REPORT

Dry snow carried by a cold northerly wind was falling across the upper portion of the ski resort this morning, and fog hung over the slopes, thickening and thinning repeatedly. The southern part of Usagidaira (pictured) was groomed with a well-packed powder snow surface. Those conditions meant that my skis ran smoothly, and I found myself gaining a little too much speed if I didn’t brake as I went.
[Usagidaira Slope]

Yesterday, due to high winds, the Grat Quad was only in operation for about 25 minutes after its 8:35 start. As a result, first thing this morning, the steep ungroomed area on the bottom half of the slope had a nice, untouched blanket of 30 to 40 cm of “fresh snow” preserved from the last two nights and blown smooth by the wind. The fluffy snow and pleasant sensation of floating on powder had everyone cheering and sending up rooster tails behind them!
[Riesen Grat Course]

The wind had mostly died down as I skied down to the early part of the Riesen Slalom course, which had a firmly-groomed powder snow surface. However, visibility was poor as the fog had once again thickened. The feeling of powder under my feet faded as I skied further down the mountain, and by the time I reached the Usuba Slope (last photo), the groomed snow surface was hard-packed due to the presence of the artificial snow mixed in.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

Riesen was quite busy, probably because of the influx of skiers here for the New Year’s holiday, as well as the fog and winds higher up. I overheard people saying things like, “There’s a lot of people here. Let’s ski carefully.” The snow on the Shirakaba Slope was softer than on Usuba, and those conditions were favorable for practicing basic skills.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

　　
[Happo-One Opening Information for 1/3 (Tue.)]
*All courses are available!
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.–), totally 16 lifts
*Fees … Adult JPY6,500, 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!
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Kid’s Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY2,500 / Outerwear JPY1,500!

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reported by Snownavi