REPORT

A strong winter weather pattern (with tightly packed isobars) brought the coldest air of the season to the area, and heavy snowfall set in from around 4 a.m. this morning. Furthermore, strong winds on the upper mountain delayed the operation of the gondola until 9:00. While waiting for things to kick off, I spoke with a skier from Kanagawa who said, “I always follow your reports! It’s finally dumping—this feels like a belated Christmas present.”
[Usagidaira Slope]

The south-side route at Usagidaira had a firmly set, groomed wet-snow surface topped with 10 to 15cm of light new snow. That was enough to make me take a chance, so I dropped into the ungroomed slope along the Alpen Quad (pictured), where 25 to 30cm of fluffy new snow was waiting. I did hit the firm, underlying bumpy base in places, but it was still great to enjoy the feel of powder again after a while.
[Usagidaira Slope]

Along the Kurobishi Quad (pictured), 15 to 20cm of new snow sat atop a moderately firm, groomed wet-snow surface. That said, visibility was poor, with dense, dry snow blowing in on a northerly wind and making the snow surface hard to read. The Kurobishi 3 Pair and Skyline 2 Pair both started operating later than scheduled due to extended maintenance checks.
[Kurobishi Slope]

By around 10 a.m., the snowfall intensified even further. Around 10:30, a long line had formed at the gondola base station, stretching all the way to the Shirakaba 1 Pair boarding area. By the way, this weekend—on both 12/27 (Sat.) and 12/28 (Sun.)—the “Vectorglide Demo & On-Snow Clinic” will be held in front of the Usagidaira Terrace (*Starting at 9:30 a.m., free to join, ID required).
[Usagidaira Slope]

*Because the courses heading downhill toward the Sakka area (including the Kita-One Forest Road) have not yet opened, access to Sakka is via the downhill ride on the Sakka Kita-One Quad lift.
　
[Happo-One Details on 12/26 (Fri.)]
*Avaiiable Courses … Kurobishi, Usagidaira, Panorama, Upper portion of Panorama Cat Track, Skyline
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00～), Panorama Pair, Kokusai 3 Pair, Alpen Quad, Kurobishi Quad, Skyline 2 Pair, Sakka Kitaone Quad
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY8,700, 6-17 y/o JPY4,350, Over 65 y/o JPY8,400

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi