Niseko enjoying a truly epic season

The sheer volume of Niseko’s #japow is what separates one season from the last. It is safe to say that this season’s snowfall has been epic.

The monthly-observed snowfall for December 2020 was 348 cm – over 11 feet!  Driving through streets in Kutchan, the walls of snow engulf the road, squashing 2-lane roads into barely one.  While 40cm dumps of snow overnight have never been uncommon in Niseko, now they are becoming dependable. The locals are thrilled on the mountain, often complaining the conditions were “too deep”, making references to snorkeling during their on-piste runs. Those of us on the ground shoveling the snow offer the same complaint. Thank goodness it’s so light!

Normally, we have the cold Siberian air streaming southeasterly across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan to thank for the snow dumps we have become accustomed to. In addition to this, we have weather phenomena such as La Niña leading to even colder conditions. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported La Niña features, such as lower ocean temperatures, are likely to persist until boreal spring.  We may be in for a deep winter ahead if the powder machine keeps pumping at this pace.