Fine Japanese architecture in its winter coat this morning.
Base at top: 365 cm
Temp at Top: -4 Degree
Base at Uenotaira station: 280 cm
New snow since close: 10 cm
Weather: Light snow
The re-return of winter is upon us with 10cm being recorded since last lifts yesterday. Walking around the village this morning the sights and sounds of snow clearing were about, dampened by the falling flakes. Fresh snow makes everything beautiful again, masking the changes we have seen since the start of spring. The mountain will be good today. A firm base underneath will keep riders on their toes but there will be plenty of pockets of pow and with little competition thanks to the quiet time that is March in Nozawa Onsen. Sure makes the onsens hot too!
I think yesterday was one of the quietest days I have seen so far this season. With very little traffic on the slopes the groomed areas remained very smooth during the day. Considering the cloud and warmish temperatures the snow quality was great. Quite firm up at Yamabiko, softening through the mid elevations and slushy down at the bottom. It was interested to observe the rapid transition on runs such as Skyline.
If you had a quick glance at the basic forecast graphs you would be forgiven for thinking we are still in mid winter. Plenty of snow is in the forecast with an ideal wind direction for much of the week. We expect light to moderate falls continuing today, tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Breaks of sunshine are also possible at any point during the forecast period. Although the accumulations won’t be anything extreme they will certainly help to keep the mountain topped up with fresh powder.
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