REPORT

After three straight days of clear skies and pleasant weather that began on 1/11 (Wed.), this weekend turned out to be as warm as the middle of spring. Drizzle was falling on the resort’s Mountain Side this morning, and the slopes were cloaked with a thick fog. Visitor turnout was slow, but as of 9:30 a.m., the central parking lot was filled to about 90% of capacity, and the line at the gondola base station was over 20 minutes long.
[VIEW D]

The south slope (pictured) was beautifully groomed, and was easy to ski because of the moderately soft, wet snow surface. However, the fog was so thick that it was difficult to know where you were skiing unless you could spot an obvious landmark. I even accidentally skied down to the boarding area for the 5-Sen Lift when I intended to head to the Sunny Valley course (lol).
[South Slope]

On days like this, VIEW C and VIEW D (pictured, first photo), are recommended since they are easy to navigate. This morning VIEW D was groomed, with nice, firm wet snow. I had a conversation with a member of a group of four people from Tokyo and Shizuoka Prefecture (pictured) who told me, “I love your site. I met up with my diving buddies for some skiing here at Iwatake. I’m surprised to run into a Snownavi reporter here, since VIEW D is a relatively minor run.”
[VIEW D]

I also chatted with a skier from nearby Omachi City in Nagano Prefecture. He mentioned that he’s a fan of the Snownavi site and that he used to ski at Kashimayari, but this season he purchased a season ticket for Iwatake. He also told me that he was a little worried about the snow on the Sunny Valley Course (pictured). The Sunny Valley Course was groomed, with surface snow that softened up as skied down, with slushy granular snow at the bottom of the run. Also, from the middle to the end of the Sunny Valley Course, the snow cover became noticeably thinner, and dirt was visible in some areas.
[Sunny Valley Course]

　
[Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field Availability Information on 1/15 (San.)]
*All courses are available. (*Except for SAWA C, HIKAGE, DANGAN, North, VIEW α)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00-), totally 5 lifts
*Fees … Adult JPY4,800, Over 60 y/o JPY4,500, Over 70 y/o JPY4,200, 6-12 y/o JPY3,000 (Until 3/19) *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