REPORT

A year-end cold wave has arrived, bring consistently chilly conditions. Early in the morning, I spoke with the lift operator for the Tsuga No. 2 Pair, who told me, “We’ll work hard to clear the snow and get the lift running by around 8:30.” True to their word, the lift began operating at 8:34 a.m. At the top of the ski resort, the groomed slopes featured well-packed powder bases topped with about 15cm of fluffy fresh snow, while the ungroomed areas boasted approximately 30cm of new powder.
[Tsuga-no-mori]

I ran into a snowboarder from Saitama Prefecture (pictured), who commented, “I love Snownavi. I rent a house in Nagano City and commute to the Hakuba area ski resort.” Tsugaike Mountain Resort is now fully open, including the TSUGA POW DBD area (advanced registration required) which opened on Christmas Eve. I enjoyed a run on the Gotemba Course, where the undulating terrain offers endless fun.
[Gotemba]

The Kids’ Park, with its 50m moving walkway (pictured, opens at 10 a.m., admission JPY1,000 with one guardian free), welcomed families like a father from Osaka (pictured), who shared, “It’s our first time skiing in Tsugaike. I’m the one pulling the sled, so it’s tough for me, but my son is thrilled.” The Kanenaru slope was also enjoyable, with a moderately-packed, groomed powder surface topped with about 5cm of fluffy new snow that made for smooth skiing.
[Kane-no-naru-oka]

“It’s our first time to visit Tsugaike. It’s such a wonderful, easy-to-ski resort, and the snow is incredible!,” shared a family from Saitama (pictured). Interestingly, this morning brought an unusual phenomenon: snowfall was lighter at the top and bottom of the resort, while the mid to lower sections of the Han-no-ki Slope (pictured) were getting slammed with snow.
[Han-no-ki]

　
[Tsugaike Kogen Details on 12/29 (Sun.)]
*All Courses are OPEN!
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.-) and totally 12 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY7,500, Elementary School Students JPY4,400, Over 60 y/o JPY5,600

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi