The powder has not disappointed, as you can see from today’s photos, (Saturday). We woke up to sunshine, views of Mount Yotei and about 12 inches of the lightest freshest powder you could imagine. The temperatures dropped considerably late yesterday but the frozen toes and noses paid off today after our first turns. Check out Tara Gorman and MacKenzie Mailly getting really deep, pictures of the famed volcano, Mt. Yotei and the wind affect on the peak of Mt. Annupuri. After each out of bounds run, we get to traverse out through a forest of beautiful birch trees, about a mile in distance and it drops us out at the base of the Hanazono resort. We split into different groups today and took advantage of all the area had to offer; steeper tree skiing, wide open powder faces and groomers with 6-8” of fresh powder. We attacked the powder with some new tactical skiing skills and enjoyed the views for the first time. By the end of the day, the winds came back in, the temps dropped significantly and it started dumping. From the sounds of it, we could wake up to a couple feet of fresh snow tomorrow. It will make the resort, in and out of bounds, a whole new place. As you can see from today’s photos, it was deep and they called for light snow, tonight they are calling for heavy snow, we can’t wait. We have a fantastic group of folks on the trip and we’re all feeling challenged yet relaxed, happy and lucky!

See the Ultimate Groove in Japan Image Gallery" for daily updates!

Learn more about Heather and Ultimate Groove on marmotpro.com