5 metre-high snow wall ! May 4 2011, 6:16pm via nisekotourism.com

It is said spring has come to Niseko with melting snow and wild flowers, but it is true just about the foot of Mt.Yotei. We have lots of snow on the hill yet and the ski resorts are open during this golden week. We are still waiting for the backcountry ski season under the beautiful spring sunshine.

During winter some of the roads across the Niseko mountain range are closed for snow cover. We couldn’t wait for natural melting snow to open those roads in time for holiday season ,because ….
the snow base will sometimes be left more than 8 metre even in the early April.

Then a special kind of snow-plow trucks will work to make roads open from the mid March. That is called “snow-parting operation”, or ” Yuki-Wari” in Japanese.

I went to see the Yuki-wari operation on April 24. Snow wall was 5 metre- high at most even rapid thaw of this year!

We were almost blown away by strong snowstorm on the snow walls.

A local committee are seeking to make the snow walls along the Niseko Panorama Line and its snow-parting operation a regional tourism attraction.

Wait till the nest spring!