After a bone-chilling -23 degree morning, cold enough to bring on the Diamond Dust phenomenon that makes Hokkaido particularly charming during the long winter nights, the clear skies have given way to heavy clouds and a bit of a break from the bitter cold. Things have warmed up rather nicely to a balmy -5 with an approaching front to the south promising to bring a fresh layer of snow along with it. Unfortunately it has also brought a stiff south-westerly wind blowing at a brisk 5m/s, carving away the precious fresh powder from the middle of the slopes and stowing it away on the sides of the runs and on the courses fortunate enough to have decent tree cover.

I was up there this morning on the Kitanomine Zone, and it was like glass in a few patches, but hopefully in an hour or so it will start snowing and give us winter weather enthusiasts something to bite our skis or boards into, respectively. Night Skiing started in the Kitanomine Zone yesterday, and I for one am looking forward to the extra string of illumination running down the mountainside, because it looks so nice from the town below.