REPORT

After starting the season on 12/20 (Sat.) with three open lifts and three open runs—Yamabato Forest, Gouache Tiner, and Dream—the Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick Ski Resort was forced to temporarily close on 12/22 (Mon.) due to warm temperatures and rain on 12/20 (Sat.) to 12/21 (Sun.). Heavy snowfall from 12/26 (Fri.) allowed the resort to reopen, with the same three courses back in operation. Then, on the following day, 12/27 (Sat.), all five lifts were up and running, and the Yamabato Forest, Yahho, and Happy courses also opened for skiing and riding.
[Yamabato Forest Course]

In addition to those six courses, the section from the top of the Shirakaba Capsule Pair Lift down to the start of the Yamabato Forest Course (pictured), as well as the traverse from the Shirakaba Capsule Pair Lift across Lake View to the Ikenotaira Quad Lift station (pictured, bottom right), were also groomed and skiable. Both sections offered well-packed, easy-to-ride powder conditions.
[Alpenblick Snow Park]

Before operations began, I met a couple from Aichi Prefecture who told me, “We always read your reports! Yesterday we skied at Myoko Suginohara, today we’re at Ikenotaira Onsen, and tomorrow we’re heading to AKAKAN. Yesterday the snow was a bit heavy, so we’re wondering how it’ll be today…?” When I ran into them again later, the wife (pictured) waved with a big smile and said, “Great snow!” On the groomed Yahho Course, the surface offered a pleasantly soft, powdery feel that made for an enjoyable ride.
[Yahho Course]

Around 8:30 a.m., the sky was completely overcast, but after operations began, the clouds gradually started to break up. Before long, blue skies spread overhead and Mt. Myoko (pictured, upper left) came into view. The Dream Course flowing down from the Yahho Course, along with the Happy Slope (pictured) where they merge lower down, both featured groomed runs with moderately soft, powdery snow that felt great underfoot.
[Happy Slope]

　　
[Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick Details on 12/28 (Sun.)]
＊OPEN courses … Yamabato Forest, Karamatsu, Yahho, Gouache Tiner, Happy, Dream
＊Operating Lifts … Shirakaba Capsule Pair (8:30～), Karamatsu Pair, Ikenotaira Quad, ALPEN BLICK PAIR #1, ALPEN BLICK PAIR #2
＊Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY6,900, 6 to 12 y/o JPY4,300, 13 to 15 y/o JPY5,900, Over 60 y/o JPY5,900
　
＊Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi