REPORT

As we enter late March, the contrast in snow coverage on slopes of different aspects is quite striking. To that point, the steep, south-facing Rewild (pictured, background) has already melted out, while the west-facing Blackbeat (pictured, foreground), which is also supported by snowmaking, still holds a solid base. The final day of the three-day holiday weekend brought calm, sunny weather to the ski resort.
[Blackbeat]

The gently sloping, north-facing Gomaruko (pictured) also still has plenty of snow. The REWILD Lift ended operations on 3/15 (Sun.), and six courses currently remain open: Blackbeat, Shine, Sasuke, Alekoko, Drago, and Gomaruko. Early in the morning, Blackbeat and Gomaruko had firm groomed granular snow with strong edge hold, allowing for smooth, controlled turns.
[Gomaruco]

On Drago, grooming was limited to the skier’s left side (pictured), where the surface was firm, packed granular snow. The groomed lane had no exposed dirt or bushes, and I skied the full (roughly 900 m) length, enjoying the changing pitch along the way. On the ungroomed sections of Shine, Sasuke, and Alekoko, the surface had set up into firm, uneven bumps.
[Drago]

Sho Tsunoda, an instructor with Smile Snowboard School (pictured, third from the right), told me, “Thank you for joining the ‘Masterkey Snowboard Camp’ on 1/31 (Sat.)! Today we’re holding the ‘Ninja Spring Training Session.’ Masato Tsuruta will lead a freeride lesson in the morning, and I’ll run a slalom session in the afternoon.” Ninja is scheduled to operate on 3/28 (Sat.), 3/29 (Sun.), 4/4 (Sat.), and 4/5 (Sun.).
[Base Area]

*From 1/31 (Sat.) through 4/12 (Sun.) 4/5 (Sun.), a Nagano resident discount is in effect, offering JPY1,000 off one-day lift tickets (ID required).
*Thank you for following this season’s slope reports! See you again next season.

　　
[Ninja Snow Highland Details On 3/8 (Sat.)]
*Most Courses are OPEN (Shinko, Ukai Shinobi, Nirei, Rewild are CLOSED)
*Operating Lift … NINJA Lift (8:30～)
*Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY4,500/ High School, University & College Students JPY3,500/ 60-69 y/o JPY3,800/ Over 70 y/o JPY3,000/ 4-15 y/o JPY2,000, Under 3 y/o FREE

*Special Offer! Advance Discount Lift Tickets (*On sale until 4/12)
E-ticket Adult 1 Day Ticket JPY4,500 → JPY4,000!
E-ticket 4-15 y/o 1 Day Ticket JPY2,000 → JPY1,500!
E-ticket High school & College Student 1 Day Ticket JPY3,500 → JPY3,000!
E-ticket Over 60 y/o 1 Day Ticket JPY3,800 → JPY3,300!
E-ticket Adult & Child 1 Day Ticket Set JPY6,000 → JPY5,000!
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi