Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 207
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Hiked up Hirafu this morning for my first turns of the season.

 

Got to the 1000m hut at the top of Ace 3. Above that way too much foliage.

 

Skied the 'groomers' Center Course down to Tauch Course. Up to boot-top pow with little poking through down to where Tauch Course leads into Konayuki Course.

 

Below that it was rock dodging and combo of snow and grass/bamboo skiing down to Sennoki course. Had to walk around the switch back and clicked in for the last 300m or so down to the Ace Quad 2 lift.

 

http://www.grand-hirafu.jp/en/mountain/map.html

 

Raining in the village now (6:20pm) but supposed to get colder tonight and dump all week.

 

Should be ok for opening day next Friday (23rd).

 

How do you post pics on here?

Link to post
Share on other sites

before the pic url and after the url of the pic.

 

If you are wanting to upload photos to SJ, which you are very welcome to do, you can upload 5 at a time in the members area:

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/login.php

 

Any photos you upload there and tag to a resort will be automatically added to that galleries for that resort on SJ (as well as being part of your own gallery of course). You can also create different galleries within that section quite easily.

 

Here is the photo uploading page:

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/photo_gallery_image_uploader.php

 

Thanks!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Monday 19 November 2007

 

25cm in the past 24hrs at village level (300m).

40cm in the past 24 hrs above the top of the Ace #2 Quad, Grand Hirafu (~900m)

 

Yeah I know that the resort is reporting 10cm in the village but that's how much has accumulated outside my front door!

 

Hiked Grand Hirafu this morning. Bootpacked to ~ 900m. Couldn't go higher because it was too deep.

 

Snow has consolidated since last Saturday. Didn't go to ground until the bottom of the hill (300-450m).

 

Minimum snow depth at 900m was 65cm and in places a LOT more.

 

Super light & dry powder.

 

Balls deep, face shots and over the shoulder trails.

 

Forecast to snow indefinitely.

Link to post
Share on other sites
 Originally Posted By: MikePow
Monday 19 November 2007

25cm in the past 24hrs at village level (300m).
40cm in the past 24 hrs above the top of the Ace #2 Quad, Grand Hirafu (~900m)

Yeah I know that the resort is reporting 10cm in the village but that's how much has accumulated outside my front door!

Hiked Grand Hirafu this morning. Bootpacked to ~ 900m. Couldn't go higher because it was too deep.
Snow has consolidated since last Saturday. Didn't go to ground until the bottom of the hill (300-450m).

Minimum snow depth at 900m was 65cm and in places a LOT more.

Super light & dry powder.

Balls deep, face shots and over the shoulder trails.

Forecast to snow indefinitely
.



yeah clap.gif c'mon Honshu
Link to post
Share on other sites
 Originally Posted By: MikePow
Monday 19 November 2007

25cm in the past 24hrs at village level (300m).
40cm in the past 24 hrs above the top of the Ace #2 Quad, Grand Hirafu (~900m)

Yeah I know that the resort is reporting 10cm in the village but that's how much has accumulated outside my front door!

Hiked Grand Hirafu this morning. Bootpacked to ~ 900m. Couldn't go higher because it was too deep.

Snow has consolidated since last Saturday. Didn't go to ground until the bottom of the hill (300-450m).

Minimum snow depth at 900m was 65cm and in places a LOT more.

Super light & dry powder.

Balls deep, face shots and over the shoulder trails.

Forecast to snow indefinitely.


ballz deep? didnt know anybody else out there are as short as FT and BP ;\)
Link to post
Share on other sites

6 foot 2 and eyes of green. That's 188cm in new money.

 

The key phrase above was 'and in places a LOT more'.

 

And I think that I'm in VERY limited company when it comes to choice of sticks to ski the Niseko pow.

 

My weapons of choice are Salomon Equipe SC slalom skis with a Kate Moss like waist of 66mm.

 

Factor in my 100 kg bodyweight (and at least another 30 kg with kit and the skis) and the balls are getting cold ;\)

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Tuesday 20 November 2007

 

20cm in the past 24hrs at village level (300m).

40cm in the past 24 hrs at ~ 700m

 

I went to bed in Hirafu and woke up in Fernie.

 

Temperature rose overnight and yesterday's talcum turned to elephant snot.

 

Still great turns to be had this morning, just not as many face shots ;\)

 

Every cloud has a silver lining, and so far we've dodged the rain bullet.

 

The wetter, heavier snow should allow the mountains to groom the pistes and the additional weight of the snow will hopefully smother the Sasa grass.

 

It's been clear for the past hour or so and temps are falling.

 

So the next wave of snow should come in light & dry.

 

 

Derek Begley staying alive

MikePow_1.jpg

 

 

Our tracks in the late afternoon sunshine

MikePow_2.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wednesday 21 November 2007

 

10cm in the past 24hrs at village level (300m), read my steps ;\)

 

We've had it all in the past 24.

 

Heavy wet pow, about 30 minutes of drizzle, styrofoam pellets, clear blue skies and above zero celcius temps, dandruff snow, clear starry, moonlight skies and currently serious cold smoke dumpage.

 

At least 10cm has fallen since 8am this morning (it's just after 1pm as I write).

 

No turns today. There's a 2-5cm wind/wet snow/rain crust lurking below today's snowfall.

 

Will let you know how it skis tomorrow. Could be interesting.

 

Still no word on which lifts will be running on Friday or whether they intend grooming.

 

But Grand Hirafu has announced that day tickets will be Y 2,000 per day from 23-30 November. Good on 'em.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thursday 22 November 2007

 

15cm in the past 24hrs on my steps at village level (300m).

 

Although a couple more hours in bed wouldn't have hurt this morning I'm very happy that I didn't succumb to the pillow.

 

Our (myself and work colleague, boarder and all around good guy Derek Begley) Tuesday boot pack and lines had disappeared as I made my way up the switchbacks this morning.

 

Knee deep all the way.

 

At around 750m there was 30cm of featherlight on top of 5cm of crust on top of 45cm of consolidated, well bonded pow.

 

I would say that today's turns were sugoi (awesome) but having 'eaten' so many face shots on my way back to base I'd have to say they were oishii (delicious).

 

Didn't notice the crust, and when the hill gets ploughed tomorrow it should be nicely mixed in.

 

As I got to the base of the Ace #2 quad, some of the Grand Hirafu Snow School crew were hopping on the chair for some turns.

 

I tried my damndest to catch a ride but like Wayne & Garth without backstage laminates, I was denied.

 

Will just have to wait for tomorrow.

 

Day tickets (Y 2,000) go on sale at 7:30am with the lifts set to spin at 8:30am.

 

If you're in the area drop everything and get up the hill. You won't regret it.

 

 

The boot pack

MikePow_3.jpg

 

 

On the half way line between what's below me

MikePow_4.jpg

 

 

and what's above me

MikePow_5.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...