Japan’s Ski Resorts Anticipate 7-Meter Base Depths Amidst Heavy Snowfall

Powder Alert: Japan’s Ski Resorts Brace for up-to-30cm Snowfall Daily

• Japan’s Snow Giants Battle for World’s Deepest Base—7 Metres Incoming?
• Heavy Snow Returns: Japan Set for a Metre-Deep Powder Dump This Week
• Tengendai Kogen Claims Global Snow Depth Crown as Storms Keep Rolling
• Nagano & Niigata Bask in Sun, But Hokkaido’s Snow Machine Carries On

JAPAN REPORT

After drawing global attention last week with several Japanese ski areas passing the 6-metre (2,900-feet) base depth mark—and indeed some looking like they were quickly heading up toward 7 metres (23 feet)—things have quieted down a good deal. Bases had dropped back below 6 metres (20 feet) by the weekend as the snowpack settled and the rate of top-up slowed. The Nagano and Niigata regions, which have been and continue to post the deepest snow, have had lots of sunny weather and a temperature range of -10°C to +10°C, the latter causing thawing at lower levels. Hakuba’s Happo One (215/595 cm / 46/238”) moved to the top of the snow depth table (both for Japan and the whole world) for a few days. However, after more fresh snowfall over the past 48 hours, Yamagata's Tengendai Kogen (640/640 cm / 252/252”) has now taken the lead. It has been colder, with heavier snowfall continuing further north on Hokkaido. Here, Niseko (160/375 cm / 64/150”) is posting the deepest snow.

JAPAN FORECAST

After a quieter few days over the weekend, we're back to full-on snowfall for the coming week, with many areas likely to see 10-30 cm (4-12") of snowfall daily and 7-day totals of more than a metre (40"). It looks like some Japanese resorts could potentially pass the 7-metre base depth mark by this time next week.