REPORT

In a season marked by a warm winter and low snowfall, Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort got off to an outstanding start by opening on 11/29 (Sat.) with nearly 100% natural snow. Now, Golden Week operations are all that remain. Today, under calm, sunny skies, the Yamabiko A, B, C, and D Courses all started the morning with firm granular groomers. On Yamabiko A (pictured), the sun-exposed sections began to soften in less than 30 minutes after opening.
[Yamabiko Slope・A Course]

Meanwhile, the Kokenashi A and B Courses (pictured) and the Uenotaira Slope had loose, granular groomers with a soft, spring-like feel. Although dirt was visible on the surface across all three, skis still ran well. I spoke with a group of three from Kanagawa and Nagano who told me, “We’ve seen Snownavi before. We started out renting snowscoots, but we finally went ahead and bought some.”
[Kokenashi Slope・B Course]

This marks the final Nozawa report of the season. To wrap things up, I headed to Rest House Yamabiko for lunch and had their most popular dish again this year, the “Nozawana Garlic Steak Rice” (pictured, ¥2,100 with soup). The 120 g lean steak is cooked to order, then topped with a garlic-rich sauce and served over rice mixed with nozawana pickles. The combination was spot on—absolutely delicious.
[Uenotaira Slope]

Since 4/21 (Tue.), a hike-up park (boxes and rails) has been set up on the left side of the lower section of Yamabiko B (pictured), along with a snow ramp on the left side of the lower section of Yamabiko C. I ran into a skier from Nagano City (pictured) who told me, “I always read your reports! It really comes down to putting in the reps. I envy the younger riders.”
[Yamabiko Slope・B Course]

　
＊The Yamabiko B Course is closed on 4/25 (Sat.) & 4/26 (Sun.) for the “Salomon Spring Racing Camp.”
＊This is the final Nozawa Onsen report of the season. Thank you very much for following along this winter!
　
[Nozawa Onsen Details on 4/25 (Sat.)]
*OPEN Courses … Yamabiko A・B・C・D・E, Kokenashi A・B, Uenotaira
*Operating Lifts … Nagasaka Gondola (8:10～), Yamabiko four, Yamabiko No.2 four, Uenotaira four
*Fees … 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