First Snow Has Fallen and Resorts are Open! - MountainWatch Travel
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Nothing beats Mt Yotei views on a bluebird!

First Snow Has Fallen and Resorts are Open!

As the mountains across the Northern Hemisphere are starting to disappear under a blanket of snow, ski enthusiasts around the world are starting to dust off their gear, in preparation for those first powder turns!

In Japan, Niseko and Hakuba stand out, after receiving some serious amounts these last weeks, setting the stage for an exhilarating season of powder pursuits. Meanwhile, across the Pacific, the renowned Banff ski resort has flung open its slopes to eager skiers and snowboarders. Over in Aspen and Whistler, the lifts will start spinning on Thursday and there’s more snow in the forecast! Let’s dig in!

Hakuba


In the heart of the Japanese Alps, the picturesque town of Hakuba welcomed its first snowfall of the season this past week. What was only supposed to be a few centimeters, turned into a full on Japanese powder show.

With about 15-20cm dropping down in the villages, up on the mountains those numbers were tripled leaving 40 – 70cm of Japow! As thick snowflakes fell from the sky, the entire region transformed into a winter wonderland, setting the stage for months of outdoor adventures and unparalleled snow fun!

Niseko

Nothing beats Mt Yotei views on a bluebird!

Over in Hokkaido, it’s been snowing on and off for a few weeks now, and the first powder turns were earned at Asahidake – Hokkaido’s highest mountain. November 15 also saw some serious dumpage in Niseko, providing not only stunning scenes towards Mt Yotei, but also keen locals getting amongst it earning those first powder turns.

The forecast for Niseko is looking promising with continuous snowfall all week! Soon we’ll all be sharing pow turns off the peak again!

Aspen

Heading over to North America, and Aspen is set to open the first lifts THIS THURSDAY!

It’s safe to say opening day is looking mint after many days of solid snow storms, some of which completely buried the Aspen snow stake!

Looking at the forecasts, opening day is looking sunny but then the next storm is on its way. Exact numbers are yet to be seen but the seasons forecasts is looking very promising!

Aspen is a must-see, bucket list destination for many snow lovers so if you haven’t been. This could be the year!

Whistler

The incredible Whistler resort is also gearing up for opening day, this Thursday! Voted #1 Canadian ski resort for a second consecutive year, this season is set to be an absolute cracker!

This week we should see the base growing before a bluebird opening later in the week. Long range forecasts for all of Nth America is looking very solid, with above average snowfall. Meaning Whistler should be on your list of snow destinations for this season!

Banff

Banff has been open for the last few weeks, and keen skiers and boarders have been enjoying some great early season conditions!
With more and more lifts opening each day, it’s not long until all 3 Ski Big Three resorts will be operating at full capacity!

Looking at the days ahead, after a bit of snow early on, the rest of the weeks looks stunning, with light winds and cold, bluebird days! Getting us very excited for the season ahead! You down?

Still dreaming of a last minute Northern Hemisphere ski trip?

While availability is limited our experienced team are still able to find places across most resorts.
Click the button below for an online quote and get that snorkel ready!

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nicky sullivan profile picture
nicky sullivan
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Lizzie was so helpful, gave us some options and advice to help us pinpoint where we wanted to go. And once we had booked provided some really helpful travel advice and answering questions we had. Easy to deal with, everything was smooth and we had a great time.
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Shelly Drewitz
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Calum was awesome at helping us every step of the way with our trip. We got a great deal on the accommodation and ski lift, and we will definitely come back to Mountainwatch next time based on his excellent service.
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Mark K Grant profile picture
Mark K Grant
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I booked my Japan ski holiday through Mountainwatch. Very professional and when we arrived in Japan all was laid out for us. The accommodation was even nicer than expected. KIrsty was very good to work with and made things very easy!!!! will book again next season.
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Jess profile picture
Jess
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Great experience booking through this company, our contact Anna was brilliant, and organised a fantastic ski trip for us. The travel was all clearly laid out, the accommodation was lovely, the ski field was fantastic, great range of local dining options and bars.
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Brett A profile picture
Brett A
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Mountain Watch are great, well organised and excellent advice on locations and accommodation. Highly recommended!
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darren martin
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Thanks Kirsty for helping arrange our family trip to Myoko for Xmas 2025, we had an amazing time
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Jan Kelly profile picture
Jan Kelly
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Thanks Kirsty, once again your arrangements for us in Japan worked very well. We’ll have no hesitation about touching base with you before we make another booking….. not sure if we’ll be organised by June, but we’ll see. Have a great season yourself and keep up the good work at MountainWatch. Regards Jan and Tom
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Samantha Farr
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Our trip to Hakuba and Tokyo was so smooth and easy thanks to the help of Justine. Hotel was great and in a perfect location and it was very smooth having all our extras like lessons and rentals booked and sorted before we arrived. Would 100% book through Mountainwatch Travel again!
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John Durham profile picture
John Durham
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This is the second year that Kristy has organized travel arrangements for a skiing holiday to Furano in Japan, for us. It is the second time that those arrangements have been fulfilled seamlessly. No hassles, as planned and on time. Perfect, and will use Mountainwatchj Travel again. John Durham
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Simone B
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We booked through Anna O’Malley for our stay in Nozawa onsen Village in Japan. Seamless service, prompt, and pricing reasonable. The Shimataya View Hotel, was a lovely stay. Room size was large, great views, and Amazing service from Staff. Momoi and Eloisa couldn’t help enough- from dinner reservations to organising luggage to Tokyo. Property is older, though clean, well maintained. 10 min walk to slopes, 5 min walk to village centre. I recommend Mountain Watch, and this property. Photos are the view from our room.
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