REPORT

After a weekend that felt almost like spring, colder air returned yesterday, and this morning the trees across the upper mountain were beautifully coated in rime ice, and a quiet snowfall overnight left about 10 cm of fresh snow at the top of the resort. I enjoyed smooth turns on the Mt. Hieda Forest Course, where the moderately soft, groomed powder made for very satisfying skiing.
[No. 4 Pair Lift]

Down at Warabidaira, the lowest elevation area at Cortina, around 5 cm of new snow had accumulated on the ungroomed sections. The groomed portion of the Warabidaira Slope (pictured), where powder and granular snow had been mixed and pressed together, offered moderately firm, easy-to-ski conditions. The Ipponmatsu Course and the Ikenota Slope were likewise groomed into moderately firm powder surfaces and were skiing very well.
[Warabidaira Slope]

When the No. 5 Pair began operating at 10:00 a.m., I headed back up top. The groomed Itadaira Forest Course (pictured) mirrored Mt. Hieda Forest with similarly soft powder conditions. Cracks had already forced the closure of the Itadaira Ridge Course, and today cracks also appeared on the Giant Course, leading to its closure too. In addition, Mt. Hieda Courses 2 and 3 were closed due to deteriorating conditions, along with the connecting Mt. Hieda Ridge Course.
[Itadaira Forest Course]

Several easy drop-in points from the Itadaira Forest Course lead into the Tree Area. The early entry near the top, right after unloading from the No. 5 Pair, tends to get tracked out quickly. However, the mid-to-lower entry points on the valley side—where the trees are spaced wider apart (pictured)—see less traffic. Even if you’re a little late, there’s still a good chance of finding untouched fresh snow there.
[Tree Area]

　
[Hakuba Cortina Details on 2/17 (Tue.)]
*Most Courses are OPEN（Hiedayma 2 & 3, Hiedayama Ridge, Giant, Itadaira Ridge are Closed）
*Operating Lift … No.2 Quad (8:30～) and totally 6 lifts
*Fees … Adult JPY6,200, 6 to 12 y/o JPY3,500, Pre-schooler FREE
*Night Skiing … 12/27 – 1/3, Saturdays in January and February, 1/11, 2/22, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Ikenota Adult JPY2,500, 6 to 12 y/o JPY1,500
　
*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