Tengendai Kogen Still Tops Global Snow Depths Despite Recent Retreat

• Japan's Snow Depths Shift: Happo One's 6m Base Drops, Tengendai Kogen Holds Strong
• Warm Weather Hit Japan Ski Areas; Cooler Temps Return with Showers & Snow
• Japan Resorts to Stay Open Through Golden Week—Plenty of Skiing Left
• Light Snowfall Expected Across Japan; Hokkaido to See Colder, Snowier Conditions

JAPAN REPORT

We had some very warm temperatures at Japanese ski areas last week, particularly on Honshu, where afternoon highs hit +20°C in valleys. It did get much cooler again at the weekend, though, with showers returning and a mix of rain, sleet, and hill snow recorded. After briefly rallying and going up a little last week, there have been substantial falls in reported base depths, most notably at the Hakuba Valley’s Happo One (0/420cm / 0/168”), which had been holding a 6m/20-foot base up top for much of March. The deepest in the country, and the world, continues to be claimed by Tengendai Kogen Ski Area (0/750cm / 0/300"), which had been posting a 790cm base late last week—its deepest yet by 10cm—but has since fallen back, although it remains the only centre in the world posting a 6m+ base. Most of Japan's larger resorts plan to stay open until the country's Golden Week in early May, so there's still over a month of skiing and riding left there.

JAPAN FORECAST

A mixed picture, but mostly cooler temperatures to start April than in the final week of March. Overnight lows on Honshu slopes down to -8°C, daytime highs +8°C. Some snowfall, mostly light and mostly on high slopes, is in the forecast. A few degrees colder and a bit snowier up on Hokkaido.