As forecast it looks like today is going to be a fine and sunny one - first half of it anyway. There's lots of early morning low cloud around the region this morning but blue skies above it and probably very quickly we will all be able to enjoy that. It's going to be a mild day with temperatures rising above 10 degrees later on.

Yesterday of course the lower part of the main run at Kagura opened for the first time this season. Not a huge amount of snow up there, certainly by Kagura standards, but enough to keep going hopefully until the next snowfall and an increase in base. There are some snow making machines up there as well helping out. That next snow is looking likely to be with us by the end of the week.

Down here at town level we're going to get something falling this week. There's a good chance of rain but borderline chance of snow to fall as well around Friday. All eyes on those temperatures.

Tomorrow we enter December. If you didn't experience December here last year, do take a look at the archive reports and see how we were treated to 5.5m of snowfall here at town level in that one month. Last December the snowfall was at times a bit crazy, even for us. It will certainly be interesting to see how this year will shape up. Until now of course it has been relatively mild and the longer term forecast for the prefecture tells us that December should be around average or slightly warmer than average. This particular region of the prefecture doesn't always play by the rules though - and hopefully not this year!

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Planned opening dates for resorts in Yuzawa Town and Minamiuonuma City (by date):

Currently part open:
Kagura (Mitsumata) - lower part of the main Kagura area (real snow) and snow mats helping things along at Mitsumata

Saturday 5th December:
Iwappara
Joetsu Kokusai

Saturday 12th December:
Kaguta (Tashiro)
Maiko Snow Resort
Naeba

Friday 18th December:
Ishiuchi Maruyama
Muikamachi Ski Resort
Yuzawa Nakazato
Yuzawa Park

Saturday 19th December:
GALA Yuzawa
Ipponsugi
Kandatsu Kogen
Ludens Yuzawa
Nakazato Snow Wood
Muimamachi Hakkaisan
NASPA Ski Garden
Yuzawa Kogen

Thursday 24th December:
Chateaux Shiozawa

Friday 25th December:
Hakkaisanroku

Saturday 26th December:
Itsukamachi
Ishiuchi Hanaoka
Mt Granview

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Ski resorts in Yuzawa town
Ski resorts in Minamiuonuma City