REPORT

Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field finally reached “mostly open” status (80% or more runs open), with the Sawa Lift starting operation on 1/10 (Sat.), opening up Hikage, Sawa, and DANGAN, followed by Kamo 1 on 1/11 (Sun.), which brought Kamoshika online. Today I decided to chase powder, and headed straight to Hikage (pictured) first thing in the morning, where around 30 cm of soft, fluffy new snow was waiting.
[Hikage]

By the way, both VIEW A (pictured; max 28°, average 22°, 785 m) and VIEW B opened on 1/12 (Mon., holiday). When these two steep, ungroomed runs opened at 9:00 a.m. this morning, riders began dropping in one after another. On VIEW A, the snow was slightly wind-packed, which actually prevented me from sinking and provided a pleasant, floating sensation through the turns!
[VIEW A]

On VIEW A, the bowl-shaped terrain created a unique feel that’s hard to get elsewhere, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also saw riders carrying speed right to the edge of the run before dropping into the completely untouched fresh snow (pictured). VIEW C and VIEW D featured easy-to-ski powder conditions, with 2 to 3 cm of light new snow sitting on top of a moderately firm groomed base.
[VIEW A]

The South Slope (pictured) felt wide and wonderfully open, with 2 to 3 cm of light new snow sitting on top of moderately firm groomed powder. Snow flurries and a touch of mist softened the view without limiting visibility, letting me carry speed smoothly through each turn (a bit of sunshine even broke through later). Sunny Valley featured well-compacted groomed powder from the upper to mid sections, transitioning to well-packed moist groomed snow toward the bottom.
[South Slope]

　
[Hakuba Iwatake Details on 1/14 (Wed.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except North, Sonezawa)
*Operating Lifts … Gondola (8:00～) and totally 6 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