Today started with fog down here in Iiyama but quickly cleared into a stunning clear blue sky day. With no wind to speak of, this was definitely t-shirt weather if you were sitting in the sun, which gave the impression of double-digit temperatures. Fortunately, this was not the case, as the snow texture indicated.
We waited until midday to head up Togari, waiting for the snow to soften into a fun afternoon of slush laps. Unfortunately for today, but as a positive for the long term snow cover, I was surprised by the firmness of the snow. Throughout the afternoon the snow did soften on top, but remained firm enough to keep you from doing anything silly, and remained quite icy in the shade.
Not losing any more snow to melt is critical this week, as there are already large patches of dirt off-piste, especially on south-facing aspects. With a consistent period of snowfall expected from the middle of next week, it would be nice if we had the confidence to know it was snow under that powder.
Sadly, this Jerry won’t be here to see the next storm. My time in Japan for this season ends early next week, but it will be a great week for those who are here.
