Earlier diary entries...
Below is a complete list of this season's daily mountain diary entries. Click on the blue title and date to read more.
4 Feb - snowy |
I've got nothing to report from the backcountry today. It snowed all day in the valley, less wind... |
3 Feb - creamy smooth |
Today's tour was to 2100m and away from the wind that seemed to be hammering parts of the Happo... |
2 Feb - windy |
Time to take a day off and stay at home clearing snow. I also made an extension for my snow height... |
1 Feb - AST and snow |
Once again I was out on the field day of an AST Level 1 class and would otherwise have something... |
31 Jan - AST course |
I was indoors all day teaching an AST Level 1 avalanche course so have nothing to offer from the... |
30 Jan - perfect powder |
Today I returned to the same place as yesterday in Otari. What a surprise! It started out windy... |
29 Jan - avalanche fatality |
After my post yesterday news spread about a large avalanche on "the south side" of Goryu just... |
28 Jan - Persistent Slab |
I have nothing to report from the backcountry for today. It snowed and blowed a bit in the valley... |
27 Jan - powder |
We were heading for a simple tour today however with signs that it was blowing harder along with a... |
26 Jan - plenty of powder |
The trees were looking very nice today. We skied in the Tsugaike area from 1900m to the south for... |
25 Jan - powder, fractures |
Skied terrain to 35 degrees today, N, NW and NE aspects below tree line. Good deep powder, slight... |
24 Jan - deep powder |
10cm in 24 hours at my weather study plot. Down valley in Otari, past the ski areas, there was 60-... |
23 Jan - problems? |
Out today I have to admit that there are places looking very lacking in snow, or at least avalanche... |
22 Jan - avalanches |
I had a great class today on the field day of this weekend's AST 1 course. Nice weather in the... |
21 Jan - AST course |
I was inside all day teaching the classroom component of an AST Level 1 - so do not have any... |
20 Jan - wet and warm |
Compare todays Wx chart to the one in store for next week (posted yesterday). It will be cold and... |
19 Jan - alpine soft |
Out again with the same group from yesterday. Back up to the Happo ridge today for calm conditions... |
18 Jan - alpine, powdery |
It isn't hard at the moment to ski good quality stable snow on untouched terrain above tree line in... |
17 Jan - alpine powder |
Such consistent powder from higher up all the way down. We were on Happo (so were many others, and... |
16 Jan - great powder... again |
Today I went into my backyard hill - a common 'backcountry' haunt in the valley, and skied a... |
15 Jan - powder. again. |
17cm at 800m over night translated to almost 40cm at 1500m in Otari. Lazy day without hiking,... |
14 Jan - powder |
I climbed from 1650m to 2450m today approaching Funakoshi near Korengedake. The motivation was to... |
13 Jan - Hiyodori was on |
Skied old faithful today. No big deal. But the snow was great with no suncrust from yesterday (... |
12 Jan - blue powder |
I think pretty much everyone skied powder under blue skies today in Hakuba. It was quite nice,... |
11 Jan - Stormy. Snow charts. |
As forecast a storm arrived this morning, or you could say the last few days of intermittent... |
10 Jan - steeper and stable |
Today we skied a good spot from 1650m, although low, it is effectively completely un-anchored.... |
9 Jan - other people skiing |
I took the day off today to spend it with Mio - the last day of her holiday. We woke to a... |
08 Jan 2012 - AST1 |
I was teaching the field day component of an AST Level 1 today. It was pretty busy up there with... |
07 Jan 2012 - new av bulletin |
Today the Japan Avalanche Network started their new avalanche bulletin. This is the first time... |
06 Jan 2012 - powder again |
Skied the same Otari trees today. Mick and I were the only ones there - good powder, good weather... |
05 Jan 2012 - upside down? |
About 80cm so far from this storm - the first biggish event for the season. Started out light and... |
