REPORT

The season at Iwappara Ski Resort kicked off on 12/27 (Sat.), and the resort’s defining feature is the sheer scale of the slopes — they’re so vast that even a 24 mm wide-angle lens can’t capture it all. Strong radiational cooling overnight dropped temperatures to -6°C this morning, setting up squeaky, dry powder conditions underfoot. On the Main Slope (pictured), groomed powder that was soft but supportive let me open things up and lay down big, sweeping tracks.
[Main Slope]

I caught up with a man from Tokyo while riding the lift, who said, “I love Iwappara and come here three or four times a week. I ski in the morning while the snow surface is at its best, then work remotely in the afternoon. Carving feels great again today.” After warming up with a few laps on the Grand Slope using the No. 2 Pair Lift, which started at 8:00 a.m. (pictured), I headed for the Sancho (summit) Quad that began running at 9:00 a.m.
[Grand Slope]

I ran into a skier from Kanagawa who was first onto the Giant Course (pictured), and he told me, “I use Snownavi to check resort conditions. When I saw that the summit lift didn’t run yesterday, I took a day off work and came specifically for the untouched powder on the Giant Course.” The snow surface had a slight crust to it, but there was still a very satisfying sense of float.
[Giant Course]

Iwappara is also known as Japan’s first ski resort to install night skiing facilities, and another perk is that a single-day lift ticket covers night skiing as well. A resort staff member mentioned, “Sori (sled) Land (pictured, background) still needs a bit more snow, so it remains closed for now.” Around 9:00 a.m., the surface of the lower groomed slopes began to take on a slightly moist feel.
[Grand Slope]

　
[Iwappara Details on 1/27 (Thu.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for Sky, Romance, Fine Snow Barn)
*Operating Lifts … No.1 Pire (8:00～) and totally 5 lifts
*Fee … 1-Day Pass Adult5,500, 3 y/o to 12 y/o JPY3,500, Over 60 y/o JPY4,300
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs
　
reported by Snownavi