REPORT

The snow season spans around half the year, and the recent three-day weekend in February is near the halfway point. The annual Hakuba Happo-One Fire Festival will take place at Nakiyama the day after tomorrow, 2/16 (Fri.), starting at 7:30 p.m. There will be a torchlight ski run, taiko drum performance, fire dance, ski demonstration run, fireworks, and more, and the HAKUBA RAMEN FESTA 2024 will also be ongoing from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

It was the second consecutive sunny day, but strong winds this morning forced the Alpen Quad and the lifts above the Skyline 2 Pair to suspend operations. My skis slid well on the Riesen Slalom Course (first photo) and the Central Course (pictured), which were groomed with well-packed wet snow surfaces.
[Central Course]

On the Panorama Course (pictured), the strong winds were whipping up the snow at times. Even so, the “powdery,” moderately packed base had a flat finish that was in excellent condition, and I found myself wanting to lap it again and again. Later on however, the operation of the Panorama Pair was also suspended (*The Kokusai 3 Pair was working.)
[Panorama Course]

The Shirakaba Slope (pictured) had a groomed, well-packed surface of fine, granular snow, and although clumps of snow could be seen in some places, it was generally easy to ski. In other news, this weekend, 2/18 (Sun.), is the next Kids Ski Free Day, where elementary school students can ride the lifts for free. (*Preschool children are always free).
[Shirakaba Slope]

　　
[Happo-One Details on 2/14 (Wed.)]
*All courses are OPEN!
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.-) and totally 17 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY7,200, 6-17 y/o JPY3,600, Over 65 y/o JPY7,000
　
*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