the case when forecasting the weather for skiing in Japan. The models are excellent in predicting whether there will be snow or not, but the timing can sometimes be off. Nevertheless there will be some fun riding on the groomed runs today, especially with the minimal crowds. Yesterday saw an exceptionally uncrowded day on the mountain with no lift lines whatsoever. The tree runs became mostly completely tracked […]
Uncrowded Conditions
Base up top: 240cm Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom: 140cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Sunny, increasing clouds We woke to another clear blue day here in Nozawa Onsen. Again, the sunrise mountain alpenglow provided an impressive spectacle and cloud-free night ensured we have no new snow to speak of. The groomed runs should be firm and fast today with cold overnight temperatures and it’s still possible to find fresh tracks off-piste with a bit of a search. Yesterday was an extremely quiet day on the mountain and in the less frequented areas it was possible to have entire runs pretty much to yourself. Today looks like it will be another exceptionally quiet day […]
Sunscreen Required
Base up top: 250cm Temp Top; -2 Degrees Base at bottom; 140cm New Snow since close: 5cm Weather; Clear, sunny, light winds After brief snow flurries yesterday afternoon we woke to a clear full blue day here in Nozawa Onsen and a brilliant alpenglow shining on the mountains across the valley. Currently there is no wind to speak of and not a cloud in the sky, perfect! It looks like the variable weather forecast for today will not eventuate. Likely blue skies and sun will remain for the day, perhaps with a couple of clouds moving in from the west later in the afternoon. Today should be warmer than the past couple of days with a freeze […]
Increasing Snow
Base up top: 250cm Temp Top; -5 Degrees Base at bottom; 145cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Snow A return to snowy conditions here in this morning in Nozawa Onsen. After a spectacular clear starry night a cloud front moved in around breakfast and we are currently experiencing some light snow which should continue for the rest of the day. There are still quite a few fresh tracks to be found around the resort if you know where to look and the skiing is excellent in all areas of the resort. Yesterdays partly cloudy blue skies and light winds prevailed throughout the afternoon. Cold temperatures ensured the snow remained in top quality even with the sun. […]
Postcard Perfect
Base up top: 275cm Temp Top; -12 Degrees Base at bottom; 160cm New Snow since close: 35cm Weather; Clear Get the cameras out we have an absolute stunner here it Nozawa Onsen this morning! Light snow flurries continued overnight giving a minor top up to the cover. However the dawn saw the clouds part and give way to sun and perfect blue skies. This is one of those days to remember with plentiful deep snow, minimal wind and excellent visibility. Yesterday saw continued moderate to occasionally heavy snowfalls but the extremely flat light made skiing outside the trees challenging, especially up high. Off piste chokingly deep powder limited skiing to steep areas with many riders became bogged […]
Nozawa delivers
Base up top: 275cm Temp Top; -10 Degrees Base at bottom; 170cm New Snow since close: 60cm Weather; Moderate snow After yesterdays dump the snow has continued overnight delivering an additional 60cm of powder, much to the delight of punters. This sorely needed top up has returned Nozawa Onsen to the magical winter wonderland that we all know and love, with seemingly limitless fresh lines and many buried cars. At the moment in Nozawa we have cold temperatures and continued snow falls albeit at a lesser intensity in comparison with the last 36 hours. There is also a bit of wind about today, but it is by no means strong. The Japanese new years holiday has finished […]