nrg2000

Hey classic_harris, I have the same camera and what I have found is the battery life initially for the first few charges was disappointing but seems to have gotten better. Also between runs and when not in use, I have taken to putting the camera in a pocket to warm it up. The cold weather sucks the life out of the small Li-ion batteries. Over the last few weeks I have taken a few hours worth of video without any issues. Hope this help you out.

There will probably be some sales on but getting larger ski boots are always a bit of fun and games in Japan. I have the same size boot and the options aren't always great. One of the best things about heading to Jinbōchō is there are a heap of shops that will do their best to help you out so I am sure with a little patience you will find what your looking for.

Snow on the top of Mt Youtei as of this morning. Looks like just a dusting. When the clouds clear I will try and take some photos.

Some pics from this morning. Was coming down pretty well as I drove over the Nakayama-toge last night on my way back from Sapporo. Hopefully a good sign of things to come.

First snow on Mt Yotei today. Not worth taking a picture at the moment due to all of the cloud, but will do tomorrow if it is clearer.

RobBright, my elderly (and wise ) neighbors say its a about right for this time of year. The snow will be gone by the weekend as it will warm up again to around 13 or 14 degrees over the next few days. We should start seeing regular snow falls by mid Nov. Fingers crossed it is sooner :-)

The view from out the back of our house this morning, which is always a welcomed sight :-)

Yes, it was coming down nice and hard when I left home this morning to head to Chitose at around 6am. It will probably turn to rain during the day today and start snowing again later tonight.

Looking forward to seeing some snow around the place, it was a hot summer thats for sure.

It's started snowing again on Mt Youtei this afternoon. Nice and chilly in Niseko today.

Snowed on Mt Yotei last night. Nice sight to wake up to this morning :-)

The webcams in Niseko are showing a very nice covering from last night. I am also happy to say it is snowing for the first time this winter in Sapporo.

Here are a couple of images from the Hirafu webcams this morning.

Nice.. good hunting.

Its about 110km from Chitose airport. I am not sure how far it is from the Sea of Japan side of the island. By car you can arrive in about 2 hours depending on the conditions.