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Well, it wasn't the best of days to go, but my first ever visit to Ishiuchi Maruyama yesterday was certainly memorable.

 

We got kitted up more or less for first lifts at the Chuo Area, so the first 2 hours until mid-morning were OK. Getting stuck on the K2 quad for at 5-7 very long minutes of snow-blasting amongst some of the windiest conditions we've ever experienced on uncovered lifts definitely made us glad we hadn't gone to Kagura.

 

Predictably, the upper lifts never re-opened and so the rest of a short afternoon was spent down at the bottom, most of it waiting in long lift queues. We finally retired to somewhere we could buy beers and make something good out of a crazy day.

 

Like the look of what I saw of the place - just hope to go on a day with calmer weather next time, and get to ski the higher runs.

 

Next week - nearly 4 days in Niseko.

 

SdS

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Hi Muika,

 

Mad - yes, probably! Also guilty of not looking at the forecast, but there wasn't any way I could've done a day trip from Tokyo today, so we had no choice this week. For lunch, we ended up spending 2 hours at a restaurant at the top of the K2 quad, an older wooden building which was literally shaking on its foundations when the strongest gusts came through - lights swinging, windows flexing, the lot.

 

For a relatively low-elevation Niigata resort, the snow was pretty good. We assumed from the number of groomers still driving around that they had groomed on Friday night and then had to repeat the whole process yesterday morning because of the sheer volume of white stuff that had come down overnight.

 

I've visited Yuzawa plenty of times and I can't remember ever seeing much more snow at town level than there was yesterday.

 

A straw poll of the taxi driver and a couple of old resort digger-driver dudes suggested that between 60 and 100 cm had fallen in 24 hours.

 

It terms of snowfall, would you say it's now been an average or better than average season?

 

SdS

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I've had lots of fun so far, but an "average" season here in terms of snow is/used to be expected to be tons of snow.

 

The last few weeks until Friday was very mild and a pretty bad patch.

 

So I would rate it as average so far.

 

Which does not mean it's just average conditions - if you see what I mean!!

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I went to Kagura, and it was crazy. Amazing amounts of snow, with it puking down all day long. But the winds meant the Kagura gondola was closed, along with all of Tashiro. A hairy experience similar to the one you described, although fortunately on a hooded quad, had me worrying whether the wind was going to snap my binding and pull my board off my foot. After that, the resort was down to one lift, which got very, very crowded, so it was time for beers and give up. Whoever gets to that snow at the top of Kagura tomorrow is going to have the most amazing day ever.

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I went to Kagura today - weather forecast had the winds dying down and the snow stopping - alas it wasnt to be - snow continued falling all day and the continuing high winds meant only the pair lift was open on the kagura area. Still, some lovely waist deep powder to be had, but the runs accessable from that lift were inevitably very short. There was also some nice powder between the trees at mitsumata, but again, only short. Whoever gets up there tomorrow will be in for a treat - should be blue skies, nobody there and probably a metre and a half of untouched powder over most of the kagura area!!

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Niigata CITY is in the news because of the snow it is getting. They don't usually get a huge amount. But Niigata is a 1 hour drive on the expressway from Yuzawa.

A point worth making.

 

I'm sure tomorrow will be brilliant.

ger, within reason I am quite flexible with my work especially in mornings and that is when I usually ski if I do.

I will very likely be out tomorrow and really looking forward to it.

smile

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just got back from two days at ishiuichi. saturday was insane, lifts all closed from about 10am (hatsuka side), so had no choice but to climb up the mountain. got to near the top of the hatsukari super before the wind was literally blowing me over. Amazing powder, but very hard to see anything, total whiteout conditions. today was much better, some classic powder conditions when it started to brighten up around noon. glad i bought the powder board!

 

i found my goggles were simply not up to the conditions today, fogged up constantly yesterday, and today when in the really deep stuff. any suggestions?

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Do any of you have mad snow photos to upload or was it just whiteout?

 

Not sure why some of you went for a day trip this weekend - yesterday was forecast to be mad and today until at least lunchtime. Unless you love those conditions! wink

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Muika,

 

It was complete white-out most of the time at Kagura on Saturday. Half the time I couldn't see more than 10m in front of me. Even in those conditions some idiot boarders were sat resting or whatever in the middle of the slope. You can't see anything, then suddenly a sitting figure comes looming out of the haze. Scary.

 

Re day trip, I expect for most of us coming from Tokyo, the weekend is the only time that we are able to get away to the snow, which already limits our chances of catching freshies. So looking at the weather forecast, the main concern is how much snow will be on the ground. I don't mind a bit of wind and low visibility, but wasn't expecting everything to be stopped and quite the level of winds that there in fact were. To be honest, while to someone who can pick and choose their days on the snow, that trip would be a complete waste of time and money, I don't regret going. Despite the wind conditions, the snow was incredible and I still managed to get a pretty good powder fix in. The alternative would have been sitting at home doing not very much, wishing I was on the snow. Then going up next week to find no fresh snow and everything tracked out.

 

Incredibly envious of your situation!!

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Well, I love skiing and snow so much, I was glad to be at Ishiuchi on Saturday despite not getting that many turns in. It was wild and memorable and fortunately I have the time and money to ski a few more days this season. Sitting on exposed lifts reminds you you're alive, you've got to admit...

 

For most of us, there's a trade off between living in the smoke and in the country. One day, that custom built lodge with party-size rotenburo on the balcony will be MINE. Possibly too late to enjoy it though!

 

SdS

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