Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 19cm Posted on Friday 25th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Happy Christmas! ...and hopefully it will be by the end of the day. Rain falling overnight and it is raining this morning and remaining mild. We were kind of expecting this rain though, so there's no need to overly worry just yet. It should be getting colder later on today with snow due to be falling sometime this afternoon. (Kagura say it is already snowing higher up there this morning and sleet being reported by Naeba early on). There's huge debate as to how much snow we'll actually going to get over the next few days. Everyone is of course hoping for lots. The forecasts seems to agree snow later today and overnight, some on and off tomorrow and all day through Sunday - with Sunday due to be the coldest and most winter-like of the lot. We're here now though so we are going to find out soon enough. Snow Gods, onegai shimasu! --- Resorts that are now at least part open (Friday 25th December 2015) - subject to change: Kagura Almost all of Kagura is now open. Both Ropeways (Mitsumata and Tashiro) are open and you can ski or snowboard from one to the other. The only areas now closed at Kagura are the very top pair lift, one of the main Mitsumata slopes and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base. Naeba Lower Number 4 and 5 courses are open (with the help of artificial snow) and the upper Takenokodaira course is open (100% natural snow). GALA Yuzawa GALA Yuzawa is part open - the Melody and part of the Entertainment courses in the main Central Area are open. Muikamachi Hakkaisan The Technical course and Rakuraku A courses open with just two pair lifts operating (one to get to the open area). Resorts on standby to open as soon as there is enough snow to open: Chateau Shiozawa Hakkaisanroku Ipponsugi Ishiuchi Maruyama Iwappara Kagura (Tashiro) Kandatsu Kogen Ludens Yuzawa Muikamachi Ski Resort Nakazato Snow Wood NASPA Ski Garden Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Kogen Planning to open on Saturday 26th December: Itsukamachi Ishiuchi Hanaoka Mt Granview Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 25th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 19cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 15cm (18th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 19cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 23cm Posted on Saturday 26th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. It's good to see some white again. Not a huge amount - just under 5cm outside here - but there will be more on the mountains. Kagura resort are reporting 10-15cm of fresh. Yesterday was a mostly wet day again though it turned into sleet and snow later in the dark, with this snowfall overnight. This morning there are actually blue skies in places and the sun is out. It's just over 0 degrees right now and will be getting a little warmer during the day today but hopefully not too much. Later on precipitation is due again... might start as rain here in town but should soon be snow. Overnight tonight and tomorrow is still the period to look to for potentially heavy snow. It's still there on the forecast. Resorts around town are taking things day by day now. For example, NASPA Ski Garden has announced that it plans to open on Monday (28th) - all being well with the snowfall tomorrow. I would expect similar plans at other resorts. It all depends on how much snow falls. (Obviously!) All we can do is wait. Or enjoy the resorts that remain open. Evening update: It has been an odd kind of day really here, with fine clear blue skies opening up during the daytime. The forecast was insisting it was going to be raining during the daytime, but at one point there was hardly a cloud in the sky. It was keeping on the mild side as well with a high of about 6 degrees around lunchtime. This evening there's a few spots of rain but snow is apparently imminent. Looks like it might be early tomorrow morning when temperatures really take a decent drop. Up to 30cm of snow is expected higher up on the mountains and up to 15cm expected around Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma town areas. That is what is forecast up until 10am tomorrow morning and it should be snowing all day tomorrow. So things are looking promising. Let's see how things are come report time tomorrow morning. By the way, with Kagura currently the place where there's the most area open, they were really very busy today with overflowing car parks. Expect more of that tomorrow too and until there's more choice. --- Resorts that are now at least part open (Saturday 25th December 2015) - subject to change: Kagura Almost all of Kagura is now open. Both Ropeways (Mitsumata and Tashiro) are open and you can ski or snowboard from one to the other. The only areas now closed at Kagura are the very top pair lift, one of the main Mitsumata slopes and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base. Naeba Lower Number 4 and 5 courses are open (with the help of artificial