What a weekend it was! We had the full spectrum of weather in the Hakuba mountains; Sun, Snow, Sleet, Wind, Rain but mostly blue skies and and warm days. There was a great turn out on Happo One for the JAL Mogul event and the EOC Tri-Modal Challenge and fun times had by all.

Today Hakuba is back to the slow warm spring feel with still great skiing and riding up on Goryu, Hakuba 47, Happo One and Tsugaike not to mention great touring up in the Alpine. All other ski areas in the area are closed for the 2006 / 07 winter season but the above 4 will run until May 6th. So there is still one more month of great spring corn snow to slide on and still some fresh to find at higher elevations.

Have a great spring of riding whether it be on snow or on the opening trails at valley bottom on mt. bikes. River running season is just around the corner in Hakuba and all those great spring slopes will be melting more and more each day and filling the rivers with the run off. So you can also jump in a boat or just a wet suit and get into some swift moving water.

( See Backcountry Advisory Below )
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Avalanche Hazard:

Above tree line: Moderate

Tree line: Moderate

Below tree line: Low

Backcountry Travel Advisory:
There has been about 20 cm of new snow accumulate in the alpine over the past week and multiple large slides were observed on solar radiated slopes. Most of the the large avalanche tracks ran after the main storm last thursday but have since been settling. Continue to be cautious as temperatures rise and on days that warm faster than usual.
People heading out in the backcountry should be wary of solar radiation on south facing aspects. Wind loaded slopes and cornices will also be areas to avoid as the day warms up. As mentioned earlier, shallow snowpack over bushes, rock outcroppings and bamboo (sasa) will be more likely to slide. Also take care in convex areas as there may be glide cracks formed and big holes in the snow.