REPORT

Starting today, the Han-no-ki No. 1 Quad, Han-no-ki No. 3 Quad, Kane-no- naru-oka Skyliner II, Romance, and Maruyama No. 1 Quad all began operating, opening up the Uma-no-se Course, the Sawa Course on the Han-no-ki Slope, the Maruyama Slope, and the Kane-no-naru-oka Slope. This morning, cloud cover moved in a bit earlier than elsewhere in the HAKUBA VALLEY, giving the resort a slightly darker, overcast feel.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

On the Han-no-ki Slope, grooming was performed not only along the Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair (first photo) but also from the midsection (pictured) down through the lower section, significantly boosting the overall satisfaction of skiing the run top to bottom. In addition, by using the Han-no-ki No. 3 Quad, it’s now possible to lap just the mellow-to-moderate pitches—including the Sawa Course—for repeated, enjoyable runs.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

Both the Han-no-ki and Maruyama Slopes were groomed into easy-to-ski, well-set moist snow surfaces. I spoke with two families from Matsumoto and Kanazawa, who told me, “We always follow Snownavi! We met up locally to ski together. Our two kids—a second-year junior high school son (pictured, far left) and a first-grade daughter (pictured, far right)—are enrolled in the NSD Kids Program.” (Please note that there are still a few bushy patches on Maruyama.)
[Maruyama Slope]

On the Kane-no-naru-oka Slope, many children were out taking lessons. Grooming was limited to the north side along Skyliner II, in a strip about two snowcats wide. Elsewhere, conditions consisted of a firm surface with subtle undulations topped by 5 to 8 cm of untouched, slightly moist snow. Near the bottom, some bushes and patches of dirt were visible, but they were easy to avoid.
[Kane-no-naru-oka Slope]

　　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 12/20 (Sat.)]
*Most Courses are OPEN (= Champion, Oyana no hara are CLOSED)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (9:00～), Tsuga 2, Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair, Han-no-ki 3, Kane-no-naruoka Skyliner 2, Romance, Maruyama Quad
*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