Avalanche Information

We provide this link to this page as a public service and to promote the availability of valuable avalanche information. Unless you are experienced in the backcountry, this information is no substitute for a guide.

Unlike Canada and European countries, Japan does not have a central avalanche organisation publishing a daily bulletin. However Hakuba has a local service along with a number of valuable additional information sources.

Note that no avalanche hazard flags or signs are displayed at backcountry gates in Hakuba resorts. Once you arrive at a resort or backcountry area you will have no way of reading that day's advisory.

ACT Japan

ACT Japan Avalanche Bulletin
The only official bulletin in Hakuba is provided by the Avalanche Control Team (ACT), an Non-Profit Organisation. Clarification: the name is slightly misleading - they do not conduct control blasting. You can view the bulletin at the bottom of the linked page. ACT home page

Japan Avalanche Network

Japan Avalanche Network
JAN maintains a volunteer snowpack information database for Hakuba. There are usually multiple daily updates from various backcountry areas in the valley offering info on observed stability and weather. Some updates are in English, most in Japanese. Contact us for help interpreting the info if you need it.

Steep Deep Japan

Steep Deep Japan
This is a private blog in English with daily stability observation reports from the backcountry and daily weather observations from a weather plot. The blog owner (Damian from Hakuba Alpine Guides) is also a contributor to the the JAN database mentioned above. It is not an official avalanche forecast site and doesn't pretend to be.

Weather Services

Just in case you like comparing different weather services, try some of these. Each one has it's own benefits.

www.yo.no

Firstly, a very complete service from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. This is a world class forecasting service.
http://www.yr.no/place/Japan/Other/Hakuba-mura/

SnowForecast.com

Every one knows of this site. Here is the link to the Happo forecast