REPORT

Official snow depth measurements at Kurobishi began yesterday morning, and with that, Happo’s reported base jumped from 80cm on 12/6 (Sat.) to 120cm on 12/7 (Sun.)—not because of new snowfall, but simply because of the change in location of the measurement. Furthermore, today, 12/8 (Mon.), both the Usagidaira and Kurobishi slopes opened! The area along the Alpen Quad, which began operating at 9:15 a.m., had wind ripples across the surface of the snow that told the story of yesterday’s strong winds (pictured).
[Usagidaira Slope]

The groomed powder on the south-side route of Usagidaira (pictured) was moderately firm, and although some bushes were visible in places from the midsection to the lower part of the slope, overall it was easy to link clean, enjoyable turns. Further down on the Panorama Course, there was a small drop-off near the start of the run (※marked with poles), and scattered stones and bushes were poking through in sections toward the end.
[Usagidaira Slope]

The best snow this morning was on the west side of the Kurobishi Quad (pictured), where the groomed powder felt excellent. That said, bushes were still visible in places from the midsection downward, and on the east side of the Kurobishi Quad, bushes were present across much of the slope. After the Alpen Quad began running, many visitors were lapping runs between Usagidaira and Kurobishi.
[Kurobishi Slope]

I ran into a few regular visitors from Mie Prefecture and Hakuba (pictured), who called out to me from the Kurobishi Quad. The man from Mie (pictured, second from the left) commented, “I always follow your reports! I have a Hakuba Valley pass, but I end up skiing almost entirely at Happo. I’m hoping to ski about 100 days this season.” While I was on the slopes, light snow had begun falling across the open slopes.
[Kurobishi Slope]

　　
[Happo-One Details on 12/8 (Mon.)]
*Avaiiable Courses … Kurobishi, Usagidaira, Panorama, Upper portion of Panorama Cat Track
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00～), Panorama Pair, Kokusai 3 Pair, Alpen Quad, Kurobishi Quad
*Fees … Off peak 1-Day Pass Adult JPY5,000, 6 to 17 y/o JPY1,700, Over 65 y/o JPY4,600

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi