REPORT

Tsugaike Mountain Resort started the morning wrapped in thick fog, with fine-grained snow falling lightly. It felt surprisingly warm around JR Hakuba Station, which had me a bit concerned, but the roughly 5 cm of fresh snow that had settled in the ungroomed areas of Tsuga-no-mori turned out to be light and dry. In addition, the trees above the midsection of the Han-no-ki Slope and along the Uma-no-se Course were beautifully coated in rime ice.
[Tsuga-no-mori Slope]

The groomed section of Tsuga-no-mori, lightly dusted in places with 1 to 2 cm of fresh snow, was firm and well set overall. Once I started skiing, it was easier to see the snow surface than I had expected and visibility was better overall than anticipated, which meant that while most visitors were lapping the gondola, I was able to enjoy wide-open, relaxed turns on the quieter Tsuga-no-mori during the morning hours.
[Tsuga-no-mori Slope]

On the Han-no-ki Slope, grooming was in place from the area along the Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair all the way down to the steep pitch beside the Han-no-ki No. 3 Quad. Along the High-Speed Pair, 1 to 2 cm of light new snow sat atop a well-set, moist groomed surface. The grooming along the Han-no-ki No. 3 Quad was a bit firmer, and some small snow clumps were noticeable on the snow surface from the latter half of the steep section.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

Below that point, the Han-no-ki Slope remains ungroomed, but you can continue skiing via the Karamatsu Slope all the way down to the gondola base station. Looking ahead, the Tsugaike Central Triple is scheduled to start operating on 12/20 (Sat.), which will open the Oya-no-hara Slope (pictured). On the same day, the Kane-no-naru-oka Skyliner II & III are also set to begin service, opening the Kane-no-naru-oka Slope and the Kids Park as well.
[Oya-no-hara Slope]

　　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 12/17 (Wed.)]
*OPEN Courses … Tsuga-no-mori, Han-no-ki, Gotemba, Cat Track, Shirakaba, Karamatsu
*Available Lifts … Gondola (9:00～), Tsuga 2, Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair
*Fees … 1-Day Ticket Adult JPY8,200, 6 to 12 y/o JPY4,900, Over 60 y/o JPY6,700
　　
*Early-bird Lift Tickets (Sales period: 9/12 to 12/21)
Adult 1-day pass JPY8,200 → JPY5,900!
Child (elementary) 1-day pass JPY4,900 → JPY3,800!
Adult 1-day pass + JPY1,200 lunch voucher= JPY9,400 → JPY6,700!
Child 1-day pass + JPY1,200 lunch voucher= JPY6,100 → JPY4,600!
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi