REPORT

On the Mountain Side of the resort this morning, snow was coming down hard, carried by a strong northerly wind. I was a bit concerned about whether the gondola would be able to operate, but thanks to the modern, latest-generation design, it started right on schedule, with only minor swaying during the ride. On the South Slope (pictured), the nicely compacted groomed powder surface was topped with 7 to 10 cm of light new snow, and it was a pleasure to glide smoothly through the fresh layer on top.
[South Slope]

The snow intensified after midnight last night, and about 30 to 35 cm of fresh snow had built up in the ungroomed sections on View C (pictured) and View D, with around 20 cm also sitting on top of the moderately firm powder surface of the groomed areas. I noticed some beginner to intermediate skiers were getting stuck in the flatter sections, but pointing my skis straight down the slope made it possible to fully enjoy the sensation of floating.
[View C]

After this photo was taken, I rode back up on the View 2 lift and met a local snowboarder from Hakuba Village, who told me, “I always read your reports. I was really happy to be featured on Snownavi for the first time the other day. I got a late start today, and decided to come to Iwatake. The fresh snow feels great.” Once tracks were laid into the new snow, the surface snow quickly became heavier and choppy.
[View D]

I spoke with a couple from Tokyo (pictured), who commented, “We always read your reports. We’re not very good at skiing fresh snow, so we chose Iwatake today.” The upper half of Sunny Valley featured a moderately firm, groomed powder surface topped with around 5 cm of new snow, transitioning to a well-packed moist groomed base lower down. Any and all areas with exposed bushes and thin snow coverage had completely disappeared.
[Sunny Valley Course]

　
[Hakuba Iwatake Details on 1/8 (Thu.)]
*Most Courses are OPEN (Except for VIEW A & B, Hikage, Sawa, White Ribbon, Kamoshika, Kometsuga)
*Operating Lifts … Gondola (8:00～) and totally 5 lifts.
*Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY6,300, 6-12 y/o JPY3,900, A preschooler will be free per adult

*Printable Rental Discount Coupons!
Carving Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY3,500 / Outerwear JPY2,500!
Carving Ski・Snowboard High Performance Model Rental JPY500 OFF!
Kid’s Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY2,500 / Outerwear JPY1,500!

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi