REPORT

The day started with an announcement that the operation of the gondola would be delayed due to strong winds, but luckily it’s January and the snow quality is good even on the mid to lower slopes, so I wasn’t really concerned. Instead I took the Nakiyama Triple up, which started right on schedule, then transferred to the Happo Riesen Quad, and made my way to the area in front of Usagidaira Terrace.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

At Usagidaira, sudden gusts of wind occasionally whipped snow into the air, and on the upper part of Riesen the groomed surface had small clumps of snow scattered across it (first photo—an oddly striking sight). That said, the Riesen Slalom Course (pictured) offered well-set, groomed powder from top to bottom, letting me set my edges confidently and link turns exactly as I wanted.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

I met a couple from Tokyo (pictured) who told me, “We always follow your reports. We’ve been coming to Happo for over 60 years. We stay at the Hakuba Tokyu Hotel and ski here for 30 to 40 days during the season.” (This may have been the first time I’ve ever met someone who’s been skiing at Happo for more than 60 years!) By the way, a “Five Weeks of Fireworks” event will be held every Saturday at Nakiyama Slope, starting 1/24 (Sat.), with the fifth and final show taking place on 2/20 (Fri.)—along with the Happo Fire Festival.
[Shirakaba Slope]

The busy Shirakaba Slope also had a firm, groomed powder surface this morning. My skis ran smoothly, making it easy to link comfortable turns. Even though it’s located in the base area, Shirakaba’s appeal goes beyond its impressive width—it offers a maximum pitch of 20 degrees and an average of 11 degrees, and has enough variety to stay fun lap after lap simply by changing your line.
[Shirakaba Slope]

　
＊1/18 (Sun.) is “Kids’ Ski Day,” with free lift rides for elementary school students all day.
　
[Happo-One Details on 1/15 (Thu.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for URAKURO, HAPPO PARKS)
*Operating Lifts … Gondola (8:00～) and totally 18 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY8,700, 6-17 y/o JPY4,350, Over 65 y/o JPY8,400

*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