REPORT

Confident of clear skies this morning, I set my alarm for 4:15 a.m. to photograph the alpenglow… but I was too late. Currently, sunrise in Hakuba Village is 5:20 a.m., and to catch the peaks turning red in the first rays of morning light at this time of the year, I needed to be in position by at least 5:10 a.m. Incidentally, there were many butterbur sprouts at the foot of my tripod.
[Distant View of Ski Resort]

Though I missed the morning light snow, the deep blue sky and bright white snow was beautiful! The rain falling at the foot of the mountain yesterday turned to snow after 9:00 a.m. on the mountain, and this morning there was 1 to 2 cm of fresh snow on Usagidaira Slope. The groomed Usagidaira south route (pictured) and the Panorama Course had well-packed granular snow. It was easy to ski since the surface layer had begun to loosen up, and I was able to ski at a good speed through the cool air.
[Usagidaira Slope]

I spoke with a patrolman (pictured) on the Kurobishi Quad, who told me, “There was about 3 cm of fresh snow on Riesen Grat yesterday, and conditions are good today.” The granular snow along the Kurobishi Quad (pictured) was groomed and hard-packed to start the day, but the surface had begun to soften by 8:30.
[Kurobishi Slope]

Another man using the Kurobishi Quad commented, “I’m enjoying carving turns first thing in the morning, and when the snow starts to loosen up, I’ll change my skis and have fun on the moguls.” The groomed Skyline Course had a hard granular snow surface that became looser the further down the course I skied. The moguls in the ungroomed areas along the Alpen Quad and Kurobishi 3 Pair also started to soften up around 9:30.
[Kurobishi Slope]

　　
*This report marks the last of our 2024 Winter Season reports, and after a brief one-week break, we will be back and continue to update you on the conditions at Happo with 2024 Spring Season reports starting on 4/18 (Thurs.) and continuing through the Golden Week holidays!

[Hakuba Happo-one Details on 4/10 (Wed.)]
*Open Course(s) … Riesen Grat, Usagidaira, Kurobishi, Urakuro, Skyline, Panorama, Riesen Slalom, Shirakaba, Nakiyama South
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.-), Nakiyama No.3 Triple, Happo Riesen Quad, Panorama Pair, Alpen Quad, Kurobishi No.2 Quad, Skyline No.2 Pair, Glat Quad
*Fees … 3/11 Spring Discount 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY5,500, Over 65 y/o JPY4,950, 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!

*Request for the original data of our photographs
　
　
reported by Snownavi