REPORT

I showed up fashionably late to the first true “Powder Festival” in ten days—with the last taking place on 2/9 (Mon.)—just in time for the “after-party.” To help ease the heavy congestion at the 4th Pair, which was hosting the “main event,” the No. 5 Pair (pictured) began operating early at 9:45 a.m. I spoke with the two riders who were first in line (pictured), and they told me, “We always read your reports! You’ve taken our photo a few times before, but we’ve never made it into an actual report, haha. Maybe this time?”
[No. 5 Pair Lift]

About 30 cm of fresh snow had fallen up top—a solid amount for this time of year. The opening section of the Giant Course offered smooth, untracked powder over gentle rollers, while deeper moguls began to show through from the mid section down. I avoided the bumps and slipped into the skier’s left tree zone off Giant instead.
[Tree Area]

This tree area—bordered by Giant & Itadaira Ridge (closed today), the No. 3 Quad, and the Ikenota Forest—is the largest ungroomed zone at Cortina. With multiple ridgelines and gullies weaving through the terrain, I enjoyed linking turns while banking off natural features (note that unmarked hazards such as low shrubs and rocks do exist, so extreme caution is advised).
[Tree Area]

As for why I skipped the “main party,” I had already dropped in via Hakunori’s No. 10 Pair and taken a run down Sky View. After that, I headed into the fully ungroomed Mt. Hieda Course 3 (pictured), where 25 to 30 cm of fluffy new snow awaited. Although the firm base was bumpy underneath, the snow offered excellent buoyancy, so it never felt overly punishing underfoot.
[Mt. Hieda Course 3]

　
[Hakuba Cortina Details on 2/19 (Thu.)]
*Fully OPEN（Except for Itadaira Ridge）
*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