The snow has arrived in Niseko and we’re getting pumped! Mt Yotei is snow capped and starting to look its winter best. Time for all you snow-fiends to start your daily ritual check of the conditions.

So where does all this snow come from and why is the powder just so freaking good here in Hokkaido? Well we can thank Siberia and its really really cold winds for that. There’s a cracking article which explains the “great lake” effect when these cold winds cross the Sea of Japan and dump their bounty. That means that Niseko has almost double the number of new snow days in January than Alta in Utah.

And Niseko cops a massive 12m of snow a year. That sounds pretty impressive by itself but let’s give it some context: Whistler and Mammoth get about 10m, Vail and Heavenly get just over 9m, Aspen gets less than 8m, Treble Cone in NZ gets only 5 and a half and Thredbo gets a mere 2m. Even Hakuba down near Tokyo just manages to get into double figures. On Mountain Watch’s site, only the aptly named Snowbird in Utah gets more snow than Niseko and it needs a bunch of snow guns. Niseko doesn’t have any snow guns because the staff would just have to spend the winter digging them out of the natural stuff.

Where are some of best powder spots in the world that you’ve skiied? Clearly we love the snow in Japan but we’re always keen to know what else the world has to offer.

You better get your accommodation booked and your boards and skis waxed because the season is nearly upon us. Bring it on!