Metabo Oyaji

Looks like two clues -- not that they did me any good.

Ok, desperate measures then. In bold, capital letters, just before the data-entry fields: WE ARE NOT A TRAVEL AGENCY. DO NOT ASK US TO ARRANGE YOUR TRIP.

You know what else is jolly confusing is the thread title. I keep reading it as Heisei 26, March 16. (I will go out on a limb and guess that is not right.)

Thanks, guys. Web search indicates めっちゃ originally came from Kansai, then spread from there:

That looks like a pretty good approximation, thanks. Missing Gassan, but I guess they just don't report. Surprised to see Naeba made it to GW this year. I thought I remember them closing early April last year (?). For future reference, here is the list, to preserve it after that page starts updating again next season: Resort Name Town Prefecture Snow depth-weather* Compare to Yesterday Daisetsuzan Sounkyo Kurodake Kamikawa Hokkaido 340cm -50cm Sapporo Kokusai Sapporo Hokkaido 300cm 0cm Kagura Yuzawa Niigata 270cm 0cm Kiroro Snow World Akaigawa Hokkaido 230cm 0cm Niseko Villa

Back on topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkGKME-fThs

Question came up in a different thread. Not sure how to research systematically, but off the top of my head: Hakkoda Appi Kogen Zao Onsen Gassan Tengendai Kogen Urabandai Nekoma Grandeco Minowa Marunuma Kogen Okutadami Maruyama Gala Yuzawa Kagura Nozawa Plus parts of Hakuba, Shiga Kogen, ... Niseko? Can we put together a complete list somehow?

It seemed to adapt pretty well, after an initial bout of culture shock.

Tio's looking good in that video.

Fujiten???

I'm surprised at how fast some of those drivers go through the courses. I suppose that is a point of pride?

Akagisan Daiichi?

Houjun Gouda at Gassan: (Almost forgot!)

Shingo Daiichi?

Final tally 13. Including 4 new places. Not bad.

Cheers, guys. The first time was the first day of Golden Week, so there were quite a few places still open. Well, maybe not a lot in absolute numbers, but I would guess that for most people wanting to ski at that time, there would likely be somewhere closer they could hit before making the trek to Gassan, no? That photo was taken from the back corner of the parking lot, so parking lot and pension mura to the left off-frame. The ski center/lift base is in the dead center of the photo, with the lift going up and to the right, and the main slopes behind. A line of people is s

Pie-eater: Good point about the ants. They may have actually been people. Or else exceptionally large ants. It was hard to tell at that distance. Onehunga: We timed it to be about 30 minutes round-trip to do one run, a bit after the busiest time. So, 5-10 minutes skiing/boarding, and 20-25 minutes queuing? I should observe that the lift lines did go down as the day went on. By mid-afternoon, the lift line was down to 5-10 minutes. But the sight that greeted us first thing in the morning was quite a shock. Also, lunch lines were not as bad as feared. We ate at the cafeteria, but

Down below the base, a snowboard park was set up: Lots of whooping and hollering. Looked like fun. Then one last glance up and the drive home:

Backpack tree: If you're not interested in moguls, the trick is to take the T-bar lift up. As Rock-hand reported previously, it is all clear, fast, wide open-face carving from there:

Last time I went to Gassan (http://www.snowjapan...magata-2014429/), I wrote, "I will definitely go back some time." So I did, today. The weather forecast looked reasonable, and I figured the snow coverage should still be pretty good, so I thought, what the heck. As it turned out, the entire population of Japan thought the exact same thing. Hit the road at 4:30, made it there by 9:00, and was one of the last cars allowed into the parking lot. Those behind us ended up parking alongside the road going down the hill from the pension mura. Looking up at the hill, look at all those a

Kiso Fukushima?

Starting operation next spring? Too bad they couldn't do it in time for ski season.

All right, one last day trip to close out the season, tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how Gassan has changed over the last month. Add: Follow-up trip report here: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/topic/24063-gassan-yamagata-2014525/

Correct: Araragi Kogen, in the town of Achi, known for its starry skies and flowering peach trees. In Nagano prefecture, which has the lindou (gentiana scabra) as prefectural flower. Oh, and boasting a "Soyjoy Park" course. Over to you, Onehunga.

It's close! Hope your family home remains safe from the black hole that appears to have sucked in Mold.