REPORT

Clear skies dominated the early morning, but around 8 a.m.—just as the Alps No. 3 High-Speed Pair started running—clouds spilled over the Northern Alps and moved into the area. I ran into a group of Hakunori staff members enjoying a day off (pictured) who called out, “We always read Snownavi!” and added, “You actually took our photo last year, and it was the same group. One of our friends finishes work today, so we always make a point of skiing together on their last day.” First thing this morning, both the Highway Course and the Kamoshika Course were freshly groomed with moderately firm, moisture-rich snow lightly mixed with granular snow.
[Highway Course]

From last night into this morning, 1 to 3 cm of new snow fell in the lower sections of the resort and 10 to 13 cm fell up high. The new snow at lower elevations was slightly wet, but when I grabbed a handful at the base of the Sky View Slope, it didn’t clump together easily—it was actually quite nice. With that in mind, I changed plans and headed straight for the No. 10 Pair.
[Sky View Slope]

Under the new snow lay a firm, uneven granular base. One skier I met (pictured) laughed and said, “The base underneath is pretty gnarly,” before dropping straight in. Whether from wind or the varying size of the underlying bumps, many sections along the No. 10 Pair had the tops of the moguls poking through. Skier’s left (pictured), however, still held a relatively clean snow surface. Accepting the tricky conditions as part of late-season skiing, I enjoyed what might have been the last powder turns of the season.
[Sky View Slope]

Back down near the base area around 9:30 a.m., the Wakaguri Central Slope and Wakaguri Forest Course were freshly groomed with slightly softened, moisture-rich snow. My edges bit deeply but the skis still ran fast, making for very comfortable skiing. Two guests from Aichi Prefecture (pictured), who waved from the Alps No. 5 High-Speed Pair, told me, “We always read Snownavi! During the season we basically camp out at Hakunori and ski here all the time.”
[Wakaguri Central Slope]

　
＊The direct shuttle bus to the ski area will operate 3/4 (Wed.) through 3/7 (Sat.) in conjunction with Snow Machine.
　
[Hakuba Norikura Onsen Details on 3/5 (Thu.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for Satomi-One)
*Operating Lifts … No.3 Pair (8:00～) and totally 8 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