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| Last Updated: Wednesday 6th May 2009, 7:33PM |
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The ski season in Furano is now officially over. Until 09/10! |
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| Wednesday 6th May 2009, 7:33PM |
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Clear. |
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Sakura - what a perfect way to end the ski season! The past week of +20 temps has finally coaxed the delicate cherry blossoms from their buds, filling the Furano valley with pink and white.
Conditions on the slopes were about as good as one could hope for on the very last day. Snow was dirty throughout, but there was full coverage for the top half of the mountain.
Panorama was great as usual, although the moguls were mammoth-size due to the pliant snow. The left side (skiers view) of Spies offered well-groomed, fairly firm, steep slopes for some rewarding turns as well.
The bottom runs were still technically open, so I had to give it a try. The last week has been extremely hard on the bottom half of the mountain, but the Furano grooming crew has delivered. One snakey, bumpy, and alltogether dicey run from the Sailer, all the way to within 30 m of the Ropeway. I only had to ollie one mud patch.
There were also a number of "gushers" on the lower slopes, where the drainage culverts had backed up and flooded parts of the piste. Made for a bit of fun on my board, but I don't think I'd like to try that on skis.
This is a marked improvement over last season's final day, where the only way back was by ropeway. So there you have it, Furano 2008-2009, skiable top to bottom to the very last day.
The ropeway will be open again in June for sightseeing and mountain climbing. The schedule is June 6 to October 18, but be wary that most of June will be weekends only.
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That's it for the Now reports this season. Thanks for reading. Have a great summer and see you on the other side in the run up to the 09/10 season. |
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| Friday 1st May 2009, 6:29PM |
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| Weather
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Clear. |
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snowfall: |
0 cm |
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100 cm on top, 30-40 cm at base. |
"Glorious" doesn't do justice to the clear skies we have had the past few days. It's still possible to ski all the way to the bottom, but things are finally starting to get dicey down low. Due to poor conditions, the runs leading up to the New Prince Hotel have finally been closed, with only the ropeway connection run available at the bottom of the slopes. The upper ropeway runs are offering good conditions, as is Panorama with a full meter of snow base.
The ski hill has announced a special program for Golden Week, the Japanese "spring vacation" where 5 national holidays line up. The Gondola will be available at a "one coin" price of just 500 yen per ride. You can choose to ride down or just hang at the top, have a beer, and get some awesome photos of the valley.
The New Prince Hotel Park Golf course is also open, and the Ningle Terrace Craft park is coming to life.
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| Sunday 26th April 2009, 11:37AM |
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Cloudy, light snow. |
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0 cm |
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110 cm on top, 50 cm at base. |
Spring snow! Current temp is 1 degree at the base, with light snow on the menu for the next 12 hours. Harsh winds from the south this morning made early runs a tricky prospect, but winds have settled down somewhat.
The frigid temperatures are a bit of a shock after the last two days in the double digits. Nighttime temps continue to be very low, reaching below freezing most every night. This has caused the spring meltout to be well behind schedule, which is great news from spring ski enthusiasts - except for the two middle runs, the entire Furano Zone is still open for business.
Furano is not the only place in Hokkaido reporting a late thaw - there are still three sections of the Hokkaido expressway, along the frigid north and east coasts, that are undergoing chemical treatment to try to prevent ice buildup.
All signs are pointing to a long spring ski season. Stay tuned! |
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| Wednesday 22nd April 2009, 4:00PM |
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| Weather
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Partly cloudy. |
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snowfall: |
0 cm |
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120 cm on top, 50 cm at base. |
Powder fans I am back! Gray skies for the last two days mark a drastic change from the previous week of glorious sunshine. The slopes were sleety, miserable and damp yesterday, with today being a bit warmer but not much more pleasant.
Surprisingly despite all of the sun and drizzle, the resort is reporting that snow base at the peak has only decreased by 10 cm over the past 5 days. This is largely due to evening temperatures rapidly dropping back to freezing.
Most of the Furano Zone is still open -- over a third of all of Furano's skiable terrain. Run conditions at the top are as good as they can get for late April. The ski out back to the ropeway is a bit patchy and sluggish, but holding together thanks to the dedicated grooming crew.
