REPORT

With powder snow on the slopes and hoarfrost covering the trees, it felt like slipping into a different season… and another world. As of today, 11/29 (Sat.), four courses opened for skiing—Yamabiko A, C, D, and E—marking the official start of winter at Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort! I ran into a skier (pictured) who called out, “I’m going to get in your shot!” before carving the first tracks into the beautifully groomed, irresistibly smooth surface.
[Yamabiko Slope・D Course]

Right now, Nozawa is the largest of the 18 ski resorts currently open nationwide. What’s especially noteworthy is that three of the courses—A, C, and E—are running on 100% natural snow, and even the remaining D Course (pictured) only uses machine-made snow for the base, with natural snow covering the middle and upper sections. Thanks to about 10 cm of new snow since last night, the groomed surfaces on Yamabiko A and D were firm, dry powder with excellent edge hold!
[Yamabiko Slope・D Course]

With two high-speed quad lifts, access to the runs was quick and easy. A man from Tokyo riding the Yamabiko Quad with me said, “I injured my shoulder at the end of last season, so I planned to take it easy today, but the snow is so good it’s hard not to get excited.” Another skier from within the prefecture added, “I always check your reports. There’s no brush showing at all. It’s perfect!” And to the two people who called out “We always read your reports!” while riding the Yamabiko No. 2 Quad (pictured), along with everyone else who said hello today—thank you very much!
[Yamabiko No. 2 Quad]

Yamabiko C and E offered well-packed, slightly moist groomed snow with a light powdery feel. On my final run down the groomed Yamabiko E Course (pictured) and into Kokenashi A, a group of four skiers greeted me saying, “You’re from Snownavi, right? We always follow your reports! We follow you on Instagram, too. The snow is fantastic today—it’s amazing!”
[Yamabiko Slope・E Course]

　
*The currently open slopes are accessed via the Nagasaka Gondola.

[Nozawa Onsen Details on 11/29 (Sat.)]
*Avaiiable Courses … Yamabiko Area A, C, D, E
*Available Lifts … Nagasaka Gondola (8:30～), Yamabiko No.2 Four(8:40～), Yamabiko Four(8:45～)
*Fees … Adult JPY5,400, Under 15 y/o JPY3,300, Senior JPY4,300 (Until 12/19)
　
*Click here to purchase photos found in this report

reported by Snownavi