REPORT

This morning I spoke with a woman from Aichi Prefecture (pictured, left), who told me, “I love your site! The snow is loose and soft, but the groomed areas are easy to ski first thing in the morning. I’m planning on doing some backcountry skiing in Tateyama in May.” A couple skiing with her (pictured, center and right), also from Aichi, mentioned they were fans of Snownavi, too, and added, “The snow has melted a lot since last week; we’re wondering how long it will last.”
[Usagidaira Slope]

The average temperature in Hakuba in April has been more than 3°C higher than normal. As a result, the snow has melted faster than expected, and the Riesen Grat was closed yesterday, following the closure of the Panorama Course on 4/23 (Tue.). (*The Grat Quad is open for sightseeing and mountain climbing use). No exposed bushes or soil could be seen on the southern route of Usagidaira (pictured), and the snow was nice and white again thanks to snow being manually added to the course and the application of grooming.
[Usagidaira Slope]

My skis slid well on the loose, groomed granular snow surface along the Kurobishi Quad (pictured), and on southern route of Usagidaira. In other news, the Hakuba Happo-One Ski School is offering a variety of themed skiing programs during GW, focusing on moguls and spring skiing with instructors Ryo Yamamoto, Yudai Morishita, and Aki Ito and more.
[Kurobishi Slope]

The ground was exposed between a few of the moguls along the Kurobishi 3 Pair (pictured), but it only affected a fraction of the vast slope. On the other hand, the moguls along the Alpen Quad were more significantly affected by the same problem, and I noticed people moving between the right and left lanes to avoid the dirt.
[Kurobishi Slope]
　　
*The petals of the Yoshino cherry trees are beginning to fall in Oide Park, though late-blooming varieties of cherry trees are still in full bloom.

　
[Hakuba Happo-one Details on 4/26 (Fri.)]
*Open Course(s) … Usagidaira, Kurobishi, Urakuro
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.-), Alpen Quad, Kurobishi No.2 Quad, Kurobishi No.3 Pair, Usagidaira Pair, Glat Quad(*Sightseeing and mountain climbing only)
*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