Good morning from Yuzawa where snow was falling for most of yesterday. Not a huge number to report this morning with just over 10cm of fresh snow since my last report yesterday morning.

Still it's all good and the snow over the last few days has given everywhere a needed breath of life. In just a few days we have gone from hardly anywhere being open to all resorts now being at least part open - and quite a few places are now boasting a 'mostly open' status.

Generally you will find that courses that remain closed at this stage are steeper slopes that need more snow to be able to open. Otherwise, snow cover is good (if not particularly deep) and there is a lot of choice now. There may well be further un-announced course openings during the day as resorts deal with the ongoing situation.

This morning light snow is continuing to fall as I write this report, though it is expected to ease off sometime this morning or early in the afternoon. I wouldn't expect much in terms of new cm.

Lets take a look ahead at the forecast.

Today once the snow clears is expected to be just cloudy with clearer skies overnight. Tomorrow might start with some sun and be milder than it has been but hopefully there might be more snow during the evening and as we enter 2016. After that there isn't a great deal of promise of snow through until early week and it will tend to be a bit milder - hopefully not too much, in which case there may be some rain involved around Sunday. We can only hope not.

Anyway for now it should be a good day out on the slopes and I hope that if you are in Yuzawa or Minamiuonuma and reading this you can get to enjoy it.

See you tomorrow morning.

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Resort operations (Wednesday 30th December 2015) - subject to change:

Resorts in Yuzawa:

GALA Yuzawa
The Central Area and most of the North Area are now open.

Ipponsugi
Ipponsugi is now open.

Iwappara
Iwappara is now mostly open.

Joetsu Kokusai
Joetsu Kokusai is now mostly open.

Kagura
Almost all of Kagura is open.
The only areas not open yet are the top pair lift (from 1st January) and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base.
The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is now operating.

Kandatsu Kogen
Kandatsu Kogen is 80% open with all their planned lifts operating.

Ludens Yuzawa
Ludens Yuzawa is now open.

Naeba
Large areas of Naeba are now open (the top runs and a few central areas aside).
The Dragondola connecting Naeba with Tashiro is now operating.

Nakazato Snow Wood
Nakazato Snow Wood is open.

NASPA Ski Garden
NASPA Ski Garden is now open with all lifts operating.

Yuzawa Kogen
Yuzawa Kogen and the Nunoba area area now mostly open.

Yuzawa Nakazato
Yuzawa Nakazato is now mostly open.

Yuzawa Park
Yuzawa Park is part open.

Resorts in Minamiuonuma:

Chateau Shiozawa
Chateau Shiozawa is part open from today.

Hakkaisanroku
Hakkai Sanroku is now open.

Ishiuchi Maruyama
Almost all of Ishiuchi Maruyama is now open.

Itsukamachi
Itsukamachi is now part open.

Maiko Snow Resort
Most of Maiko Snow Resort is now open.
Nighta starts from tonight!

Mt Granview
Mt Granview is now open.

Muikamachi Hakkaisan
Most of Hakkai-san is now open.

Muikamachi Ski Resort
Muikamachi Ski Resort is now open.

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List of ski resorts in Yuzawa town
List of ski resorts in Minamiuonuma City

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Iwappara 6 day snow and weather forecast
NASPA Ski Garden 6 day snow and weather forecast
Kagura 6 day snow and weather forecast