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Nozawa Now: Friday 31st December 2021

  • Dec 31, 2021
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano


New snowfall at base 75cm
Snowfall at base this season 287cm

Posted on Friday 31st December 2021 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here.


The snow is really coming down at the moment.


Get this: Yesterday afternoon the ski area was reporting 20cm of snow on the top area. That's from the daytime yesterday. This morning there's an additional 85cm. I make that a total of 105cm. The numbers on lower areas were different from what they are now when I checked earlier, so not sure what's going on there.


I might adjust my own number later as I go out and start shovelling the snow and getting more of a feel of what we have, want it to be representative. [Update: updated!]


But whatever the number, it's a whole lot.


Deep powder conditions.


I hear some lifts are going to be opening late this morning as they cope with the snow. I think Naski might sit it out too.


[Updated: tonight's night time and new year countdown events have been cancelled due to the heavy snow]


Information checked each morning at time of report. All subject to change.


Fresh snowfall recorded by the ski area (total since yesterday morning):

- Yamabiko (1615m): 105cm

- Uenotaira (1407m): 93cm

- Hikage (660m): ?cm

- Nagasaka (616m): ?cm

- Karasawa (563m): ?cm


Official snow depth numbers (reported by the ski area):


- Yamabiko (1615m): 250cm

- Uenotaira (1407m): 240cm

- Hikage (660m): 165cm

- Nagasaka (616m): 155cm

- Karasawa (563m): 155cm


All courses apart from the following plan to be open:


- Yunomine A

- Mizunashi A

- Grand Prix

- Mukobayashi

- Hachiman

- Kamoshika


Planned operating lifts:


- Most lifts are now scheduled to be open, subject to weather conditions.

- The Utopia and Challenge pair lifts are normally rested on weekdays.

- The Nagasaka quad lift is open for night skiing 30th Dec-1st Jan, 8th-9th Jan, 11th-12th Feb.



Nozawa Now 2021-2022 season

Data as of Friday 31st December 2021 Total snowfall at base 287cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 75cm (31st December) November 2021 snowfall 15cm reported on 2 days December 2021 snowfall 272cm reported on 11 days




All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Nozawa Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report.


SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.



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