Tenki Diary 3 Jan 07

Thursday morning, weather for the last 24 hours to 7am: 7cm new snow, quite light, 6% water content.  Calm winds in the valley and still relatively cold overnight, low -7C, max daytime yesterday -2C. Settlement is quite rapid with large settlement cones at 860m asl and foot penetration fallen by half to 50cm.  Settlement only indicates stability in the new snow - it says nothing about deeper weak layers nor the strength of layer interface at the Dec 29 rain crust.  Don't be fooled by signs of settlement.

I spoke with a patoller at one of the valley's ski resorts who indicated that ski cutting was indicating fair stability.  This was in altitudes below 1300m.

Mio and I have been frustrated with the lack of backcountry activity in the last week due to the conditions.  Ducking ropes, hiding from patrol and poaching trees in resorts isn't what we enjoy and our half day resort riding habit has become a little dull.  It was fun to access easy powder for a few days, but will be good to start some touring again.

We heard that Tsugaike Kogen ski resort closed access to the backcountry behind the resort yesterday. It was a good idea given the conditions and the propensity for Japanese masses to run for the hills every holiday chance they get, irrespective of conditions.  However that said - if it can be 'closed' then it isn't really backcountry.  Its resort sidecountry. All the same, I wouldn't go up there just yet anyway. But I want to go pretty soon.

Today we will have a morning of Goryu ski resort doldrums (it's most boring resort I have seen and has vastly more prohibited terrain than permitted terrain. Not a resort for the free-spirited).  In the afternoon we will enjoy a short low angled backcountry tour behind my house.