Steep Deep Japan

27cm of 123kg/m3 snow in the last 24 hiurs. It is very heavy.

Yesterday in the backcountry: an inversion with clouds below 2000m and blue above. Up to 30cm of powder on the frozen rain crust. Still not sticking very well.

Observations from yesterday in Hakuba's backcountry: 12cm in the valley translated into 25cm at 2200m in Tsugaike BC. There is little wind effect for a change, however despite being right way up, the new snow has not bonded with the March 6 melt freeze crust at all. I saw a size 1.5 avalanche triggered by another group and was myself able to easily trigger multiple size 1 slides on anything steeper than 35 degrees.

With continued snowfall and perhaps another 20cm up there these small avalanches start to become more serious with a possible total 40cm of storm snow at 2200m today that has not bonded with the crust below. We will be avoiding all steep terrain and taking care around small steep rolls on gentle terrain.

My Japan Avalanche Network report is here
http://nadare.jp/snowbbs/2010/03/100307-tsugaike-bc.html

12cm of snow overnight and at lst below freezing temperatures have returned to the alpine terrain in Hakuba. Weather instruments are reporting amazingly calm winds, not a breath at times. What wind there is is from the south west - this is not a typical NW winter system bringing a lot of snow.