snow) and the upper Takenokodaira course is open (100% natural snow). GALA Yuzawa GALA Yuzawa is part open - the Melody and part of the Entertainment courses in the main Central Area are open. Muikamachi Hakkaisan The Technical course and Rakuraku A courses open with just two pair lifts operating (one to get to the open area). Resorts on standby to open as soon as there is enough snow to open: Chateau Shiozawa Hakkaisanroku Ipponsugi Ishiuchi Maruyama Iwappara Kagura (Tashiro) Kandatsu Kogen Ludens Yuzawa Muikamachi Ski Resort Nakazato Snow Wood NASPA Ski Garden Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 26th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 23cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 15cm (18th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 23cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 33cm Posted on Sunday 27th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Yesterday at one point there were almost clear blue skies over the region - somehow it had turned into a beautiful day. Better than rain for sure. Clouds moved in later on in the afternoon and then in the evening it had started raining (trying to snow at times) with the sound of thunder as well. I went to bed last night listening to heavy rain making lots of noise on my roof and not in the best of moods.... just when will it turn to snow? But I am very happy to report good news from the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma areas this morning. We are enjoying proper winter-like snow this morning. There was 10cm of snow on the ground earlier on (any further snowfall since then will be in tomorrows report) and resorts have been reporting up to 20cm of snow. Snow continues to fall now and it's coming down nicely too, so fingers crossed it can continue building up. The forecast does promise snow for the day today; perhaps a break in the snowfall early morning tomorrow but more in the afternoon and tomorrow night. It goes without saying that we want as much as possible. There's lots of news and activity from the resorts around Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma as well. Maiko Snow Resort, Joetsu Kokusai and Muikamachi Ski Resort have already part re-opened; Kandatsu Kogen and Iwappara resorts are opening from 12 noon today. For resorts that were already open - more of GALA Yuzawa is open this morning and Naeba are preparing to get their Daishamen pair lift operating as well. The NASPA Ski Garden and Ishiuchi Maruyama resorts are both planning to open from tomorrow morning. That's the updates that I have available now and there may be more news during the day as resorts do their best to open as quickly as possible. I hope that we haven't missed anything. It feels like it's a case of mad panic this morning for many people, though everyone is of course very happy to finally see decent snow coming down. It feels like winter has arrived, finally. Now let's hope that we can keep this winter mode going. --- Resort operations (Sunday 27th December 2015) - subject to change: Kagura Almost all of the courses and lifts at Kagura are now open. The only areas not open yet are the top pair lift and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base. The top pair lift (Kagura Number 5 Romance lift) plans to be open this season from 1st January. The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is not yet open. Naeba Lower Number 4 and 5 courses are open as well as the upper Takenokodaira course. In addition, the Daishamen Romance lift and Number 4 high speed lifts are planned to be operating sometime today as well. GALA Yuzawa More of GALA Yuzawa is open this morning. Most of the Chuo area is now open and part of the North Area as well. Iwappara Iwappara will be open from 12 noon today. They are hoping to have their Number 2 pair and Number 3 pair lifts operating. Joetsu Kokusai Joetsu Kokusai has a number of lifts operating from this morning. Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen will be open from 12 noon today with three lifts (Tozawa, Onaka and Ikenodaira) operating. Maiko Snow Resort Maiko Snow Resort re-opens this morning with 6 upper Okusoeji area courses open via the Gondola. Take the Gondola up and down as the lower areas are not open. Muikamachi Hakkaisan The Technical course and Rakuraku A courses open with the Ropeway and Number 3 Romance lift operating. Muikamachi Ski Resort Muikamachi Ski Resort is open from this morning with the Number 2 pair lift operating. Confirmed news of openings: NASPA Ski Garden NASPA Ski Garden plans to open at 8:30am tomorrow morning (Monday). Ishiuchi Maruyama Ishiuchi Maruyama plans to open tomorrow (Monday). Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Kogen plans to open tomorrow (Monday). All other resorts will also be open as soon as possible: Openings for these areas either not possible or unconfirmed at the time of writing Chateau Shiozawa Hakkaisanroku Ipponsugi Itsukamachi Ludens Yuzawa Mt Granview Nakazato Snow Wood Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Sunday 27th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 33cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 15cm (18th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 33cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 28cm Snowfall at base this season 61cm Posted on Monday 28th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Yesterday was the first really proper winter-like day of the season. Good snowfall, cold temperatures, something of a wind. It felt good shovelling the snow! There has been no new snowfall overnight here in town which is a bit of a surprise, but during the day yesterday since my morning report there was nearly 30cm of snow fall. And nice and light snow too. Expect more than that amount up on the mountains of course. This morning we are being treated to lots of blue skies and sunshine over the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma areas. There is lots of cloud to the north, but our valleys are having a beautiful morning. It is cold too with lots of frosty and icy conditions outside. Again, that makes it all feel like proper winter which is great. It shouldn't warm up too much during the day today and then later on clouds are again expected to bring more snow. Snow is forecast for the day tomorrow as well, so let's hope we can build on the base that we now have. Most of the resorts in the area are going to be open from today. There's still a few that we can't confirm at the time of writing but generally it's a case of resorts being mostly at least part open. Some more than others. Details for each resort have been updated below. If we get more snow tonight and into tomorrow, hopefully it won't be long before everywhere is just "OPEN". Won't that be good?! In the meantime it should be a very fine morning out there. Nice weather and fresh snow. Remember, the snow is by no means particularly deep yet, so take care... there's probably going to be things sticking up out of the snow in places. --- Resort operations (Monday 28th December 2015) - subject to change: Kagura Almost all of the courses and lifts at Kagura are now open. The only areas not open yet are the top pair lift and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base. The top pair lift (Kagura Number 5 Romance lift) plans to be open this season from 1st January. The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is not yet open. Naeba More of Naeba is now open. The Number 2, 3, 4 and 5 Courses as well as the Number 4 high speed course, Takenokodaira, Daishamen and Downhill Courses are open. From today the Number 3 high speed lift and Prince Number 1 Gondola will also be operating. GALA Yuzawa 8 courses are now open at GALA Yuzawa. The Chuo area is open and part of the North Area of the resort. Ipponsugi Ipponsugi plans to be open from this morning. Ishiuchi Maruyama A decent area of Ishiuchi Maruyama is open from this morning. Iwappara Iwappara is part open with the Number 2 and 3 pair lifts and also the Chuo quad lift operating. Joetsu Kokusai Joetsu Kokusai is part open with a number of lifts operating. Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen is part open with four lifts (Tozawa, Onaka, Ikenodaira and Shiraitayama) operating. Itsukamachi Itsukamachi plans to be part open from this morning. Maiko Snow Resort Maiko Snow Resort is part open. Most of the top Okusoeji area is open and also the Paradise course of the Maiko area is now open. Muikamachi Hakkaisan More of Hakkai-san is open from today with the Ropeway, Number 1 and Number 3 lifts operating. Muikamachi Ski Resort Muikamachi Ski Resort is open from this morning with the Number 2 pair lift operating. NASPA Ski Garden NASPA Ski Garden will be part open this morning with the Number 3 and 4 lifts operating. Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Kogen is open from this morning with the Ropeway, Cosmos pair lift, top Panorama lift and Nunoba family lift operating. Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Nakazato is part open from today with the Number 2 Romance lift, Number 3 Romance lift and Number 2 lifts operating. Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Park is part open from today with the Number 7 lift operating. All other resorts will also be open as soon as possible: Openings for these areas unconfirmed at the time of writing Chateau Shiozawa Hakkaisanroku Ludens Yuzawa Mt Granview Nakazato Snow Wood Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Monday 28th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 61cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 22cm Snowfall at base this season 83cm Posted on Tuesday 29th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. The sun was out yesterday morning over the region. Lovely. And the snow quality was pretty good too actually. There wasn't enough of it yet of course - patches of ground and things sticking up through it in places, especially on lower runs that are open, and it was a bit uneven riding... but decent all the same. And of course everyone happy to be able to get open at last! Snow