Latest News from Nozawa Onsen

Base up top: 320cm        Temp Top; -12 Degrees Base at bottom: 180cm New Snow since close: 20cm Weather; Snow There is heavy snow about the village of Nozawa Onsen this morning. We have had 20cm fall overnight across the mountain and cold temperatures will ensure the fresh accumulations will be of high quality, especially up high. Strong wind about the peaks yesterday will have formed quite a few wind features to hit. We saw extremely cold windchill factors yesterday lingering around -20 to -30C so it’s safe to say yesterday was cold, very cold. This didn’t seem to keep the weekend crowds away. However those who braved the conditions were rewarded with perfect knee deep powder amongst […]

Base up top: 300cm        Temp Top; -12 Degrees Base at bottom: 160cm New Snow since close: 5cm Weather; Snow It’s always good to wake to the sound of snow sliding off the roof and the machines clearing the road in the morning. This was the case in Nozawa Onsen earlier. It’s currently dumping consistent thick flakes and really looks to have set in. Finally this long awaited system has begun to deliver which is good as the lack of substantial snowfalls yesterday was starting to make my forecasting look bad! Today is Australia Day and there is a real party mood in the lodges this morning. With the good snow on offer, it should be a good […]

Base up top: 290cm        Temp Top; -7 Degrees Base at bottom: 160cm New Snow since close: 5cm Weather; Snow showers Passing heavy snow showers are producing the goods in Nozawa Onsen this morning. A particularly heavy one passed through between 7 and 8am delivering around 10cm to the lodge railing. Its not snowing at the moment but looking west we have some more dark clouds looming on the horizon that look very promising. Yesterday saw beautiful conditions. Clear weather remained for most of the day with some interestingly shaped high clouds moving over during the afternoon. The skiing was fast and icy on the groomed runs- perfect for practicing carving technique at speed. The off piste areas […]

Base up top: 305cm        Temp Top; -1 Degrees Base at bottom: 160cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Perfect blue sky It’s a perfect clear blue sky day here in Nozawa Onsen, the best clear day of the month so far. Not a cloud in the sky. Bring the cameras up as there will be some pretty special views to take in. Today looks like it will remain clear till the afternoon when some high cloud should move through preceding the much talked about frontal system. It’s warm up there at the moment, temperatures should reach above freezing across the whole mountain. The snow will be slushy and fun, especially on the groomers. Yesterday saw fast conditions […]

Base up top: 310cm        Temp Top; -8 Degrees Base at bottom: 160cm New Snow since close: 6cm Weather; Partly cloudy It is an atmospheric day here in Nozawa Onsen this morning. We woke to some fog and low lying cloud enveloping the village. When that cleared, a clean atmosphere and passing mist on the opposing mountains afforded a very nice view. We have had a dusting of fresh snow up high overnight refreshing the mountain. Groomed runs should be the pick again today and will be fast and fun. There are challenging conditions off piste as crust layer has formed, so fresh snow is needed there. Even up high yesterday the snow was very heavy going and […]

Base up top: 310cm        Temp Top; -1 Degrees Base at bottom: 180cm New Snow since close: 0cm Weather; Rain, snow up high Conditions today in Nozawa Onsen are less than inspiring. The lower half has some liquid snow (rain) falling and with a temperature up the top is at only -1C so whilst it is snowing, it is very wet and heavy. Nevertheless you can still ski in the rain and have a great time. The groomed runs will be the pick today. With the soft conditions, the terrain park and pipe are also worth a look. Quite a contrast to yesterday which saw blue skies and partly cloudy conditions persist for the most of the day. […]

Base up top: 320cm        Temp Top; -13 Degrees Base at bottom: 215cm New Snow since close: 8cm Weather; Clear We have a stunning morning here in Nozawa Onsen. After four days of snowy conditions the clouds have parted and we have warm sunshine beaming down on the resort. Make the most of it as clouds are forecast to move in during the afternoon. Temperatures are set to increase into the positives at village level as the day moves on. Without any significant falls overnight tracks from yesterday will still be present off piste. Cold overnight temperatures mean the groomers will be firm and fast early on, but soften during the day. Yesterday was a busy day on […]

Some sad news out of Nozawa Onsen this morning. With the loss of one of our Olympic Champions, Sumihiro Tomii san from Maruji Lodge passed away in the early hours of the morning. He represented Japan in the downhill at 2 Olympic games and was a very well respected and liked member of the community. He was a great business partner and friend to us over the years and taught us a great deal about skiing and life in general. A champion skier and a champion gentleman, we will miss you. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Base up top: 335cm        Temp Top; -10 Degrees Base at bottom: 215cm New Snow since close: 20cm Weather; Snow showers This morning we have woken to passing snow showers and overcast conditions in Nozawa Onsen. These should continue for the rest of day, becoming lighter later on. Out the window there are a few gusts of wind about also. Since lasts lifts we have had a nice top up of 20cm which should keep the power hounds happy and hunting. Weekend crowds are about so bear in mind it may become tracked earlier than normal. Yesterday was a great day on the mountain. After Friday’s massive falls the snowpack had compacted which allowed easier access in many […]

Base up top: 325cm        Temp Top; -10 Degrees Base at bottom: 210cm New Snow since close: 20cm Weather; Overcast Well it’s been a massive few days at Nozawa Onsen. Since the start of this past system we have had well over a meter of snowfall. Moderate and at times heavy snow continued to fall yesterday and currently we have overcast conditions, but no snow falling. The forecast tends to suggest we should experience a clearing trend throughout the day, but also indicates the possibility of further snow showers passing over the region this afternoon and tonight. Reports from the mountain yesterday tend to suggest the snow was too deep to ride for all but a select few […]