REPORT

The blue sky overhead today felt like a rare sight this snowy December. Due to radiative cooling, the temperature in front of Usagidaira Terrace at 8 a.m. was a brisk -7°C, but with no wind it didn’t feel too harsh. On the Panorama Course (pictured), the perfect corduroy patterns stamped across the moderately soft, groomed powder snow surface spread out before me, and I was able to pick up speed and set my edges with ease.
[Panorama]

As the day progressed, the blue sky gradually became obscured by clouds flowing in from over the Northern Alps. The groomed area along the Kurobishi Quad (pictured) offered perfect powder snow conditions! My skis ran smoothly, and the edges bit into the flat snow surface, providing excellent grip, allowing for smooth turns–both wide and tight.
[Kurobishi]

I spoke to a skier from Tokyo (pictured), who kindly said, “I always read your reports! Today, it seems the slopes are so good that everyone is too focused on skiing to stop and talk to you.” The snow quality was great along the Kurobishi 3 Pair and on the section of shallow moguls along the Alpen Quad, making it easy to drop in.
[Kurobishi]

The groomed route at Usagidaira (pictured) had soft powder snow at the start, transitioning to slightly firmer powder snow through the middle and end sections. “Finally, we can see the blue sky!” commented an instructor from the Hakuba Happo-one Ski School during warm-ups. The groomed section of the Riesen Slalom Course started off with a moderately soft powder snow surface, while the middle and lower sections near the snowmaking machines were a bit firmer.
[Usagidaira]

　
[Happo-One Details on 12/19 (Thu.)]
*Almost All Areas Available (= Riesen Grat, URAKURO, OMUSUBI, Skyline, Kitaone No.3, Upper Kitaone, Kitaone New Course, Kitaone Cat Track, Nakiyama, Sakka are not open)
*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