REPORT

The morning was marked by clear skies, brisk temperatures, and brilliant white snow. I ran into two locals from Hakuba Village (pictured, right) who told me, “We always read your reports. We came out today with some guests from the guesthouse we run.” The group of five guests from Gifu added, “We’re usually coaching the kids at Takasu Snow Park, but this time we brought them here to board. The snow quality is completely different—it’s great!”
[View C]

A patrol member I met first thing in the morning mentioned, “We picked up about 5 cm of snow yesterday, and the grooming turned out really well today.” VIEW C (pictured) and VIEW D both had well-groomed moist snow with a powdery feel and were easy to ski. I spoke with three visitors from Azumino and Hakuba (one of whom is pictured) who told me, “We always read your reports. Yesterday the snow and fog made visibility terrible, but today the snow and weather are perfect.”
[View C]

I also had a conversation with an Iwatake Snow Park crew member who told me, “You really get the classic Iwatake views here. We’ve got every feature dialed in and ready to go.” The well-groomed moist snow with a powdery feel made it easy to approach every feature with confidence. Sunny Valley had moderately firm groomed granular snow that softened more and more the farther I skied down (※Note: There’s an area of thin snow coverage mid-course.)
[South Slope]

Meanwhile, following the brand-new gondola that opened in December 2024, the resort has announced a full renewal of the 5-Line South lift for the first time in about 37 years. The new lift is scheduled to begin operation in December 2027. Capacity will increase from the current four-person chairs to six-person chairs. Lift speed will also rise from 4 m/s to 5 m/s, and uphill capacity will expand from 2,400 people per hour to 3,000 per hour.
[New 5-Line South]

　
＊The Student Ski Competition Iwatake (Alpine Division – Technical Events) is being held at Kometsuga from 3/9 (Mon.) to 3/14 (Sat.).
＊3/15 (Sun.) is Ski Kids’ Day, when elementary school students can ride the lifts free of charge.
　　　
[Hakuba Iwatake Details on 3/7 (Sat.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for North, Sonezawa, White ribbon)
*Operating Lifts … Gondola (8:00～) and totally 6 lifts.
*Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY7,000, 6-12 y/o JPY4,300, Over 60 y/o JPY6,600, A preschooler will be free per adult (Spring Discount from 3/16: Adult JPY5,300, 6-12 y/o JPY2,700)

*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