was falling to the north of Yuzawa and in parts of Minamiuonuma by late morning and early afternoon, but the clouds remained generally to the north of Yuzawa for the day. By late night though snow was falling again and I have the very good news of another decent delivery of snow this morning. There was just over 20cm of fresh snow on the car this morning and resorts around town are reporting 20-30cm of new snowfall. Excellent news. It's continuing to snow as well this morning and fingers crossed it will continue into tomorrow morning and so we should be getting more cm. Resorts are now starting to be able to open up more with this new snow. Some are now close to fully open, with others still 'part' open. But I think I am correct in saying that all resorts in the area are now at least part open, which is great news. Expect more courses to be open today and tomorrow especially if we do get a decent snowfall during the day today. I have updated the information for each resort below, but here are a few other headlines: The legendary Mt Granview should be open this morning. The Dragondola connecting Naeba with the Tashiro area of Kagura is starting to operate from this morning. The lift ticket/connection between Yuzawa Kogen <> GALA Yuzawa <> Ishiuchi Maruyama is available from this morning - but importantly note that until the South Area of GALA Yuzawa opens up - not yet - you need to get a bus from the base of Yuzawa Kogen to GALA Yuzawa. I think that is about it for now. I look forward to bringing you news of more snow tomorrow morning. --- Resort operations (Tuesday 29th 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 A large area of Iwappara is now open. Joetsu Kokusai Most areas of Joetsu Kokusai are now open. Kagura Almost all of the courses and lifts at Kagura are now open. The only areas not open yet are the top pair lift and the Mitsumata downhill course back to base. The top pair lift (Kagura Number 5 Romance lift) plans to be open this season from 1st January. The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is now operating. Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen is 80% open with four lifts (Tozawa, Onaka, Ikenodaira and Shiraitayama) operating. Ludens Yuzawa Ludens Yuzawa is now open. Naeba Large areas of Naeba are now open. The Dragondola connecting Naeba with Tashiro is now operating. Nakazato Snow Wood Nakazato Snow Wood is now open. NASPA Ski Garden All of the lifts at NASPA Ski Garden are now operating and most of the courses are open. Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Kogen is open with the Ropeway, Kogen Express, Cosmos pair lift, top Panorama lift and Nunoba family lift operating. Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Nakazato is part open from today with the Number 2 Romance lift, Number 3 Romance lift and Number 2 lifts operating. 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 Most of Ishiuchi Maruyama is now open. Itsukamachi Itsukamachi is now part open. Maiko Snow Resort More of Maiko Snow Resort is now open. The top Okusoeji area is open (need to take Gondola back down), as well as the Paradise and Family courses of the Maiko area. Mt Granview Mt Granview plans to be open from today! Muikamachi Hakkaisan Most of Hakkai-san is now open. Muikamachi Ski Resort Muikamachi Ski Resort is now open. Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Tuesday 29th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 83cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 6 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 83cm reported on 6 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 92cm Posted on Wednesday 30th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. 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. --- 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. Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Wednesday 30th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 92cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 7 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 92cm Posted on Thursday 31st December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. It's the last day of the year and the day has started with lovely blue skies and sunshine over the region. It might not last as snow is due to be falling sometime later on today and into tomorrow. With slightly milder temperatures today, it might start off as sleet (hopefully not rain)! Come Saturday though and milder conditions are expected to be back for the first few days of the new year. The forecasts are making those slightly worrying 'warmer than average' comments again for Sunday and early week, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. For now though a lovely morning to be outside. All of the ski and snowboard resorts around town are now open with many of them close to or actually fully open. As I think I said yesterday mostly the courses still not open will be steeper slopes that need more snow depth. Hope you can enjoy the day and evening, and see you in 2016! --- Resort operations (Thursday 31st December 2015) - subject to change: Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa The Central Area and most of the North Area are now open. The downhill Falcon course is also now open. Ipponsugi Ipponsugi is now open. Iwappara All courses at Iwappara now 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 90% 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 areas are 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 now open. Hakkaisanroku Hakkai Sanroku is now open. Ishiuchi Maruyama Ishiuchi Maruyama is now open. Itsukamachi Itsukamachi is now open. Maiko Snow Resort Almost all of Maiko Snow Resort is now open. 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. Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Thursday 31st December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 92cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 7 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 13cm Snowfall at base this season 105cm Posted on Friday 1st January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning and a very Happy New Year to everyone reading this report and SnowJapan. I am happy to report a snowy start to 2016 with 12cm measured just before outside my place and it would seem resorts around town reporting 10-15cm of fresh snow on the slopes. The local forecast is for the snowfall to stop sometime this afternoon and maybe a clear night before a cloudy day tomorrow. It also tells us of these milder conditions that are still expected from Sunday through until maybe around Tuesday. Please don't warm up too much (and do not rain!) After today the next chance of snow is due around Tuesday evening. So here we are in 2016. Those of you who have been around a while will know how special December 2014 was... a magnificent 5.59m of snow falling in town as observed by your reporter. December 2015 of course was almost the opposite with a worrying lack of snow and mild conditions right until the last week. I observed 92cm in December 2015. If we look back to the year before you can see that it was 136cm for December 2013. Last year also saw less snow than the previous season in the month of January so it was kind of a switch-around of the 'usual' pattern: December 2013: 131cm (136cm running total for season) December 2014: 559cm (559cm running total for season) December 2015: 92cm (92cm running total for season) January 2014: 297cm (433cm running total for season) January 2015: 420cm (979cm running total for season) January 2016: ??? Here's to a very snowy January 2016! --- Resort operations (Friday 1st January 2016) - subject to change: Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa The Central Area and most of the North Area are now open. The downhill Falcon course is also now open. Ipponsugi Ipponsugi is now open. Iwappara Iwappara is now open. Joetsu Kokusai Joetsu Kokusai is now open. Kagura Almost all of Kagura is open. The top pair lift is now open (from today). The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is now operating. Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen is mostly 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 areas are now open. Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Nakazato is now open. Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Park is now open. Resorts in Minamiuonuma: Chateau Shiozawa Chateau Shiozawa is now open. Hakkaisanroku Hakkai Sanroku is now open. Ishiuchi Maruyama Ishiuchi Maruyama is now open. Itsukamachi Itsukamachi is now open. Maiko Snow Resort Maiko Snow Resort is now open. 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. Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 1st January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 105cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 13cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 105cm Posted on Saturday 2nd January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. There's no fresh cm of snowfall to report this morning though it was snowing for parts of yesterday, just nothing major. Clouds remain over the region this morning though no snowfall is expected today. What we are expecting is mild conditions as later on today high of around 8 degrees might be reached. A similar situation is expected for tomorrow as well. Not the kind of thing we want to hear but avoiding rain during the warmer periods is a plus, so hopefully we can do that. Temperatures should drop as we get to Tuesday and on that day we might get a new layer of snow. --- Resort operations (Saturday 2nd January 2016) - subject to change: Now that everywhere is open, from Monday we'll be bringing you official snow depths at resorts around Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma. Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa The Central Area and most of the North Area are now open. The downhill Falcon course is also now open. Ipponsugi Ipponsugi is now open. Iwappara Iwappara is now open. Joetsu Kokusai Joetsu Kokusai is now open. Kagura Almost all of Kagura is open. The top pair lift is now open. The Dragondola connecting Tashiro with Naeba is now operating. Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen is now open. 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. Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Kogen and the Nunoba areas are now open. Yuzawa Nakazato Yuzawa Nakazato is now open. Yuzawa Park Yuzawa Park is now open. Resorts in Minamiuonuma: Chateau Shiozawa Chateau Shiozawa is now open. Hakkaisanroku Hakkai Sanroku is now open. Ishiuchi Maruyama Ishiuchi Maruyama is now open. Itsukamachi Itsukamachi is now open. Maiko Snow Resort Maiko Snow Resort is now open. 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. Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 2nd January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 105cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 13cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 105cm Posted on Monday 4th January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Those forecasts about weather being the stuff of March-April yesterday? They were right. It was like spring. Late spring almost! Objection. It was actually a lovely day with clear blue skies for most of the daytime... and warm, with Yuzawa hitting 10 degrees. You could almost see the snow melting. Some clouds formed later in the day yesterday and it was a mild evening dropping down to just +3 degrees in town overnight. (There was also a bit of drizzle as well in places). This morning the forecast has been for cloud again; but once again we are starting the day with clear skies and an almost hazy-like feel with the sun shining down on us. It's expected once again to warm up to around 10C degrees this afternoon. What is going on? As we haven't yet had the crazy deep snow that we are used to here, these weather conditions inevitably mean that snow is getting a bit thin on the ground especially on some lower slopes and areas. Basically it's a spring-like situation where you can expect better conditions and cover the higher you go. Happily, there is promise of a change coming soon. We may have to put up with a bit more rain and/or sleet starting later on today and overnight and then mild conditions again tomorrow (though not quite as warm as it has been). But then starting around Thursday it is due to get colder and we might be on for a run of a 4+ days of regular snowfall. What we really want is a good run of days of consistent snowfall, something that we usually don't have any problems getting. Fingers crossed! --- All resorts in the area are now generally open for the season, though please note that some areas and courses are not yet open. Generally steeper slopes that need more snow are still closed. Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa 110cm Ishiuchi Maruyama 70cm Iwappara 50cm Joetsu Kokusai 80cm Kagura 90cm (Mitsumata) 120cm (Tashiro) 150cm (Kagura) Kandatsu Kogen 85cm Maiko Snow Resort 85cm Muikamachi Hakkaisan 80cm Naeba 80cm NASPA Ski Garden 75cm Yuzawa Kogen 80cm Yuzawa Nakazato 40cm Yuzawa Park 70cm Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Monday 4th January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 105cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 13cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 6cm Snowfall at base this season 111cm Posted on Friday 8th January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Yuzawa... and what a beautiful morning it is! The sun is out and it's mostly blue skies over Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma with just a few clouds hanging on here and there. There's more cloud just to the north and if the forecast of a cloudy day with snow due to fall later on in the day comes through, they may be about to move in on our area. Somehow it doesn't feel like they will though - not just yet. But you want to know about the snowfall yesterday, don't you? Here's the headlines: Kagura reporting 10-15cm this morning (unclear how that fits in with the 15-20cm they were reporting early afternoon yesterday!) Naeba reporting 20cm Maiko Snow Resort reporting 10cm. A few resorts upping their official snow depths by up to 20cm today. Me? 6cm fell outside my place. The snow eased off later in the evening. So, not a huge amount and certainly not 'enough', but of course a very welcome refresh and it was good to see it snowing. It was quite heavy at times, though those times didn't last long enough. One characteristic of the snowfall this season has been just that... we've not enjoyed full-on blizzard like snowfall for prolonged periods. But might we get some of that this coming weekend? Maybe. There's more snowfall forecast for later today (from this afternoon?) and as we enter tomorrow. Sunday may start with sunshine but some potentially decent snowfall is on the forecast again for later in the day and for Monday. The main thing is if it can get - and keep - good and cold. It's a 3-day weekend coming up in Japan as Monday is 'Coming of Age Day'. Usually this is one of the popular weekends of the season and so I would