REPORT

Riding up the gondola this morning, the first thing that stood out was the stunning rime ice covering the trees across the mid to upper slopes. Cold temperatures over the past two nights, along with a light snowfall, left both the runs and the trees completely white. The forecast had called for sunshine, but instead the morning brought a cool, overcast sky (so my planned Tsugaike Ropeway early-spring report will have to wait until tomorrow.).
[Gondola]

From the Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair through the midsection of the Han-no-ki Slope (pictured), the surface was groomed into moderately firm granular snow. The same conditions continued as I proceeded along the forest road and exited onto the lower part of the Uma-no-se Course, where deep, firm moguls were waiting. It was only a short stretch, but those bumps quickly took a toll on my legs.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

The Champion Slope (pictured) was groomed with granular snow that had softened into a thicker surface layer. The ungroomed areas looked dirty, but on the groomed runs my skis ran well and I could link turns exactly as I wanted. From 3/20 (Fri., holiday) to 3/22 (Sun.), the Alpen Group Snowboard Demo & Order Event will be held in front of the gondola mid-station at the Yuki-no-hiroba.
[Champion Slope]

At the Shirakaba Slope, where the groomed granular surface had just begun to soften, the Technical and Crown Prize Tests were held yesterday and today. A skier from Hyogo (center) and another from Shiga (left) told me, “We always check Snownavi! We didn’t pass yesterday, so we’re giving it another shot today!” Meanwhile, a skier from Yamaguchi (right) added, “I passed yesterday, so today I’m here to support them.”
[Shirakaba Slope]

　　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 3/16 (Mon.)]
*Most Courses are OPEN (Tsuganomori, Yase-One, Gotemba are closed)
*Operating lifts … Gondola (from 8:00) and totally 12 lifts.
*Fees … 1-Day Ticket Adult JPY8,200, 6 to 12 y/o JPY4,900, Over 60 y/o JPY6,700 (Spring Discount from 3/23: Adult JPY6,100, 6-12 y/o JPY3,800)
　
*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