Asia Weekly Roundup #269

Japan Alps Set for 50cm of Snow This Week, Paving the Way for Ski Resorts to Open

• Major resorts like Niseko and Nozawa Onsen are among the first dozen ski areas opening this weekend, with more to follow soon.
• Many resorts report snowpacks of 50cm (20") on higher slopes, with Mt. Fuji already blanketed from top to bottom.
• Up to 50cm (20") of snow is expected in key areas like Hakuba and Myoko, with more cold fronts arriving in early December.

Japan Report

It’s a fairly positive picture for Japan, where quite a large chunk of the country’s bigger ski areas are expected to open their initial terrain offerings this coming weekend. Niseko and Nozawa Onsen are among the first dozen or so centres expected to open, with the majority following over the next few weekends. Reports suggest many have at least 50cm (20”) lying up top, with more expected. Last week, Mt. Fuji turned white from top to bottom, a good sign for the season start, and there have been more snowfalls across Japanese slopes this past week.

Japan Forecast

It’s looking promising for the Japan Alps for the latter half of this week, with forecasts of around 30-50cm (12-20”) for Hakuba, 20-40cm (8-16”) for Shiga Kogen, and 30-50cm (12-20”) for Myoko/Nozawa from Thursday. Then, a brief lull before the next cold front arrives in early December.