REPORT

Dense snow was falling at the gondola summit station, driven by a cold northerly wind. Last night’s snowfall was light, so the ungroomed areas only picked up about 3 to 5 cm. The Han-no-ki Slope (pictured) was groomed with a pressed mix of powder and moist snow, and it skied beautifully with strong edge hold and fast glide.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

I ran into a man from Fukuoka Prefecture (pictured) who told me, “I always follow Snownavi! You took my photo here on Han-no-ki two years ago, and I couldn’t find you last season, so I’m really happy to see you today. Tsuga-no-mori felt pretty firm, didn’t it?” He was right. The groomed sections of the Tsuga-no-mori Slope had exposed the compacted moist base underneath, and it felt noticeably hard.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

I broke below the cloud layer at the top of the Maruyama Slope (pictured). Maruyama, Shirakaba, Champion, and Oya-no-hara all shared similar groomed conditions to Han-no-ki, with a balanced mix of powder and moist snow, resulting in a moderately firm feel. With it being a weekday in January, there were no crowds, and the groomed runs stayed flat and easy to ski for a long time.
[Maruyama Slope]

A beacon checker for backcountry users has been installed near the Tsuga No. 2 Pair unload area, where you cross the upper Tsuga-no-mori slope and step onto the forest road (pictured, left). A staff member from Patagonia Hakuba (pictured) told me, “Thanks as always. Depending on the fog, I’m planning to hike up with friends (pictured, background center).”
[Trail to Hakuba Oike・Tsuga-no-mori to Tsugaike Nature Park]

　　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 1/29 (Thu.)]
*Fully OPEN!
*Operating lifts … Gondola (from 8:00) and totally 12 lifts.
*Fees … 1-Day Ticket Adult JPY8,200, 6 to 12 y/o JPY4,900, Over 60 y/o JPY6,700
　
*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