REPORT

I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning, with an accumulation of snow that far exceeded my expectations.This morning the snow falling at the base of the resort had a high moisture content, but the snow coming down across the upper half of the mountain was nice and dry. The Alpen Quad started on time at 8:30 a.m., and I observed skiers and boarders heading one after another to the areas alongside the Kurobishi 3 Pair and Alpen Quad in search of powder.
[Usagidaira]

I found 30 to 35 cm of fresh snow as I dropped into the steep slope on the north side of Usagidaira, known as Sodeguro (pictured). It was hard to see the snow surface and I did find myself occasionally bottoming out on the firm, uneven surface below the new snow, but still I enjoyed the fluffy powder, and I overheard visitors commenting cheerfully about how there was more snow than they thought and how great it felt.
[Usagidaira]

Even in the ungroomed areas of the Skyline Course (pictured), there was great fun to be had on the 20 to 25 cm of soft, fresh snow. However, the thick fog was offsetting some of the enjoyment. The groomed central portion of the Skyline Course, which had about 10 cm of light fresh snow covering the moderately firm surface, was great, but I had to ski at a slow and controlled speed due to the poor visibility.
[Skyline Course]

I loved my turns on the area paralleling the Kurobishi Quad (pictured) and the southern route of Usagidaira, where 10 to 15cm of light, new snow topped the moderately-packed slope surfaces. In other news, the annual New Year’s Countdown Event for the 2022-2023 season will take place on the Nakiyama Slope on 12/31 (Sat.) starting at 23:00, complete with fireworks!
[Kurobishi]

[Happo-One Opening Information for 12/29 (Thu.)]
*All courses are available. (*Except for Riesen Grat Course, Tenbo, Urakuro, Omusubi)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.–), totally 14 lifts
*Fees … Adult JPY6,000, 6-17 y/o JPY3,200, Over 60 y/o JPY5,800

*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!

*Click here to purchase photos found in this report

reported by Snownavi