REPORT

Unseasonably warm temperatures have continued since reaching a high of 21.9°C on 3/22 (Wed.), with the cherry blossoms at Matsumoto Castle blooming earlier than ever before, on 3/24 (Fri.), and reaching their peak around 4/1 (Sat.). With that said, it was chilly this morning with the absence of sunshine, even in my spring ski wear. The moderately firm, groomed granular snow along the Kurobishi 2nd Quad (pictured) was great for skiing at high speed.
[Kurobishi Slope]

As the resort opened at 8:40 a.m., I headed straight for the Skyline Course, where I was most interested in checking the current conditions. The groomed center portion (pictured) had a loose granular snow surface with increasing areas of exposed dirt towards the middle. There was barely enough snow at the end of the course, and II had to search hard for a skiable route through. I ran into Kagayaking’s Mizuki Takeuchi (pictured, 2nd from front) and a snowboarder from Hakuba Village (pictured, front center) who greeted me and kindly added that they were fans of the Snownavi site.
[Skyline Course]

I had a brief chat with a skier participating in a camp being run by form SAJ national demo skier Daichi Suzuki (pictured, front left) and Koki Karasawa (pictured, front center), who placed 24th in this year’s technical championships. They told me they were going to give it their all over the two-day camp. A number of people graciously made conversation with me on this weekend morning, including a group from Nagoya City and a skier from Hyogo Prefecture, as well as many others!
[Kurobishi Slope]

With the Gondola and Kokusai 1 Pair kicking off at 7:30 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, conditions on the groomed Panorama Course first thing in the morning were good, with a moderately soft, granular snow surface. Although the area of exposed ground was growing wider on the south side as well as at the beginning and end of the course (pictured), it wasn’t enough to hinder skiing on the wide slope. Tomorrow, Happo welcomes nordic combined athletes Akito and Yoshito Watanabe, along with former freestyle mogul athlete Aiko Uemura to the Spring Fest!
[Panorama Course]

　
[Happo-One Opening Information for 4/8 (Sat.)]
*Almost All Areas Available (= Riesen Grat, Kurobishi, Usagidaira, Skyline, URAKURO, Panorama are open)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (7:30 a.m.-), totally 8 lifts
*Fees … From 3/13 Spring Discount Adult JPY5,500, 6-17 y/o JPY2,500

*Printable Rental Discount Coupons!
Carving Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY3,000 / 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!

*Click here to purchase photos found in this report

reported by Snownavi