REPORT

After my report yesterday morning, more snow accumulated at Cortina, pushing the snow depth on the upper Slopes past 100 cm. And, as scheduled, Hakuba Cortina Ski Resort officially opened today on 12/13 (Sat.). Three guests from Osaka Prefecture (pictured, foreground) greeted me with the familiar “We always read your reports,” and kindly called out to everyone lining up in front of them, saying, “Snownavi is going to take our photo!”
[Ikenota Slope]

By the time the 2nd Quad began operating at 8:30 a.m., the end of the line had already stretched all the way to near the 3rd Quad boarding area. At the very front was Mr. Sato from Snowboard Kaitori Monster (pictured, second from the right), who told me, “I lined up at 4:30 a.m. I’m just going to take one run and head home.” With the 2nd Quad and the 4th Pair running, four courses—Ikenota, Mt. Hieda Forest, Mt. Hieda 1, and Itadaira—were open for skiing and riding.
[Ikenota Slope]

50 cm or so of fluffy snow had been preserved since yesterday, and was waiting on the ungroomed Mt. Hieda Course 1 (pictured). With a soft base underneath, I was able to enjoy fantastic float without ever hitting the bottom (though there was some tall grass remaining near the end). Meanwhile, the groomed Mt. Hieda Forest Course delivered consistently soft powder from top to bottom.
[Mt. Hieda Course 1]

Even on the ungroomed Itadaira Course, where silver grass was visible here and there, I was able to fully enjoy around 50 cm of soft snow. The groomed Ikenota Slope (pictured) offered moderately soft powder conditions, though there were a few thin spots in the mid section where snow coverage was lighter.
[Ikenota Slope]

　
[Hakuba Cortina Details on 12/13 (Sat.)]
＊OPEN Courses … Ikenota, Hiedayama Forest, Hiedayama 1, Itadaira
＊Available Lift … No.2 Quad (8:30～), No.4 Pair
＊Fees … Off Peak 1-Day Pass Adult JPY4,500, 6 to 12 y/o JPY2,500, Pre-schooler FREE (Until 12/19)
　
＊Request for the original data of our photographs
　
reported by Snownavi