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Hokkaido, Japan 2011/2012

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
It is absolutely dumping here in the Niseko Resort Area and is set to continue all week.

Skied Kiroro today expecting to have at most mid-boot on a sun crust. It was waist deep and over the head.

The top lifts at Niseko were on wind hold today.

Tomorrow will be epic.

If you're looking for a powder fix, head this way pronto.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Great snow up here too! We were at Niseko at the weekend, which was very average. Warm temps, sleet, and (relatively) icy snow. Had a good night out though. Saw a few rowdy Welsh fans bailing out from watching the 6 nations in the early hours, wonder if you were among them Mike!?

View down to Hirafu on Sunday

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But winter returned on Monday, and it hasn't really stopped snowing since. Yesterday was a public holiday, so we had a day skiing up at Sapporo Teine. Even for January, it would have been an good pow day, but considering it's late March, it was really incredible. Didn't take many photos, it was snowing hard and visibility wasn't great.

On the Summit Express chair at Teine

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Looking down the barrel of Bowl 4 which was deep and light all day

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Fingers crossed it continues! Will probably be Teine again and then Mount Racey this weekend. Another trip down to Niseko planned for the following weekend.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
A cracking weekend! We had snow falling on and off through the week since Tuesday, and Sapporo Teine was awesome both Saturday and Sunday. At sea level, the snow was pretty slushy and wet, but up in the hills, it was light and deep! Spent two days exploring the back bowls getting faceshots and feeling like it was mid winter again! I hope it lasts, but even if it doesn't, this week has been an unexpected bonus!

Few photos from the weekend

Slash turn for the camera
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Launching into a soft landing
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Looking down into the Teine sidecountry
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Will be heading down to Niseko area again next weekend for the final time this season.
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Hi all, been lurking all season, just wanted to say thanks for all the photos.
For the first time in seven seasons (this year), we went to Europe not Hokkaido & it was school mid term break (Doh!)
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
It kept snowing lightly until Tuesday morning. Since then we've had gorgeous sunshine in this neck of the woods. I've been taking advantage of the lighter evenings to get out and enjoy the spring snow.

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Alot of the smaller hills are now closed for the season. But larger/higher places will be open until Golden Week (late April, early May). Forecast for the next few days isn't great, with temperatures rising and rain on the way. I haven't got high hopes for Niseko this weekend, but hopefully more snow should arrive early next week.
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Ugh horrible weather at the moment. Strong winds from the south, high temperatures and rain. Looking like this'll stick around for the next 24 hours or so and then HOPEFULLY turn to snow as the temperatures drop again. Leaving this evening for Niseko, hoping at least for a decent day on Sunday....
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Windy but not raining here yet MagSeven
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Glad to see this thread still going and the snow has been falling. Really been missing Fantasy Island's powder the last few weeks in the Western Alps not that that prevented some good skiing.
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Good to hear CH is delivering for you.

March was very good on Fantasy Island.

April starting well. 50 cm forecast this week.

But rain on Tuesday too Sad
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April has indeed started well. Woke up to about 15cm of new snow. Sadly I'm working all this week, so will have to settle with late afternoon park sessions or hikes around the local hills. Still plenty of snow up there though, so lots of fun.

After a grim day on Friday, temperatures up in the low teens in Sapporo, the weekend at Niseko was alot better than expected. It was a bonus weekend anyway, I had won two nights accomodation in Hanazono on a SnowJapan competition, so I 'treated' Mrs MagSeven to a hotel stay! Saturday was ok, still fairly warm, but it cooled as the day went on. Wet sleet was falling, but it was definitely snow by late avo.

Depressing ride up the chair at Hanazono
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View up from the base at Hanazono
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Sunday was alot better. Around 10/15cm snow had fallen overnight and there was the odd snow flurry through the day inbetween nice bursts of sunshine. The snow started to get a little slushy as the day went on, but the morning was great.

Strawberry Fields in Hanazono was boot deep and deserted. Still could occasionally feel the crust underneath the fresh snow, but alot of fun.
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By late morning the snow got a little heavy so I changed into park mode, (you know, sag pants round knees, goggles under helmet, headphones on, 80cm poles) and lapped the Hanazono park. It was in great shape and despite the rapidly changing snow conditions, the park crew kept salting and tweeking the jumps through the afternoon. And, like everywhere in resort, it was empty!
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Next couple of weekends I'm planning to head up to Taisetsuzan for some adventures.
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Spring is definitely here. Although you wouldn't have known it last weekend. It snowed heavily in this area, Teine was amazing, very deep snow and absolutely deserted! Didn't take many pics as was riding solo.

If at Sapporo Teine, go through here!

photo

Then through this week it's warmed up, with some rain. But this weekend the weather was incredible. Wall to wall sunshine. I was up in Taisetsuzan, the large range of mountains in the middle of the island. Perfect spring touring conditions. Saturday was Kurodake

View up to Kurodake from road up through the Sounkyo gorge
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On the hike up to the summit
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At the summit. Incredible views, all the way to Lake Akan in the East and over to Shokanbetsu in the West.
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First line off the summit. We were the first two down. Nice soft snow, great conditions for mid April.
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Back up to the top again and another line back to the chairlift.
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Small air off a cornice
Screen Shot 2012-04-15 at 17.55.02

Then today was up to Asahidake, the tallest mountain on the island. Another beautiful day, though a little warmer, so the snow was heavier. But still alot of fun, and my 100th day for this season.

