A week ago, it was that time again. The last working day for the next three months. The most beautiful time of the year has begun and with it another snow adventure in Japan. I will be traveling in Japan until the beginning of March: mainly in Hakuba but also in regions such as Myoko, Nagano and the northern island of Niseko. The weather and especially the annual rain will determine when and where we will be.
The snow situation is currently nowhere near as good as usual. The heavy first snow has been missing and therefore the many bushes and shrubs are not completely covered in snow and are a troublesome problem. A snow base of up to two meters is not nearly enough to cover this problem. Around 50% of the forests are therefore not yet skiable or can only be compared to a hike in the jungle. Every ski day is a mixture of super nice turns in Japan powder, followed by super tedious battles with the bushes. A mini chainsaw in your freeride backpack wouldn't be a bad idea.
Another disadvantage of the snowy conditions are the numerous river crossings. Not only are they not covered, but the water level is still very high and wet feet are unavoidable. Only the snow should actually be knee-deep, but this year it can also be the water. I've never had so much water in my ski boots, but even that's not so bad if you've been able to enjoy the beautiful powder snow beforehand. The outlook isn't particularly rosy yet. So far, some fresh snow is falling every few days, but the usual amounts for this region are not yet visible even in the long-term forecasts.
The amount of snow in Europe is certainly better at the moment, but JaPow won't fix that.
You can find out more about my skiing adventures in Japan in the reports over the coming weeks.
As always, you can find the detailed blog in English on my website.
More pictures from week 1 in Japan in the gallery
Patrick Fux