04 Jan 2012 - face shots |
I lost count of the face shots today, not that I count. Incredible ski quality in low density dry... |
03 Jan 2012 - perfect run? |
Skied alone today and forgot my camera, which is pretty typical. I really do not get any buzz from... |
02 Jan 2012 - a new cycle? |
Well this morning delivered a storm as forecast thanks to the tight low sitting off the east coast... |
01 Jan 2012 - heavy and warm |
Warm down in the valley today, thick clouds hanging on the top half of the range, badly sun... |
31 Dec 2011 - alpine |
Climbed Norikura on the way to Korenge, however a blob of clouds on our terrain just didn't want to... |
30 Dec 2011 - buy my boots! |
I have nothing to report from the backcountry today. There was some northerly wind gusting to... |
29 Dec 2011 - creamy trees |
Today we hiked a few km's into a remote area for some early season lower altitude tree skiing in... |
28 Dec 2011 - alpine |
I climbed from the valley floor to 2200m today in the JP region, quite a long trip taking 5 hours... |
27 Dec 2011 - aaar!! lifts! |
A group of local Japanese guides, bc skiers and mavens were meeting at Cortina today for the very... |
26 Dec 2011 - too much snow |
Another weather map image showing the classic pattern in place right now. No photo - nothing to... |
25 Dec 2011 - Siberian air |
As you can see in the satellite mage the cold air from Siberia is working it's way across the Sea... |
24 Dec 20011 - wind effect |
I ended up on the Happo ridge with my friend Chika gathering data for JAN today. We didn't go... |
23 Dec 2011 - colder |
I took the day off. I shouldn't have, but I did. It was cooler in the valley with moments of very... |
22 Dec 2011 - AST course |
I was instructing on the field day of the first AST 1 for the season. The weather was closed in,... |
21 Dec 2011 - teaching |
I was indoors all day instructing on an AST1 course, so nothing to report really. It was mild in... |
20 Dec 2011 - great powder |
Today was a perfect backcountry skiing day above the lower ski areas with powder absolutely... |
19 Dec 2011 - deep powder |
I climbed to 2300m above the shizen koen in the Tsugaike area. Trail breaking at 1700m was in boot... |
18 Dec 2011 - more light snow |
Poor visibility in the alpine, not nearly enough snow below tree line. Yet another day of no... |
17 Dec 2011 - light snow |
It would be nice to go touring, however the visibility above tree line is bad and terrain is still... |
16 Dec 2011 - storm break |
It snowed on and off all yesterday, slowing down last night. From 18mm of water precipitation we... |
15 Dec 2011 - warm |
It was warm (+9C) and windy, with very isolated moments of light rain splatter. So I didn't go up... |
14 Dec 2011 - dry snow |
Yesterday I toured up the Happo ridge to 2360m. With a number of different ascents and descents I... |
13 Dec 2011 - not much |
The clouds did not clear as forecast yesterday. I was heading to a zone between 1500 and 1900m... |
12 Dec 2011 - light rain |
It was relatively clear in town yesterday with very light rain as you climbed further into the... |
11 Dec 2011 - waiting |
Nothing to report here, it is warm. A moderate storm on the way with long-awaited cold air being... |
10 Dec 2011 - warm snow |
Most of the snow in the valley melted yesterday to be replaced overnight with 9cm of warm snow.... |
09 Dec 2011 - Clearing |
As forecast this storm didn't ever really get serious and has cleared to mostly blue skies today,... |
8 Dec 2011 - Small Storm |
At last the first wintery storm has landed in the valley. Only 6cm accumulated in the last 24, all... |
06 Dec 2011 - End of Aki |
Autumn is almost done here as the snowline creeps lower, though not very confidently. It will take... |
29 Nov 2011 - Season Starter |
A late start to my local season since missing the first skiable day on Daisekkei back on the 17th,... |
25 Nov 2011 - Canada |
I was in the Squamish area for a few days sleeping in a rental car and whilst there I went for a... |
03 Oct 2011 - First Snow |
October 3rd. The view from our front door. |