2 New Zealand Skiers Confirmed Dead And 1 Injured in Avalanche at Mount Yotei, Hokkaido, Japan Three skiers were caught in two separate avalanches in Hokkaido, Japan, on Monday, March 11, in the morning. Firefighters received a call to Mount Yotei around 10 a.m. where two skiers were buried. The search and rescue team located the backcountry skiers buried in the snow. The pair had suffered cardiac and pulmonary arrest and the rescue team started immediate […] Avalanche Julia Schneemann | March 11, 2024 1 Comment
Niseko, Japan, Backcountry Report: Sunny Skies and Soft Snow Report from January 1, 2024 What better way to start 2024 than by breaking out the skins and looking for some fresh snow. Driving to the backside of Mt. Niseko-Annupuri, there was noticeable snow accumulation on the parked cars. The sun was shining which made for scenic views. I parked and headed up the skin track passing tons of Sassa […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 3, 2024 0 Comments
Plane from Japan’s Ski Fields in Hokkaido Bursts into Flames Upon Landing in Tokyo A Japanese Airline (‘JAL’) flight from Chitose Airport to Tokyo Haneda burst into flames as it landed at the domestic airport of Japan’s capital on Tuesday, January 2, 2023. The plane allegedly struck a Coast Guard flight that was due to fly aid to the regions affected by the New Year’s Day earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture. All 379 passengers and […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | January 2, 2024 0 Comments
Niseko Hanazono, Japan, Report: Light Snow Overnight, Holiday Crowds Arrive Report from December 31, 2023 I looked out my window this morning to finally see snow coming down. Typically a usual sight in Niseko, but any trace has been absent the past few days. Being New Year’s Eve, the crowds came. Lines aren’t often found in Japan, but since Niseko is rated as the #1 resort in the country, people […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan, Report: Softer Snow with More on the Way Report from December 30, 2023 Drove over to Niseko Grand Hirafu this morning. The snow was better than at Annupuri due to having less sun exposure. Niseko United is the umbrella that combines four ski resorts which are inter-connected by lifts and all available on the IKON pass. From left to right in the above trail map are Annupuri, Niseko […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 31, 2023 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan Report: More Snow than Hakuba, Still a Few Lifts yet to Open Report from December 29, 2023 I flew from Tokyo to Sapporo last night. Tokyo is located on the main island of Honshu, while Sapporo is located on a smaller island in the north called Hokkaido. I rented a car at Sapporo and drove the roughly two hours from Chitose airport to Niseko. There was noticeably much more snow on Hokkaido […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | December 30, 2023 0 Comments
5 Reasons Why Japan Has Such Low Avalanche Danger ‘JAPOW’ – who has not heard of the famous Japanese powder? If you have been lucky enough to ski in Japan, you are probably smiling just thinking about it. And if you haven’t, you are probably hoping to one day go for some unparalleled powder turns. Niseko has an average snowfall of 590 in (15m) and Kiroro a staggering 826 in […] Avalanche Julia Schneemann | December 16, 2023 0 Comments
Study Reveals the Best Weeks for Powder Skiing in Japan for the ’23/24 Season If you’re planning a ski trip to Japan this year to experience the famous powder snow known as “Japow,” the best weeks for snowfall have been revealed in a new analysis conducted by Snow Season Central. The study analyzed the daily recorded snowfall at five of Japan’s most popular resorts over the last 10 winter seasons (from 2012/13 to 2022/23) to […] Industry News SnowBrains | December 13, 2023 0 Comments
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