expect resorts to be busy, a good early start is recommended. --- A recap on the status of major resort areas: Most resorts are struggling with the lack of snow. Some lower courses are now either not open or getting narrow and struggling to remain open and might have to if there is no refill soon. Here's some few resort specific information, by no means complete but hopefully of help to get an idea of where resorts are at this moment: The Kagura resort areas remain (close to) fully open. They were reporting 15-20cm of fresh up top by early afternoon yesterday, and 10-15cm this morning; A fair section of Naeba is open with a decent refresh yesterday, connection with Tashiro remains open; The Central and North areas of GALA Yuzawa are mostly open (the downhill Falcon course is not open); All of the lifts and six out of eight courses at Yuzawa Kogen are open; Most of the courses at Kandatsu Kogen are open (90% of the area); Most of the central area of Iwappara is open (top area not open); Four courses at NASPA Ski Garden area open with four lifts operating; Most of Ishiuchi Maruyama is open but some lower areas closed (in those places get the lift back down); The upper Okusoeji area and part of the Maiko area of Maiko Snow Resort are open (get the gondola back down from Okusoeji); 12 courses at Joetsu Kokusai are open. --- Resort official snow depths (Friday 8th January 2016) and any specific news: All resorts in the area are now generally open for the season, though please note that some areas and courses are not open. Generally steeper slopes that need more snow are still closed. The snow yesterday helped but we're still low on snow, especially lower course areas. Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa 110cm Ishiuchi Maruyama 70cm Iwappara 40cm Joetsu Kokusai 70cm Kagura 90cm (Mitsumata) 120cm (Tashiro) 150cm (Kagura) Kandatsu Kogen 85cm Maiko Snow Resort 80cm (upper) 30cm (lower) Muikamachi Hakkaisan 50cm Naeba 60cm NASPA Ski Garden 60cm Yuzawa Kogen 70cm Yuzawa Nakazato 50cm Yuzawa Park 35cm Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 8th January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 111cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 9 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 19cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 116cm Posted on Saturday 9th January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. There is more fresh snow to report this morning though it was actually raining as the day ended yesterday - it was one of those 'not again!' kind of feelings... But happily it turned into snow overnight and there's about 4-6cm of fresh on the ground around town areas early on. Regarding resorts that report fresh snowfall in a morning - Kagura are reporting 15-20cm of fresh snowfall, Naeba reporting 10cm (our reporter recording 7cm at base), and Maiko Snow Resort just to the north of Yuzawa town area reporting 5-15cm. It all helps and I see that Maiko are now mostly open with the snow of the last few days. Expect other resorts to be 'as open as possible' given their conditions and this fresh snow will certainly have helped. The snowfall still somehow feels 'weak' though, especially compared to what we are used to in this region. Perhaps we might get some of that Yuzawa-like kind of snowfall later tomorrow and through Monday into Tuesday. By that I mean blizzard like conditions and the snow quickly piling up. The forecast is still looking good for snow over that period. For today though expect the snow to ease off and leave us with just cloudy skies and maybe even clearing skies. It should keep quite cold though which is good, currently at 9am it is +1C. Some forecasts tell us to expect some clearer skies at the start of the day tomorrow with others saying snow clouds, though they all agree that it should be snowing later on in the day. Today is the start of the long 'Coming of Age Day' weekend in Japan with Monday being a national holiday, so popular places especially should be very busy this weekend. Here's to more snowfall over the coming days. --- Resort official snow depths (Saturday 9th January 2016) and any specific news: All resorts in the area are now generally open for the season, though please note that some areas and courses are not yet open. Generally steeper slopes that need more snow are still closed. The snow over the last few days has helped and we hope for more over the next few days. Resorts in Yuzawa: GALA Yuzawa 120cm Ishiuchi Maruyama 70cm Iwappara 40cm Joetsu Kokusai 70cm Kagura 90cm (Mitsumata) 120cm (Tashiro) 150cm (Kagura) Kandatsu Kogen 100cm Maiko Snow Resort 90cm (upper) 30cm (lower) Muikamachi Hakkaisan 70cm Naeba 70cm NASPA Ski Garden 65cm Yuzawa Kogen 80cm Yuzawa Nakazato 60cm Yuzawa Park 45cm Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 9th January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 116cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (28th December) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 24cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com