Japow is Back

Ski areas in Japan have been reporting big snowfalls over the weekend, with snowfall totals on slopes around Myoko Kogen topping the totals with 90cm (three feet) of snowfall in 72 hours.

Japan has re-opened to international skiers this winter after three years of border closures due to the pandemic, upto now though snow cover has been good but not epic.

The country has been having a bit of a weather roller coaster, similar to many other ski nations around the world, having seen record warm temperatures earlier this month.

Now the heavy snowfall came after a major storm hit Japan leading to extreme weather warnings for cold and snow.

Bases had been building over the past two months though after ski areas delayed opening in late November and early December due to warm temperatures. The famous resort of Niseko now has a reported base depth of over 3.3 metres (11 feet).

SnowJapan.com list Yudonosan in Tsuruoka City in Yamagata as having a 540cm(18 feet) base, the deepest in the country and the second deepest in the world behind Mammoth Mountain in California, across the Pacific, which is reporting 614cm (20 feet) lying up top.