REPORT

At the “Haruyama Festival” held on 3/28 (Sat.), Nozawa Onsen—known for its deep snow—hosted the “Snow Hole Digging Contest,” where teams competed to dig the deepest hole (※free entry). The winning team recorded a depth of 148 cm. Instead of a podium, the awards ceremony took place inside the winning holes, with prizes consisting of bags for 1st place (pictured, center), hoodies for 2nd (left), and caps for 3rd (right).
[Uenotaira Slope]

Teams entered in groups of three, and had to include at least one woman. For the first two minutes, the women had to dig, after which team members rotated while continuing to dig for a total of 10 minutes. If any team reached the ground, the competition ended immediately even with time left on the clock. Once the MC gave the signal, snow quickly piled up around each team as they dug (photo taken just before the start).
[Uenotaira Slope]

Under calm, sunny skies, the special event area set up on part of the Uenotaira Slope (pictured) had softened, coarse spring snow. The conditions were perfect for digging with shovels. Prior to the contest, sake, soft drinks, and about 700 servings of tonjiru were served starting at 10:00 a.m..
[Uenotaira Slope]

In the same area, the “Yukiyama Festival in Nozawa Onsen,” using the yukiyama app, was also held (※free entry). There were many participants, with 500 people checking in and about 270 joining as groups. Among them were two members of the idol unit “Hachigon Girls” (pictured). They told me, “We always read your reports! We often ski in the Hakuba area. Tonjiru tastes so good when you eat it outside—it really warmed us up.”
[Kokenashi Slope・B Course]

[Nozawa Onsen Details on 3/28 (Sat.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for UTOPIA B, KUROKURA, KANDAHAR WEST & EAST, GRANDPRIX, Jamping HACHIMAN, Nagasaka Connect)
*Operating Lifts … Nagasaka Gondola (8:30～) and totally 14 lifts
*Fees … 1-Day Pass Adult JPY7,500, Under 15 y/o JPY4,500, Over 60 y/o JPY6,000 (＊Spring Discount from 3/30 Adult JPY5,900, 6 to 15 y/o JPY3,500, Over 60 y/o JPY4,700)
　　
＊Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi