REPORT

There’s actually a lot of snow! Temperatures didn’t get very cold nationwide during the month of October, and ever since Yeti closed on 10/27 (Sun.) just a few days after opening on 10/25 (Fri.), I was worried about the conditions at the Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort. However, I found that the Karu-Pri had the same amount of snow as usual at this time and that the course was about 15m wide!
[Prince Slope]

As in previous years, the two open runs on the first day of the season were the Prince Slope (approx. 400m in length) and the Kurinoki Course (also approx. 400m in length). The two courses are connected at the point pictured, and the Prince Lift and Kurinoki Lift are in operation, serving each course. In addition, the kid’s “Snowman Park” also opened for business this morning.
[Prince Slope]

The only terrain park element was a 3m kicker (pictured), but it proved to be a popular attraction since it was a size that anyone could easily try, and there was a starting platform in front of it to make it easier to get some speed in the lead up. At 9:00 a.m., the number of visitors was 115% compared to the same time on opening day last year, but there was no noticeable congestion, and the wait for the lift was only about 3 minutes.
[Kurinoki Course]

Just before the start of business, an opening event for all the ski resorts in Nagano Prefecture was held as usual (pictured). I spoke with a skier from Saitama Prefecture, who told me, “I love your site! I’m on my first paid holiday as a working adult and I’m here to ski.” In conversation with another five fans of Snownavi from Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Gifu and Nagano, I was told, ”Nagano Prefecture is a good place for us all to get together since it’s easily accessible from both the west and the east. The granular snow surface was well-packed and easy to carve on, and seemed even wider than last year.”
[Kurinoki Course]
　
*Again this season, lift tickets are free for elementary school students and younger, and free lift tickets for 20-year-olds on weekdays!
*With full implementation of the resort’s 8 snow-making machines, all 14 courses are scheduled to open by early January 2025.
*The D-East high-speed lift, which takes you to the top of the ski resort, is also available for use by non-skiing visitors for sightseeing purposes.
*With the opening of the Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort today, 11/1 (Fri.), “Snownavi 2025 Winter Edition” has begun!

　
[ Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort Opening Information for 11/1（Fri.）]
*Available Courses … Kurinoki Course, Prince Slope
*Available Lifts … Kurinoki, Prince（8:30 a.m.–）
*Fees … Adults JPY6,800, Junior High and High School Students and overe 55 y/o JPY5,300(until 12/20), Adults JPY8,800, Junior High and High School Students and overe 55 y/o JPY8,300(until 3/20), Adults JPY6,800, Junior High and High School Students and overe 55 y/o JPY5,300(until 3/31), Specified date(12/28-1/5、1/11-12、2/22-23) Adults JPY9,800, Junior High and High School Students and overe 55 y/o JPY9,300, Free for elementary school students and younger for the entire period
　
＊Request for the original data of our photographs
　
　
reported by Snownavi