REPORT

Yakebitaiyama is holding the ‘Descente First Track’ experience again this season. Buy an exclusive ticket at the lift ticket booth next to the First Gondola Station (*¥1,500, available from 7:30 a.m., limited to Prince Hotel guests), and take the First Gondola starting at 7:50 a.m. to the top of the ski resort. You can ski the Giant Slalom and Olympic Course (pictured), but you can also carve first tracks on the other courses if you time it right with the general resort opening at 8:30.
[Yakebitaiyama Ski Area・Olympic Course]

I noticed first track participants brimming with excitement as they stepped off the First Gondola, and watched as they sped out of sight down the mountain. I spoke with some of them who had completed their first runs, and heard comments like, “That felt so good!” and “The slopes are groomed to perfection, so carving is so much fun.”
[Yakebitaiyama Ski Area・Giant Slalom Course]

However, it was an extremely cold morning, with the thermometer showing -12°C and dry snow falling as chilly north winds blew across the slopes. It was absolutely necessary to come prepared for the cold. I caught up with 3 snowboarders from Tokyo (pictured) who told me, “We came to Yakebitaiyama for the first time today to participate in the first tracks program. It’s already great! We definitely want to come back!”
[Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort・Panorama In Course]

The roughly 3 cm of new snow that topped the moderately firm, groomed powder snow surfaces was as light as a feather. (*There was about 15 cm of smooth new snow on the ungroomed Olympic Course). It was a pleasure digging my edges into that silky smooth snow! The snow that had been falling since early morning died down in intensity, and for a brief while, the sun shone on the slopes, but the snow began to fall once more around 9:00 and again increased in intensity around 10:00.
[Yakebitaiyama Ski Area・Panorama Course]

[Availability Information on 1/3 (Tue.)]
*All courses are available (Except for Maruike A, B, Maruike No.2 G, Higashidateyama Olympic C, Nishidateyama Okabe C, Perfecter C, Terakoya G)
*Available Lifts … yakebitaiyama Gondola (8:30-) and totally 38 lifts.
*Lift Fees … 1 Day Ticket JPY6,500, 13-18 & Over 60 y/o JPY5,600, 6-12 y/o JPY3,200 (Until 3/31)

*Click here to purchase photos found in this report

reported by Snownavi