Mike Pow

UPDATE : THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2014 Met up with Ian who was back at Kiroro Snow World for the first time since his knee injury. He was with Jess and Kane who work with him at J-Sekka and here's his vid of Jess and Kane getting into the Kiroro powder

DAY 85 : THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2014 3 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 3 of the Royal Visit A calm day across the region, and the Kiroro Snow World gondola opened for the first time in 3 days. Great snow to be had all over the mountain with Nerys starting to make smooth turns in steeper powder runs. And it was Nerys' first time in Powderzone today. And she flushed it. Nerys Always Alright

DAY 84 : WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2014 17 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 2 of the Royal Visit With the high winds still raginga cross the region and closing the upper lifts we headed back to Kiroro for Nerys' second day on snow. Another big leap in her comfort level on and off the piste today. Kir(oro) Royal(e)

Thanks onehunga. Will pass on your thoughts. Nerys is 168 cm tall and skis 153 cm Rossignol Temptation 82 W skis (the women's specific model) with a profile of 131-82-119 with a little tip rocker. Great all-mountain ski which floats on denser packed powder and drops into the lighter stuff.

DAY 83 : TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2014 26 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ As of today 11.2 m (441") has fallen at MQ in Higashiyama Day 1 of the Royal Visit Nerys' first day skiing on Fantasy Island and we went back to where it all started, Kiroro Snow World. The tops lifts were on wind hold but we had deserted slopes on the lower mountain with the powder building throughout the day. Excellent first day of skiing for Nerys picking up right where she left off last March and then kicking on from there. Life's A Gas

Cheers seemore. Wind blown on the summit. Some boot top creamy powder in the gullies. Knee deep powder in the trees down low. Catch it on a bluebird powder day and it will be extraordinary. Loads of fun in the gullies and steeper trees. Great spacing.

DAY 80 : SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2014 3 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Late last night Clayton Kernaghan, owner operator of Black Diamond Tours in Higashiyama, called round to MQ to say that the Hokkaido Backcountry Club helicopter would be flying early Saturday morning and there was a seat onboard for me. I got the golden ticket because I'm writing a feature for the 2015 Powderlife magazine. Heli-skiing in the Shiribeshi region of Hokkaido has arrived, with Shiribetsu Dake beside Rusutsu Resort the first of many proposed landing zones. We met at 7.30 am at the Black Diamond To

DAY 79 : FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2014 10 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ After a week of no significant snowfall and limited powder in the Niseko Resort Area, a little place over the mountain delivered for the fourth day in a row. This is what a a full day at Kiroro looks like, from bell to bell. Valentine's Day and I got the love. Friday Face Shots Part Four

Thanks guys

No problem. Did neither IMHO.

I wasn't being insincere. The OP asked about conditions on Hokkaido this winter. Not specifically about Niseko. I gave my take on what has been in my opinion a great winter skiing Niseko United, Moiwa, Rusutsu, Kiroro and Sapporo Kokusai.

Great lines. Great snow. Great tune.

UPDATE : THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2014 Tim getting into the Kiroro powder

Cheers seemore.

UPDATE : THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2014 Dougy crusing the Kiroro powder

Don't know where everybody else has been skiing but I've had powder all season long on Hokkaido. If you're prepared / able to move around there's always good snow to be found. I've skied Niseko United, Moiwa, Rusutsu, Kiroro and Sapporo Kokusai so far this season and had deep days at all of them.

Untracked and face shots all day at Kiroro. Get there tomorrow. I left a bit

DAY 78 : THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 10 with the Banks family, and with no new snow in the Niseko Resort Area Tim, Jackie, Dougy & I headed to Kiroro for their final day on snow this holiday. We were greeted with sunshine and a full reset covering all of yesterday's tracks. There was 5cm of light snow on the groomed runs, knee deep fluff on the fringes, and a lot more in the trees. For the second day in a row I messed up the focus on Tim's turns in 'Walk In The Woods' but I think you'll get the drift

Way more the past 2 seasons than I can remember the 6 seasons before that.

DAY 76 : TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2014 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 8 with the Banks family, Tim & Jackie at Kiroro. Great sunny start to the day with the groomed runs in perfect condition. Started snowing after lunch and it was knee deep by day's end. DAY 77 : WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2014 5 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 9 with the Banks family, Tim, Jackie, Dougy & Claud at Kiroro. Another sunny day at Kiroro on deserted pistes and even more deserted tree runs. Claud, Jackie, Tim & Dougy with Yoichidake in the backround

Light covering in the Niseko Resort Area, but very happy to report I was wrong about Kiroro. Snowing throughout the day. Knee deep.

DAY 73 : SATURDAY 08 FEBRUARY 2014 3 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 6 with the Banks family, Tim, Jackie & Claud at Kiroro. It was wall to wall sunshine across the region today offering up spectacular views of Mt Yotei, the surrounding peaks, Lake Toya, and the Pacific Ocean & Sea of Japan. The groomed runs were in perfect condition and there were plenty of dry, light powder stashes in the trees. Claud, Jackie & Tim with Otaru Bay in the background Tim standing tall and relaxed in the fall line on the Nagamine red course

My pleasure snowdude. Thanks for reading and commenting.

DAY 72 : FRIDAY 07 FEBRUARY 2014 13 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 5 with the Banks family, and today's destination for Tim, Jackie & I was Rusutsu. After yesterday's windblown powder, today we had light, knee deep powder all over the mountain. All day. Jackie was really letting the skis run in the deeper snow and Tim was standing taller and showing more patience through the turn. The sun came out just before lunch and Tim and I tried to get a couple of stills at the gondola base. We didn't quite get it , but you can see the quality of the powde

DAY 71 : THURSDAY 06 FEBRUARY 2014 24 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 4 with the Banks family, and Tim, Jackie & I headed to Kiroro. Yesterday's powder had been flattened by the overnight wind, so it was a day on the long, expertly groomed Kiroro pistes. Jackie started to lose the stem on her right to left turn - a legacy of her snowplow days - and to feel the acceleration at the start of the turn. By day's end she was really moving.