It looks like more of the same tomorrow, with daytime temps not predicted to break the single digits. We are expecting the cold weather to continue, with Thursday night dipping to -5 before the cold front finally breaks, bringing a mix of sun and cloud for the weekend. Looks like rain (or maaayybe snow, we could get lucky) on Sunday.
Looking forward to a great ride out all the way to Golden Week. |
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| Tuesday 14th April 2009, 7:08PM |
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| Weather
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Clear. |
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snowfall: |
0 cm |
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depth: |
130 cm on top, 60 cm at base. |
Spring seems to be here to stay, with almost solid blue skies the last four days. This morning started off with a sprinkle of rain and some haze, which quickly cleared up to another beautiful bluebird.
As is typical for this time of year, we are seeing a sharp temperature variation between afternoon and evening. Temperatures are still dipping to below freezing at night, so first runs are quite firm and fast.
We should be seeing daily temperature spreads of about 15 degrees over the next few days, so expect highly variable conditions. |
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| Friday 10th April 2009, 6:32PM |
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| Weather
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Light overcast. |
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0 cm |
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150 cm on top, 70 cm at base. |
The town is abuzz with the sound of agricultural machinery waking up from a long slumber, as the ground has finally thawed enough to plow. Today was a comparitive scorcher with temps soaring to 15 degrees C in the town. Things were a little cooler on the mountain, with the weather mostly hazy or lightly cloudy and not getting a lot of direct sun.
The runs which are open on the Furano Zone are still skiing very well, and with 1.5 meters of snow base reported, we can look forward a long spring ride out. Kitanomine, which closes earlier due to getting more sun and less snow, has finally "burned through" after being ungroomed for 12 days.
Rather strong winds this afternoon made it a bit rocky on the Ropeway, but all lifts kept operating according to schedule.
Tomorrow's forecast is a bit cooler but more sun. Should be a very nice weekend for spring skiing overall with a lot of sun forecast Sunday as well. |
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| Wednesday 8th April 2009, 6:30PM |
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| Weather
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Overcast. |
| New
snowfall: |
0 cm |
| Snow
depth: |
150 cm on top, 70 cm at base. |
Spring skiing?? More like summer skiing! Temperatures actually hit the double digits in Furano, thanks to sunny weather all morning and afternoon. Superlative spring conditions prevailed at the top. With no wind and nothing but blue, blue skies, the biggest worry today was sunburn!
Although we have had a few sprinkles of snow, the entire course was softened pack. Runs were quite fast in the morning, particularly Panorama. Things slowed down a bit from the afternoon as conditions turned a bit slushy.
The Furano zone is still in great shape, with absolutely no melt-through on the course. Slopes are uncrowded, with virtually no waits and the Ropeway not filling completely even at peak times.
By 4 pm, skies had become overcast, with light snow at the top and light rain at ground level.
Next time we get weather like this, I am going to take a beach chair, a parasol, and a beer up there... |
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| View previous published reports from Furano Now! here : |
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| May, 2009
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April, 2009
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March, 2009
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February, 2009
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| January, 2009
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December, 2008
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November, 2008
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October, 2008
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| September, 2008
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April, 2008
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March, 2008
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February, 2008
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| January, 2008
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December, 2007
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November, 2007
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October, 2007
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| May, 2007
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April, 2007
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March, 2007
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February, 2007
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| January, 2007
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December, 2006
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November, 2006
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October, 2006
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| ABOUT THESE REPORTS: |
| The Now! daily reports on Snow Japan are here to give
our readers current snow and weather conditions in
popular snow resort regions of Japan. The people who
file these reports do their best to provide the most
in-depth and accurate reports possible. Information
is gathered locally by Now! reporters and is based
on personal observations and information received
directly from local ski resorts. Please note that
Snow Japan and the individuals posting the reports
take no responsibility for any decisions that readers
may take based on what is written in these reports.
Our advice is to always take care when you are in
the winter mountains and know that conditions are
ever changing in these environments. |
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