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The top lift of Nozawa reaches the peak of Kenashi-yama, so unlike Hakuba and Myoko (big mountains), there is no scope to hike up the back of the resort to access back country. Twice in March I made the trip from the top of Nozawa Onsen to Maguse Onsen. The trip involves two short climbs, a couple of short stretches where you can let go and enjoy the ride, a big traverse along a ridge, and finally you walk out to the road, where you need to have a car waiting for you. It takes about 3 hours (add extra time for lunch and breaks) The goal is Maguse Onsen, an amazing outdoor onsen with a spectacular view over the valley and out to Kijimadaira ski area.

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I have done this tour three times, each time in perfect weather and loved it every time. Although there is not much awesome terrain for snowboarding, if you think of it like a hike through the mountains it is really enjoyable. You feel about as far away from it all as you can get in Japan, and the panoramic views from a few points along the way are utterly breathtaking. Two out of three times I have been lucky enough to see a Kamoshika (deer/pig like creature which inhabits the mountains around here).

A bit of preparation is necessary and avalanche equipment should be carried. It would be unwise to attempt it in winter or in poor weather conditions. It would also be advised to go with someone who knows the way.

Another sunny day in the park

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Fine
Snow Depth: 225cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: More fine weather for the rest of the week.
Open Areas: Yamabiko and Uenotaira are open. To get down the mountain you can slide right down to the Kandahar lifts and take a shuttle bus back to Nagasaka.

Another sunny day in Nozawa today, there is hardly anyone on the mountain and it is a beautiful place to enjoy peace, quiet and empty slopes. I drove through Iiyama today (the closest major town to Nozawa) and it felt very spring like. There is no snow anywhere, and the fields are already being prepared for planting.

We can expect more conditions like this for the rest of the week. Once you change your way of thinking and come to terms with the fact that there will be no more powder until next year, spring skiing is a lot of fun.

Nagano Go is currently undergoing an update… Things should be working a little better in a short while.

Nice slushy day in the park

New Snow (Resort): 0cm
New Snow (Village): 0cm
Weather: Fine
Snow Depth: 230cm (Yamabiko)
Outlook: More fine weather for the rest of the week.
Open Areas: Yamabiko and Uenotaira are open. To get down the mountain you can slide right down to the Kandahar lifts and take a shuttle bus back to Nagasaka.

The weather has been wonderful the last few days. Perfect blue skies and no wind, its almost warm enough for only a tshirt up there. The mountain is pretty much deserted at the moment, and although the snow is slushy there is still plenty of fun to be had. This week is the last that Uenotaira 4 lift will be running on weekdays. From the 12th it will be weekends and Golden Week (week of public holidays here in Japan) only. The season wraps up for good after golden week at the beginning of May.

Fine weather is forecast for the next week.

After a few hours skiing 40cm of great powder at Nozawa, we decided to head off to Myoko Kogen for an afternoon of (hopefully) exploring Seki Onsen backcountry.

Seki Onsen has gained a bit of a reputation in the last few years as a great resort to enjoy powder. Out of all the resorts in Myoko Kogen, Seki Onsen is the closest to the Japan Sea, and gets the most snow. Last season saw the base get to 4m at Nozawa Onsen – a pretty good year. Seki Onsen had over six. The resort does hardly any grooming, and although there are only 2 lifts, they provide 300 metres of vertical on the same fall line.

The resort used to have more lifts and terrain, they closed the lifts but the runs are still accessible from the top. This means there is substantial lift accessed uncontrolled terrain. It all funnels back to the main lift, one lap taking about 30 mins.

Unfortunately when we visited the top lift was closed due to high winds. The lower run was pretty chopped up and a crust had formed, so we didn’t stick around for too long. There were a lot of wistful looks out to the skiers right of the resort at what could have been if only the top lift was running.

After Seki, we drove up the road to a place called Tsubame Onsen. It is a small ski area which was closed about 4 years ago. We were hoping there would be something we could quickly hike up and then slide, unfortunately it was pretty flat. The mountains that surround Tsubame Onsen are absolutely spectacular, and although we didn’t ski it was worth the trek up. Before we left Tsubame we popped in to the Iwatoya, a ryokan filled with memorabilia seemingly from the Addams Family house including several stuffed animals. Their bath was fantastic with an inside and outside bath, the outside bath offering fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.