REPORT

The rain falling on the lower Oya-no-hara Slope turned to sleet at around the elevation of the Shirakaba Slope, and was falling as slightly wet snow at the top of the ski resort. The area alongside the Han-no-ki High-Speed Pair Lift (pictured) was groomed with a moderately firm wet snow surface covered with 1 to 3cm of fresh snow. I found the conditions to be good for both edge bite and smooth skiing, allowing me to make comfortable turns on repeat.
[Han-no-ki Slope]

The Tsuga No. 2 Pair (pictured) got moving at 9:20 a.m. A ski patroller working in the Tsuga-no-mori area called out to me, saying, “The Gotemba Course opened on the same day as the Tsuga-no-mori Slope (12/2).” It was incredibly cold all the way from the base of the mountain, caused in part by the occasional strong gust of winds out of the northwest, and the falling snow was being blown nearly horizontal at times.
[Tsuga-no-mori Slope]

The top part of the Tsuga-no-mori Slope (pictured) was in near whiteout conditions due to a combination of falling snow and fog. I overheard people coming off the lift saying things like, “I can’t see anything! It’s this way, right?” As for the condition of the slope itself, Tsuga-no-mori remained ungroomed, but it was easy to ski due to the soft base covered in only shallow tracks and topped with 3 to 5cm of new snow.
[Tsuga-no-mori Slope]

I ran into a couple from Toyama Prefecture (pictured), who greeted me with the familiar, “We love your site!” They continued, “We were worried about the rain at the foot of the mountain, but we were glad to see that it’s snow up here.” I asked them about what seemed to be fur around their waists and was told, “It’s araiguma (raccoon) fur from a matagi hunter. We wear it to keep our bottoms warm when we sit on the snow.”
[Han-no-ki Slope]

　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 12/7 (Thu.)]
*Available Courses … Tsuganomori, Gotenba, The area alongside the Han-no-ki High Speed Pair Lift
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:30〜), Han-no-ki High Speed Pair (8:30～), Tsuga No. 2 Pair (9:00～)
*Fees … Early Season 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY4,700, Elementary School Students JPY2,900 (until 12/15)
　
*Good Deal! Advance Ticket (Sales Period until 12/18)
Adult 1 Day Ticket JPY6,400 → JPY4,600!
6-12 y/o 1 Day Ticket JPY3,800 → JPY2,900!
Adult 1 Day Ticket + Lunch Ticket JPY1,000 = JPY7,400 → JPY5,400!
6-12 y/o 1 Day Ticket + Lunch Ticket JPY1,000 = JPY4,800 → JPY3,700!
　
*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!

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi