Day 4 Nozawa The entire region got blanketed this morning with a significant powder dump. It was an absolute blast as is obvious in the video 😂

Day 2 Shiga Kogen Yokoteyama conditions, particularly on the Daiichi course were wonderfully hard and fast. The Kaiwa course was also very good.

Day 1 Nozawa Onsen Last season I ended up skiing 158 days. Wondering how many it’ll be this season. Nozawa was fab this morning, especially for a December 1 day.

Day 137 Shiga Kogen After the crazy winds yesterday, and the heavy rains last night, the pistes were in a rough condition, so I only skied for an hour this morning before leaving. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 136 Shiga Kogen Crazy high winds shut down the lifts this morning so my buddies and I carried our skies and a walked a ways up the slope and did three short runs. It was lots of fun but it did make me appreciate the lifts. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 135 Shiga Kogen To avoid the line up and get the most out of the perfect 6AM pistes, I’ve been getting to the gondola at 5AM and waiting around talking with the other early birds. Met a talented young #snowboarder this morning. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 134 Shiga Kogen Friends came up from #Karuizawa yesterday and we maxed out their four hour passes by skiing non-stop except for a short potty break. Really fun day, great conditions, great weather. Skied 40km yesterday. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 133 Shiga Kogen So, it’s officially #GoldenWeek today and the crowds are out in force, and of course it starts #snowing hard just as the early bird session is about to start at 6AM lol Normally it’s shorts weather now, fwiw. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 132 Shiga Kogen Yesterday was a blast. Conditions were good and I met a cool skier on the gondola who is a company test rider for one of the major motorcycle companies here in Japan. Very interesting conversations. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 131 Shiga Kogen Sunday was fab this week with great #snow and weather conditions, and relatively small crowds despite heading into the #GoldenWeek holidays. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 130 Shiga Kogen Last Saturday was a big improvement over the previous few days of sticky snow but the weather was very warm. Lots of folks got out for the impending #GoldenWeekHolidays, too. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 129 Shiga Kogen Significantly better conditions this morning with cooler temperatures improving the snow but still had the “ski grabbing demons” as the Japanese call sticky snow after 8AM. They also call it “stop snow.” ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 128 Shiga Kogen Too much water in the snow caused “stop snow” for most of this morning putting the damper on an otherwise gorgeous day. Stop snow occurs in the Speing when the water in the snow seems to grab your skis. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 127 Nozawa Yesterday was my last day of the season at #NozawaOnsen. Unfortunately, the wet windy and foggy weather was a bummer today, but overall it was a fantastic season at this wonderful big and friendly resort. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #nozawa #nagano #nozpow

Day 126 Shiga Kogen Tuesday this week was superb as well. I really love getting speed on this part of the #Shirakaba run at #Yakebitaiyama. Around the 4 second mark on in the video you can hear my skis getting air for a sec. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 125 Shiga Kogen Monday was much better with lower temps in the morning and lots of faster pistes throughout the early morning session. Apparently #Yakebitai pulled snow out of storage and regroomed for much cleaner runs. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 124 Shiga Kogen It was ridiculously warm this morning, even for this time of year. Snow was dirty, too soft… but I was still able to get in a decent two hours this morning. Met some nice folk from Nagano in line, too. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 123 Shiga Kogen Yet another great 6AM session at #Yakebitaiyama. It was a bit more crowded this morning being Saturday, but I think most people are still at home till the big #GoldenWeek holiday next week. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 122 Shiga Kogen Yet another record breaking day. This time I beat my lifetime speed record and got over 120km/h. This is a bit dangerous so I think I’m going to focus on more turning the rest of the season. Superb conditions. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 121 Shiga Kogen Gorgeous warm day yesterday and the pistes got soft quickly in the sun. Fortunately my buddy and I were on the slopes at 6am when the fisted were still 🚀 fast and I broke my personal speed record again at 113km/h. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 120 Shiga Kogen Skied #Yokoteyam and #Shibu yesterday. Snow was terrific but visibility was low due to fog. #CrumpetCafe was excellent. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 119 Shiga Kogen High winds closed the gondolas again this morning at #Yakebitai but I was able to ski a few runs on the pair chairlift until the bizarro April 15th snow storm hit the resort at 6:45AM😂 ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 118 Shiga Kogen After the rains and high temperatures Sunday evening, yesterday was a bit soft on the pistes but otherwise it was great since there were almost no other skiers during the 6AM-8AM earlybird session. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 117 Shiga Kogen High winds closed the gondolas this morning so just got in a few runs on the old slow pair chairlift at #Yakebitaiyama. Pistes were not bad, though. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 116 Shiga Kogen Conditions on Saturday were spectacular for the 6AM early bird session at #Yakebitai. I broke my speed record this season at 108.8 km/h according to my #SkiTracks on my #AppleWatch. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 115 Nozawa Got revenge for the bad weather two days ago at Nozawa. Great pistes plus the #IshiiSports ski show was on so got to see a bunch of next year’s models. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #nozawa #nagano #nozpow

Day 114 Shiga Kogen Conditions at #IchinoseFamily were very good after the bad weather yesterday. Pistes were super fast, too. Got in lots of high speed turn practice. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 113 Nozawa Rainy day, poor visibility, large FIS competition so racers destroyed the pistes before we were allowed to start. ‘Nuff said. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #nozawa #nagano #nozpow

Day 112 Shiga Kogen Skied at #Yokoteyama / #Shibu this morning. At 2307m, it’s the highest altitude ski area in Japan. My buddy there told me they expect to be open till end of May or even June due to the plentiful snow this season. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 111 Shiga Kogen #IchinoseFamily this morning and it was surprisingly excellent conditions despite the strong sun. If you’re skiing in the Spring I always feel it’s best to start as early as possible to avoid the slush. 8:41AM 4/7. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 110 Shiga Kogen Another 6AM start at #Yakebitaiyama and it was a blast. Getting to start 2hours earlier than normal makes a world of difference in the piste hardness and speed. Video was at 7:30AM on April 6th on Shirakaba run. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 109 Shiga Kogen 6AM lifts started this weekend at Yakebitai and it was epic! -10 C coldness overnight had the freshly groomed pistes at diamond hardness. It was one downhill run after another at 90+ km/h. Video is at 7:15AM. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 108 Ryuoo What an amazing day! Yesterday was my last day here for the season and we had fresh powder and literally no one else skiing at the top of the ropeway for the first hour. This longer video is at 10:50AM. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #ryuoo #kitashiga #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 107 Shiga Kogen After the wet weather on Wednesday, Thursday’s fresh #snowfall at #Yakebitaiyama and #OkushigaKogen was a pleasure. We had a nice group and it was great to catch up with old friends. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 106 Shiga Kogen Wet snow and rainy day at #Yakebitaiyama on Wednesday but the pistes held up well enough for the few runs I was able to get in before rushing off to meet friends who popped into town from #Karuizawa. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 105 Alpen Blick Myoko Alpen Blick is in extended season mode with only the capsule pair lift open on weekdays. The pistes were in great condition till 10:30, but heavy rains interrupted the fun, unfortunately. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #myoko #niigata #alpenblick #ikenotaira

Day 104 Togakushi I went to Togakushi’s last day of the season yesterday and it was absolutely #beautiful the whole day. Unfortunately they have to shut down to prepare for the upcoming busy green season but could easily stay open till mid-May. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #japan #japow #togakushi #nagano

Day 103 Shiga Kogen Last day for me to ski this season at #Nishidateyama, #Higashidateyama, and #Bunadaira which are closing tomorrow. Pistes were perfect after the snow yesterday, and the weather was cold & sunny. Great day 🥰 ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 102 Shiga Kogen Late season cold front and snow this morning lead to strange snow conditions with an icy base and about 10 cm of powder on top. My buddy and I got first tracks at #Yakebitai, though, and it was nice. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 101 Ryuoo It rained a bit this morning so I started a bit late. The runs were surprisingly good quality despite the hot wet weather today. Cold front and snow storms moving in over the weekend… yay! ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #ryuoo #kitashiga #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 100 Ryuoo Super hot 22 C day so did a short few runs. I’m really loving the first few this season in the warm weather. At night it’s cold enough so first tracks are really rewarding in terms of speed. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #ryuoo #kitashiga #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 99 Shiga Kogen Catching up on my posts... Wednesday was another crazy fast morning on hard pistes for the first 90 minutes or so. I got up past 100 km/h several times. Will post a pic after. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 98 Shiga Kogen It’s way too warm for a normal ski season this morning but the first 90 minutes were still glorious. My buddy and I were literally the only two skiers at #Nishidateyama for the first four runs. #PrivateMountain ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 97 Nozawa Just wow! Got first tracks on 3 courses at #Yamabiko, #SkyLine, and #Karasawa, yesterday. The early bird really does get the benefits. Topped 100km/h on Skyline 3 times, too. Amazingly fun spring day. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #nozawa #nagano #nozpow

Day 96 Ryuoo Catching up with my posts today. Sunday was a beautiful bluebird sky day but the pistes were fast and hard for the first two hours so I got in some nice very speedy runs. The weekends only “Red Run” is great. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #ryuoo #kitashiga #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 95 Shiga Kogen Went to #Kumanoyu yesterday with my sempai to visit with his old university’s ski team and view their competition. The conditions were surprisingly good despite the 10 degree C temps and I got up to 89km/h. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 94 Madarao/Tangram Daytime temperatures are increasing significantly but the pistes were fast and the bluebird skies were gorgeous today. I’m really impressed with Madarao’s grooming quality. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #nagano #niigata #iiyama #myoko #madapow #madarao #tangram

Day 93 Shiga Kogen This season has presented so many fabulous ski days I’m running out of descriptive terms to use in my posts…lol. Next week we’re expecting very high temperatures so it’s going to be mostly hard pack for a while. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 92 Ryuoo Wednesday was an all day blizzard with snow accumulation warnings from the national weather service. Broke out fat skis for a late season powder day. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #snow #ryuoo #kitashiga #nagano #yamanouchi

Day 91 Shiga Kogen Fabulous day on Tuesday after the big snow on Monday. Perfect rocket 🚀 pistes and nice 10cm powder on the side country. Hot to 97 km/h on the run in the video. ⛷️⛷️⛷️ #ski #skiing #japan #japow #shigakogen #nagano #yamanouchi