REPORT

After being patient through warm weather at the end of November and a cold beginning to December with little snow, Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field opened on schedule today, 12/16 (Fri.)! There are currently two slopes open for skiing: the North Slope (pictured), and the East slope. The slopes were blanketed in a thin fog, and snow was falling quietly on this opening morning.
[North]

There was about 2 cm of light, fresh snow on top of the moderately soft groomed surfaces of the East (pictured) and North slopes. The overall base was reported as 70 cm, and there was almost no exposed underbrush on the East Slope. Over on the North Slope, a few bushes were visible through the snow in the middle part of the run, but they no real impact on skiing.
[East]

I spoke with a group of three visitors from Matsumoto and Azumino who said, “We love your site! Just when we were thinking that we wanted to ski at Iwatake, it opened.” In addition to the open runs, attractions for non-skiing tourists such as SKYARK, HAKUBA MOUNTAIN HARBOR, the Yoo-Hoo! Swing, and the summit area dog run also opened today.
[East]

Prior to today’s opening, a joint rescue drill was held yesterday, 12/15 (Thu.), by ski resort staff and members of the Northern Alps Regional Fire Department. The drill was based on the scenario of a gondola becoming inoperable, and the purpose was to strengthen the fire and rescue team’s ability to respond to gondola or lift accidents through a simulation on the actual terrain in real winter conditions.
[Gondola Base Station]

[Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field Availability Information on 12/16 (Fri)]
*Available Courses … North, East
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00-16:00), 3-sen North (-15:30), 4-sen East (-15:30)
*Fees … Early Season Discount 1 Day Ticket Adult & Over 60 y/o JPY3,800, 6-12 y/o JPY2,000 (Until 12/23) *A preschooler will be free per adult.
　
＊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!
　
reported by Snownavi