Yesterday was almost like four seasons in a day. The morning began with patchy blue sky and sunlight filtering through thin cloud, but quickly changed to heavy cloud and snow. By mid morning there were high wind gusts around the upper slopes creating dense clouds of wind blown snow that completely obscured vision. Lower down in the forrests there was some relief from the wind but not enough to make the visibility acceptable. However, by early afternoon the sun was back out and there was even a vague sense of warmth from time to time.

Today looks somewhat more subdued and the snow has been falling for several hours.

The official Hirafu numbers dont don't show any change at the base but the avalanche report notes 15cm of fresh snow at the base. Perhaps yesterday's sunshine and winds settled the surface cover to some degree, but it seems unlikely that the offcial numbers are accurate. There is a serious risk of slides in the backbowl and tree riding is recommended for those seeking out of resort adventure. A storm is expected to pick up in the afternoon so get in and out of the bowls before mid afternoon. This is reflected in the weather charts which are showing the lip of a low pressure system moving south over the top us and squeezing a the boundary of a high pressure system to our west.