We hiked to the top and skied some lines over the back. On the way up.
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My buddy Tim over the back of the summit. The only other tracks are mine.
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Tim heading back round to the summit
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Then skiing a line back into the crater
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Forecast is for more spring weather, nice and warm with lots of sunshine. There's still tons of snow, so will continue to get get as much skiing as we can!
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Congrats on the ton
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Nice pics and congrats on a hundred days. Looks like there's cover for a fair bit more Spring skiing yet.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Top to bottom coverage in the Niseko Resort Area, Rusutsu and Kiroro.

No patches yet.

Great spring piste skiing on offer for 3-4 hrs a day.

Off piste is setting up very nicely, although there are many full depth glide cracks in the steeper aspects.

Yotei is looking primo.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
No new snow this week. Rain fell on Wednesday and Thursday. A beautiful day today though (Saturday). I went up to Nakayama Touge which has re opened for the spring season. Its like a summer glacier up there, with racers doing their thing bashing the gates, a couple of mogul lines, and a decent park setup on the other side. The snow is as you'd expect, firm to start with, then quickly getting slushy as the sun hits it. A very deep base up there though, so the lifts should keep turning into May.

Few pics. The terrain park, which was in great shape. Kicker line of 3 big hits, smaller stuff to the side, plus a load of jibs up top.
Untitled

The main piste with gates set out for race training
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View over to Mt Yotei, looking awesome in the sunshine
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Hopefully the weather should be decent tomorrow. Planning a tour up to Shokanbetsudake on the west coast.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Sweet. Look forward to reading about your tour.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Well the winter has kind of come to an end now. The weather late last month and the first week of May has been shocking. Warm, windy, rainy. I only just got back to Hokkaido yesterday after a week in South Korea (incidentally, amazing country to visit, would thoroughly recommend it) and was hoping to squeeze a final day in somewhere today. Not to be though unfortunately, very windy today so most places closed. And thats it for the season for lift served skiing.

May get a day or two of hiking somewhere this month, but the snow really has been melting quickly.

Just attached a couple of pics of the mountains in the north eastern corner of S Korea. Stunning scenery, and the odd patch of snow up there too.

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Hope to see some more Snowheads heading out here to Hokkaido next winter!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Sweet pics.

If memory serves, the S Korean resorts don't get that much natural snowfall.

Is the area you visited different?
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Yeah Mike that's what I've heard too. They get bitterly cold winters but not much natural snow. I guess they have the cold winds from northern China and Russia, but no Sea of Japan to pick up any snow. A friend snowboards in Korea and said it was mainly man made ice in the resorts.

These mountains were only around 1,500m and it was very warm up there when we visited, so they must have received a fair amount of snowfall over the winter.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Great. Thanks.

Name of the mountain range please?
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They're part of the Taebaek range. This particular area was in the Seoraksan national park, close to the east coast and N. Korean border.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Wow this pics are pretty cool how long is the season there?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
MagSeven wrote:
They're part of the Taebaek range. This particular area was in the Seoraksan national park, close to the east coast and N. Korean border.


Many thanks.
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KSNOWZ wrote:
Wow this pics are pretty cool how long is the season there?


The Niseko Resort Area opens the last weekend in November and closes the first weekend in May - the Golden Week Holiday in Japan.

Ski areas like Kurodake and Sapporo Kokusai may open earlier than Niseko, and Kiroro closes around the same time as Niseko - often with better snow coverage.
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Some of Hokkaido's hillsides are white again. Not with snow unfortunately, but the cherry blossoms are looking pretty nice now that the sun has finally come out.

Untitled

Might get a ski up north this weekend... watch this space.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Look forward to seeing and reading.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Believe it or not, we had more snow in Hokkaido last night and this morning. In some places up north up to around 10cm. I headed up to Aizankei, in the Taisetsuzan range this morning, where some snow had fallen, but had been promtly blown away by a brutal wind.

The road in to Aizankei Onsen only opened last weekend, but unfortunately the terrible weather over Golden Week had taken its toll on the snow in that area. This was definitely the last turns for this winter. We set off to climb Toma-dake, and also loop around to Pippu-dake, bagging two of the higher peaks in the range. But as soon as we got above the treeline, it was obvious we were unlikely to even get one summit. The wind was savage, and the snow crap. We struggled up to about 1700m (300m below the summit approx) and called it.

In the fairly sheltered carpark around 7am
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Starting up the trail, patchy snow cover
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My friend Tim putting on a brave face once we got above the forest
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Picking our way up through the bushes, trying to get some shelter from the wind
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Decided it really wasn't worth it!
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Our route
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And my final total, 102 days for 2011/12
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Not the best day to end on, but a great season lasting almost a full 6 months. Bring on winter 2012/13 in Hokkaido!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Also, some news I heard today, Snowcruise Onze, a small resort between Otaru and Sapporo has closed for good. They have gone out of business.

The name was based on Onze, for 11, as they always used to open for the season on 11th Nov at 11:00.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
August 1st, hello again from a hot and humid Hokkaido! Temps in the low/mid 30s. Just read back through this thread enjoying the memories from last winter. Starting to get a bit excited as we can expect the first snow to fall on the higher mountains late next month! Will fire up another thread for 2012/13 then.

Have taken a few photos on various hikes to show summer and winter if anyone's interested. Bring on the snow!




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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Brilliant.

Already getting excited myself.

Hope to be making turns in November.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Please don't do this too me. Not sure my bank balance can take Hokkaido again this season.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Go on. You know you want to
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