REPORT

With the opening of the No. 10 Pair Lift and Sky View Slope on 12/28 (Wed.), and the No. 3 High-Speed Pair, Highway and Kamoshika courses yesterday, 12/29 (Thurs.), Hakuba Norikura Onsen Ski Resort is now “fully open” (more than 80% of the resort’s terrain is skiable)! I spoke with 2 people from Osaka (pictured, right and front) who said, “We love your site! We all became friends while waiting for the opening of the 9th pair last season and this season. Basically, everyone who skis or boards is our friend.”
[Satomi Central Slope]

The wind wasn’t noticeable at the base area of the resort but was blowing lightly on the upper portion of the Sky View Slope and at the top of the Alps No. 3 High-Speed Pair. Light snow was also falling on and off. I enjoyed the feeling of powder on the self-responsibility area (pictured) on the west side of Sky View, where there was about 15 cm of fresh snow on top of the relatively even base.
[Self-Responsibility Area]

The ‘Chibikko Hiroba’ Kids Park, which opened yesterday, was in good condition, as were the other groomed slopes throughout the resort. I had a chat with a mother from Kanagawa Prefecture (pictured), who said, “We’ve been staying at the Hakuba Alps Hotel and skiing at Hakunori since yesterday. This time we chose Hakunori because the slopes are right in front of the hotel, and it is less crowded than other areas.”
[Chibikko Hiroba Kids Park]

Conditions were excellent on all groomed areas, where the moderately soft powder snow surfaces were topped off with a thin layer of fresh snow. On the Hakunori Family Course (pictured), I noticed not only beginners but also skiers and boarders descending down from the Alps No. 3 High-Speed Pair via the self-responsibility area. As of 10:30, there was a 3 to 4-minute wait for the No. 4 Pair and No. 3 High-Speed Pair lifts due to the lively year-end crowds.
[Hakunori Family Course]

[Availability Information on 1/3 (Tue.)]
*All courses are available! (Except for Snake C, Expert, Rabbit C)
*Available Lifts … No.3 Pair (8:30-) and totally 7 lifts.
*Lift Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY5,000, 6-12 y/o JPY3,500, Over 60 y/o JPY4,500 　　

　
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reported by Snownavi