REPORT

The cherry blossoms in Hakuba reached their peak around 4/11 (Tue.), two weeks earlier than last year. Happo is scheduled to remain open until 5/7 (Sun.), but the progress of the snowmelt, especially on the Skyline and Panorama courses, is a matter of concern. Even after yesterday’s rain, this morning, the center portion of the Skyline Course (pictured) was groomed not only on the top half of the course, but also at the end, at a width of about 15 meters.
[Skyline Course]

There is still plenty of snow on the groomed north side of the Kokusai 3 Pair on the Panorama Course, while the south side has less snow and was ungroomed. As for the slope conditions, the groomed snow on Panorama was well-packed first thing in the morning, but the groomed snow on Usagidaira (pictured), Kurobishi, and Skyline was soft and slushy. Usagidaira had some spots of soil at the beginning of the southern portion and at the bottom of the steep, ungroomed mogul slope.
[Usagidaira Slope]

The snow on the ungroomed areas was a thin shade of brown as a result of the Asian Dust that has been blowing in at full force since last evening. I found it interesting that because of this, only the groomed areas were covered in white bands of snow. Even though I skied without a jacket from the start of the day, I didn’t feel cold, and it soon became sunny and warm enough to cause me to sweat.
[Skyline Course]

I found myself wanting to lap the area alongside the Kurobishi No. 2 Pair for groomed snow (the snow stays firm for a while), and the area paralleling the Kurobishi No. 3 Pair for moguls. However, the Kurobishi 3 Pair is now operated only on weekends, so on weekdays, you need to transfer between the Kurobishi 2 Quad and Alpen Quad. Today, the east side of the Kurobishi Quad 2 was roped off and being used for an SAJ demo camp.
[Kurobishi Slope]
　
* The Grat Quad is still operating for mountaineers, but the Riesen Grat closed on 4/9 (Sun.).

　
[Happo-One Opening Information for 4/13 (Thu.)]
*Open Course(s) … Kurobishi, Usagidaira, Panorama, Skyline, Urakuro
*Available Lifts … Gondola (Weekend & Holidays 7:30 a.m.-, Weekdays 8:00a.m.-), totally 6 lifts
*Fees … From 3/13 Spring Discount Adult JPY5,500, 6-17 y/o JPY2,500, Over 65 y/o JPY5,300

*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