REPORT

A January weekday at Hakunori with the perfect trio of—“all courses open,” “great snow quality,” and “no crowds”—is an absolute must. With weak sunshine breaking through the clouds, the snow that had fallen overnight continued to drift down quietly this morning. The Wakaguri Central Slope (pictured), Wakaguri Forest Course, and Kamoshika Course all featured moderately soft powder grooming topped with around 5 cm of light new snow.
[Wakaguri Central Slope]

For first tracks, the obvious choice is to take the Alps No. 3 High-Speed Pair, which starts running at 8 a.m. and climbs 1,050 m. From this single lift, six different lines are accessible: three groomed routes—Highway, Kamoshika, and Highway (upper) → Wakaguri Forest Course → Wakaguri Central—and three ungroomed options—the Expert Course, Snake, and the self-responsibility area. Around 5 to 10 cm of light new snow had fallen on the Highway Course (pictured), and I was able to build speed smoothly and send up plenty of spray as I went.
[Highway Course]

The ungroomed lower half of the Highway Course (pictured) was loaded with 15 to 20 cm of light new snow, and also skied beautifully, helped by the softly undulating base. The Satomi Central Slope and the Satomi Ridge Course were both groomed with moderately firm powder, and had picked up an additional 5 to 10 cm of light new snow.
[Highway Course]

And sorry for the late notice, but this is the new ticket center location. The ticket center that had been next to the No. 4 Pair loading area through last season has moved this winter, as that space is now being used for the Jim Beam Winter Fest. The ticket center is now located next to the Patrol Center near the Alps No. 5 High-Speed Pair and the No. 6 Pair. As the day went on, the northwesterly wind gradually strengthened, clouds thickened, and snowfall picked up in intensity.
[Wakaguri Ticket Center]

　
[Hakuba Norikura Onsen Details on 1/28 (Wed.)]
*Fully OPEN!
*Operating Lifts … No.1 Pair (8:30～) and totally 9 lifts
*Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY6,200, 6 to 12 y/o JPY3,500, Pre-schooler FREE

*Print and get a great deal! Discount Coupon!
Paper Coupon → Adult 1 Day Ticket + JPY1,500 Meal vouchers or store coupons = JPY8,700 → JPY7,500!
Paper Coupon → Child 1 Day Ticket + JPY1,500 Meal vouchers or store coupons = JPY6,000 → JPY4,800!

*Request for the original data of our photographs
　
reported by Snownavi