REPORT

Two snowshoe routes starting from Shirayuki-daira opened this January, and the snowshoes available for rent at the Snow Friends Park use a ratchet-and-strap system that makes them very easy to put on. If it’s your first time and you’re still unsure how to use them, the staff will kindly assist you (pictured; snowshoe and pole set ¥2,500 for adults, ¥1,500 for elementary school children).
[Shirayuki-daira]

After putting on my snowshoes, I walked around briefly to check the fit and tightness before setting off properly. Route 2 (pictured), with its gentle ups and downs, is a beginner-friendly course that winds through a cedar forest dappled with soft sunlight filtering through the trees. Numbered signs are posted along the way, so simply following them makes it impossible to get lost.
[Shirayuki-daira]

This morning, the snow was soft enough that you would sink if wearing boots alone, but with snowshoes it was easy going. I enjoyed the quiet of the forest and spotted tracks from squirrels and rabbits along the way (pictured). After about 30 minutes, I reached the Carmen Course and took a commemorative photo with Lake Aoki as the backdrop.
[Shirayuki-daira]

Route 1, by contrast, is for strong hikers, climbing straight up the Lake Down Course after passing through the cedar forest. After returning, I stopped by Café Capella (pictured) for a warm café latte (¥600). I met a woman from Kanagawa Prefecture (pictured, left) who told me, “It was my first time trying snowshoeing, and it was so much fun. Even in deep, fluffy snow, it’s surprisingly easy to walk. The forest was incredibly quiet and so relaxing.”
[Café Capella]

　
[Hakuba Sanosaka Details on 2/10 (Tue.)]
*Fully OPEN!
*Operating Lifts … No. 2 Quad (8:00～) and totally 4 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY5,400, Elementary School Students JPY1,000,

*Advance Discount Lift Tickets (*Available 12/1 to 3/22)
Adult 1-Day Pass JPY5,400 → JPY4,900!

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi