Editor's Note // Issue 23

HAPPY Chinese New Year and a big powder-coated welcome to all those who have chosen snowy Niseko to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Tiger!

This time last year we said Niseko was reaching a turning point whereby the traditional Australian customer base would soon be overtaken by Asia. Across the season Aussie visitor numbers are still higher, but Chinese New Year is now well and truly the busiest period of Niseko's winter – surpassing the Christmas-New Year period – and the villages are at capacity.

We've given this issue a special Chinese New Year flavour. In our Niseko News section we get a sneak peak at Hirafu's main street circa Chinese New Year 2012. We fast-forward to summer and have a look at the exciting plans in store for Niseko's Hong Kong-owned Hanazono ski resort. We recommend five of the best dishes from across Niseko's diverse dining scene, although we could have added a couple of hundred more!. We review exciting new restaurant The Barn, created by HK expat Nicolas Gontard. In the real estate section we showcase a range of the biggest and best developments making waves in Niseko this season. We also launch a new column, Powwow, which lets you in on some bite-sized stories and little local secrets only those who live here know about.

As return visitors will notice by the size of the snowbanks on the sides of the roads, it's been an amazing winter so far. And there's plenty more to come. Enjoy!

Kristian Lund, Powderlife Managing Editor kris@powderlife.com