REPORT

Spring rates kicked off today, with one-day tickets now ¥4,500 for adults and ¥2,500 for elementary school students. A light northerly wind eased off around 8:30 a.m., and the overcast sky began to show patches of blue. I dropped in for my first run on the Highway Course (pictured), where a firm, groomed corn snow surface made for a smooth start. (※Note: Thin snow coverage at the top has resulted in about two-thirds of the skier’s left side being roped off).
[Highway Course]

I met two staff members from the Hakuba Alps Hotel (pictured, right) who told me, “We always read Snownavi. He just finished a night shift, and I start work this afternoon. We had a lot of guests from Australia and Taiwan this season, so it kept us busy.” The Wakaguri Central Slope (pictured) held a firm, groomed corn surface early, but softened quickly and turned loose and granular within about an hour.
[Wakaguri Central Slope]

The Rabbit Course also started with a firm, groomed corn surface. There was a thin, discolored patch near the top on the skier’s right side, but it didn’t affect skiing. I ran into a couple from Shirakawa-go in Gifu (pictured) who commented, “We always read your reports. We actually ran into you at Hakuba Sanosaka the other day. Now that Sanosaka has closed, we came over to Hakunori.”
[Wakaguri Central Slope]

The Satomi Central Slope (pictured) had a groomed corn surface that softened nicely. Snow coverage along the Alps No. 8 Pair has started to thin, while the area along the former No. 7 Pair still had solid coverage and clean grooming. The Satomi Central Slope is scheduled to remain open through 3/22 (Sun.).
[Satomi Central Slope]

　
*The Alps No. 11 Pair has ended operations for the season due to poor snow conditions.
　
[Hakuba Norikura Onsen Details on 3/16 (Mon.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for Satomi-One)
*Operating Lifts … No.3 Pair (8:00～) and totally 8 lifts
*Fees … Spring Discount from 3/16: 1-Day Pass Adult JPY4,500, 6 to 12 y/o JPY2,500, Pre-schooler FREE

*Request for the original data of our photographs
　
reported by Snownavi