REPORT

Three guests from Matsumoto (pictured, left and right sides) and one from Aichi (pictured, center), whom I met waiting for the 2nd Quad to start running, told me, “We always read your reports. We came to Cortina to chase powder!” Thanks to solid snowfall on 12/12 (Fri.), 12/15 (Mon.), and again today, the officially reported base depth climbed to a season-high 120 cm.
[Ipponmatsu Course]

As light snow drifted in on a fairly strong northeasterly wind, the mid to upper areas of the resort were wrapped in fog and the trees were covered in rime ice. “We always follow your reports! We lined up for the lift at 7:00 a.m., and now we’re heading out to enjoy the powder,” said two guests from the town of Ikeda (pictured, right) and Komoro City (pictured, left). On the Mt. Hieda Forest Course (pictured), 6 to 7 cm of fresh snow sat on top of a firm groomed surface of slightly moist snow, making for very smooth and easy riding conditions.
[Mt. Hieda Forest Course]

The Mt. Hieda Forest Course (pictured), which has been skiable since opening day, is a beginner-friendly run measuring 2,025 m in length with a maximum pitch of 14 degrees and an average of 7 degrees, stretching from the hairpin curve shown here and in the second photo down to the 4th Pair lift station. When combined with the Ikenota Slope, the total run length reaches an impressive 3,150 m. Meanwhile, around 30 cm of heavier new snow had accumulated on the ungroomed Itadaira and Mt. Hieda 1 courses. (※Please note that some tall grass is still present on Itadaira.)
[Mt. Hieda Forest Course]

The Kids’ Park does not yet have safety netting set up around the perimeter, but sled rentals are available. I spoke with a family from Thailand, whose child is pictured here, and they commented, “This is our first time visiting Hakuba. Snow is something very rare for our children. Tonight we’ll be staying at Hotel Green Plaza Hakuba.” Below the cloud layer, the Ikenota Slope offered smooth, easy-to-ski groomed conditions with well-packed, slightly moist snow.
[Kids’ Park]

　
[Hakuba Cortina Details on 12/18 (Thu.)]
*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