Japanese Ski Resort posts 6 Metre Plus Base
Japanese Ski Resort posts 6 Metre Plus Base
Published : 08-Feb-2025 07:25
A ski resort in Japan has posted a 610cm (20 feet plus) base depth on its upper slopes, the world's deepest reported base for several years.
Japan's ski area have been reporting epic snowfalls for the past few months, peaking in recent weeks with some ski areas posting 1 metre accumulations in 24 hours.
Although mainstream media reports on the practical problems all the snowfall has been causing has been focused on the northerly island of Hokkaido, home to ski areas like Niseko, the deepest snow depths are actually being reported in the Niigata prefecture, north of Tokyo on the Japanese mainland.
The region is benefitting from a weather system known as the Siberian Express when dry air blowing East across large swathes of central and Eastern Asia hits the sea of Japen before dumping abundant snowfall when forced to rise as it hits Japan's mountainous coast.
Here Arai ski area near the ski town of Myoko is is posting a 610cm base with Charmant Hiuchi Ski Area near Itoigawa City in second place with a 560m base.
Ski areas in Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, are also posting huge snow depths, with the famous resort of Happo-One in the Hakuba Valley on 5.5 metres (pictured above today).
The 6.1m base depth is about double the deepest snow being reported in Europe, in the French Alps and in North America, on the West Coast, both closer to 3 metres (10 feet)
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