REPORT

“This is my first Riesen run of the season!” commented a Happo regular (pictured) from Hakuba Village. Among the many alluring slopes at Happo, the Riesen Slalom Course (3,045m length, max incline 30°, average incline 20°), which opened on 12/10 (Tue.), is often the top pick for enthusiasts. This morning, the full course was groomed from top to bottom, with the upper to mid section featuring a moderately packed powder surface, while the lower section offered a slightly firmer wet snow base.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

The blue skies visible at the start of the day were gradually obscured by clouds rolling in from the west. “Another great day out here!” remarked a patrol staff member (pictured). The groomed routes at Usagidaira were in excellent shape, with moderately packed powder providing a smooth and enjoyable ride. The gently undulating surface in the ungroomed areas was topped with about 5cm of light, fresh snow that added nicely complemented the conditons.
[Usagidaira]

The expansive groomed section along the north-facing Kurobishi 2 Quad (pictured) was, as expected, had an exceptional powder surface. Both edge grip and glide were top-notch. With fewer crowds on this early season weekday, I couldn’t help but smile while riding the lift, admiring the arcs of my own turns etched into the snow below.
[Kurobishi]

I spoke with a couple from Tokyo (pictured), who told me, “We’re regular readers! During the season, we stay here for about a month to ski. Both the groomed and ungroomed runs were fantastic today.” Following their recommendation, I headed to the Kurobishi No. 3 Pair lift area, where the soft base was topped with around 5 cm of light, fresh snow.
[Kurobishi]

　
＊The official Hakuba Happo-One Ski Resort website provides twice-daily snow updates, in the morning and afternoon.
＊After the ski resort opens, the snow depth section on the right side of this page will display the morning snow depth for Kurobishi as reported on the official website. The number in parentheses represents the amount of new snowfall recorded over approximately 24 hours since the previous morning’s observation (based on measurements taken by our reporter).

[Happo-One Details on 12/12 (Thu.)]
*Available Courses … Panorama Course, Upper Panorama Rindo, Usagidaira, Kurobishi, Riesen Slalom, Lower Shirakaba South
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00～), Panorama Pair, Kokusai No.3 Pair, Alpen Quad, Kurobishi Quad
*Fees … Early Season 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY5,000, Over 65 y/o JPY4,500, 6-17 y/o JPY1,500 (Until 12/20)
　
*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi