Konnichiwa!

Welome to the Winter edition of The Snow Concierge Newsletter.

It’s hard to believe we're already halfway through the year & while you have hopefully been making the most of the amazing snow falling across the Australian ski fields, we have been working non-stop designing some incredible ski holidays for clients, as well as preparing for what is going to be an awesome season of Japow! We’ve spent quite a bit of time in Japan already this year and have met with several very interesting ski and snowboard destinations. We’re always excited to work with new resorts and it’s great to see so many of them making huge efforts to be more attractive to Western guests.

It’s fair to say we are pretty excited about the upcoming Japanese ski season. There are several reasons for this, firstly it’s Japan & there is always so much snow! But this season there is an even better reason to get excited - word on the street is that there is a 60% chance of La Niña arriving this winter.

Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to the weather but La Niña weather patterns are generally associated with increases in snowfall as they can bring colder temperatures & moisture to snow areas. On average, resorts have seen an increase of 15-20% more snow in La Nina seasons. That’s reason enough to get a bit excited in our books!

This coming season is going to be a bumper with more people than ever considering the powder runs of Japan as an alternative to the classic ski destinations of Europe, Colorado & Canada. To be honest it’s not hard to see why, shorter flights, more consistent snow, fewer crowds & of course the best food in the world - not to mention the weakest the yen has been in years! We may be biased but it’s a bit of a no-brainer for us – if you need convincing then check out Why Japan is Australia’s Favourite Snow Holiday Destination.

If it’s your first time to Japan, there is a lot to consider with a staggering 450 resorts to choose from. There are almost as many things to think about as there are resorts - travel time, location, accommodation options, ski schools, terrain - the list goes on. Finding the perfect fit can be overwhelming – but that’s where we step in to help find the perfect option for you. As a starter, we’ve put a short guide together exploring the best resorts in Hokkaido and Honshu to match any level of skier or snowboarder. Read more.

We have seen HUGE demand for the all-time favourites of Nozawa Onsen, Niseko, Myoko & Hakuba & if you were hoping to be able to spend time in one of these resorts but haven’t booked yet, you might want to consider alternatives. We are very happy to help with this - our little book of hidden gem ski resorts is at your disposal (for example, Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain where we were lucky enough to spend some time last season).

We’re just finalising the details of a pre-season trip we’ll be taking in November to the various resorts our amazing clients are going to. We always like to do a pre-season reccie to meet with our suppliers in key resorts & check out our favourite bars & restaurants to make sure that our recommendations are still spot on. We will be sharing the details of this trip with our clients when we get back but if you have specific questions, let us know and we are happy to find the answers on your behalf.

As you can see there’s a lot going on at The Snow Concierge HQ & the excitement is starting to build for what is shaping up to be another fantastic season of memories & powder.

Wishing you peace, love and powder days. 

The Snow Concierge Team❄️