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samwillis5

SnowJapan Member
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Everything posted by samwillis5

  1. Apparently not. Jma website says 60 percent chance of above ave temps for last 2 weeks on feb. Can't totally go by that but first 2 weeks in feb is looking by far the best of the rest of the season if charts and forecasts anything to go by
  2. Jynxx, there is a 3m+ base in Niseko. Hakuba has more. Other resorts are faring much better than last season and about average for this time of year. There have been consistent falls right through December and January. So far this season Niseko has clocked over 10m of snowfall and we havent even come close to Feb yet. December January snowfall this year has been on average if not a little above. It is currently snowing on Hokkaido, the last few days in Niseko have seen a consistent 15-20cms and the forecasts all show that there will be consistent falls to round out January with big du
  3. Looking at the charts and JMA etc it looks like it is going to return to very cold an snowy conditions around 1-6 Feb and 8-10 Feb. Hokkaido is looking to get the best of it but there should be a return to what we saw in late december early Jan right across Honshu as well. All in all the first 2 weeks in feb look awesome. Good ridance to the ups and downs of the last 2 weeks.
  4. Originally Posted By: snowdude February looks like being much colder! Snowdude, what do you base that on? Are you looking at a long range forecast?
  5. anyone got any idea what the longer term forecast (into Feb) is for Hokkaido, in paricular Niseko? Reports in local media down around Niigata and parts of Nagano are that these will be the last big falls and that it will be below average falls for rest of winter.
  6. with the snow looking like that it is obviously an indicator that this season is far better than last. All the snow depths are certainly better. Is this the best season sonce 05?
  7. thanks MB. I thought that was it. Have ski'd it many times without actually appreciating where I was. Ps. what is the family business..... bank robbery or drug dealing??? 4 weeks in Niseko with 4 kids, new boards and a trip to the states next year - it couldnt be anything legal....surely.
  8. hey Mamabear, where, EXACTLY, is strawberry fields? I think I have ski'd there a bit without actually knowing it. Is it down behind silver dream in Hanazono? The name is not actually marked on any of the maps. Lastly, for someone in the thick of it you sure spend a lot of time on these forums. Wouldnt you prefer to be ripping it up rather than keeping us **** up to date? These forums are furthest thing from my mind when I'm actually in Niseko (no disrespect intended).
  9. Originally Posted By: MikePow Taking measurements from Niseko Now, as of 10 January 2010 Hirafu is up to 6.5m of snowfall at village level so far If that is the case why are the official depths so, reletively, low? the changes are only minimal from last week and we've had about 70cm of snow with 50cm in one night. It happened during the pre-christmas and new year snow storms as well... all and sundry (not just snow-japan) would report massive 50cm + dumps in Niseko and the official snow depth either didnt move or increased by 10% of the actual new snow figure. Hakuba doenst seem to ha
  10. What is your favorite Onsen in or around Niseko (including Annupuri etc)and what makes it your favorite?
  11. I've had a trawl through the posts and cant find anything similar but apologies in advance if this is a double up. We are hiring a van for our 3 weeks in niseko and intend to ski Kiroro and Rusutsu as well as Niseko. We also want to have a look around Kutchan and perhaps a little farther afield on day trips. Does anyone know where we might be able to pick up a road map or atlas of the area with at least some english translations?
  12. unfortunately Go Native, it was. The day we landed in Japan was Feb 2 which is the lowest the JPY has been against the AUD for the last few years. $1 was buying just under 53 yen from memory. I don't think that this particular company is foriegn owned but I am not certain. I should say that I have been to Japan twice now for a total of 6 weeks and this was one of only two negative experiences. It was just their attitude that was dissapointing. We are with a different company this time so here's hoping things run smoothly.....and that Niseko turns on the pow for the first 2 weeks
  13. reading through this forum it seems the experience of others with Japanese service at/and Chitose is a little different to ours. Last year we got turned back from Chitose 10 minutes out because of snow. We held in pattern for an hour before being sent to Haneda (we had come from Narita having connected with our flight from Aus that day). the Narita-Chitose flight ended up taking 3.5 hours and landed us at Haneda. We had 6 adults and 6 young kids (4 months to 5 years) so we were pretty tired when we got to Haneda at 11pm. To the credit of JAL they put us up in good accomodation and sch
  14. it seems the experience of others with Japanese service at/and Chitose is a little different to ours. Last year we got turned back from Chitose 10 minutes out because of snow. We held in pattern for an hour before being sent to Haneda (we had come from Narita having connected with our flight from Aus that day). the Narita-Chitose flight ended up taking 3.5 hours and landed us at Haneda. We had 6 adults and 6 young kids (4 months to 5 years) so we were pretty tired when we got to Haneda at 11pm. To the credit of JAL they put us up in good accomodation and scheduled a new flight to get
  15. I wouldn't be too concerned - i'm not sure how accurate snow-forecast is. Many times this year they have forecast no snow in Niseko and this site and MikePow report 20-30cm has actually fallen. Similarly, when they do forecast snow they seem to under-estimate by 50% or more.
  16. Looks from all reports like the rain on Wednesday night and Thursday has done a fair amount of damage at Nozawa. Looks like there is a fair bit of rain on the 9 day forecast as well. Can anyone on the ground there confirm much/any damage? How have other resorts held up? Is this a particularly bad season or is occasional rain mid January the norm? Lets hope for cold temps and snow during feb. A late winter!
  17. can i ask where you look Skippy when you refer to forecasts for last week of Jan?
  18. I see. That makes sense I guess. My generation took our cue from David Boon (any man who can finish a carton on a Sydney - london flight and still stand up and act sober at a press conference on arrival is a natural role model), Merv Hughes, Mal Meninga and Dipper and co. all managed to have a good time, even act the fool, but remained respectful, at least publicly, and were viewed in a jocular light. Lets just blame it on Gen Y and be done with it!
  19. It's a sad thing the perception that some have of travelling Aussies these days. I did a lot of travel 10+ years ago and Australians were always welcome. Viewed as relatively unassuming travellers always out for a good time but on the whole quite respectful and fun to be around. I am not sure what has caused the shift in perception or whether there even has been a shift. Alternatively, I wonder whether it is an attitude espoused by some who have had a bad experience with one or two Australians but which is contrary to the popular experience/reality. I have often found those peop
  20. culturally different for sure. both are very interesting Japan definately cheaper - or at least was when we booked in June while the Aus $ was getting 105 yen. Now that it is at 55 yen I think we are going to spend as much again on food, drink, ski-hire etc etc.
  21. I meant damage Generally. Sorry, I wasnt very accurate/specific. Thanks for the reply's. Forecasts show the cold weather coming back with a vengeance after Friday so all is good. Snowhuntress, similar story here. Group of 11 - i convinced them all to change from Whislter to Japan and to extend from 2 weeks to 3. Not stressed though, being on holiday in Japan is better than working anywhere.
  22. looking at some of the snow cams for various resorts it looks like there was a bit of damage to the snow base from the rain; Niseko in particular. Interested to here whether there has been much damage from folks on the spot in the various resorts.
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