REPORT

January-like cold temperatures have returned. It was a magical atmosphere this morning, with dry snow fluttering silently, fog rolling in and out, and rime ice staining the trees from the middle to upper portions of the ski area in white (pictured). The last part of the Kitaone Traverse Cat Track, which had been closed over the weekend due to the danger of avalanches, reopened yesterday.
[Usagidaira Slope]

The snow on the southern route of Usagidaira (pictured) was in good condition, with 2 to 3 cm of fresh snow on top of the firmly-groomed, wet snow surface. When thick fog rolled across the slopes, it was difficult to see the snow surface, so some skiers seemed to be waiting for the fog to dissipate. There was about 5 cm of fresh snow covering the hard, medium to large-sized moguls on the ungroomed area alongside the Alpen Quad.
[Usagidaira Slope]

I headed to the top of the ski resort hoping that it might have better visibility above the clouds, but it too was mired in fog. The moderately firm, groomed wet snow surface on the first half of the Riesen Grat was covered in about 5 cm of fluffy new snow, which made for very comfortable conditions. The area to skier’s right of the steep slope on the second half of the course had 5 to 7 cm of new snow atop the large hardpacked moguls and an undulating surface.
[Riesen Grat Course]

The well-packed, groomed wet snow surfaces topped with 2 to 3 cm of fresh snow on the Kurobishi Slope and Skyline Course were also easy to ski. And luckily, visibility was quite good on the Skyline Course (pictured), which sat below the level of the clouds. On the groomed Kitaone forest road course, the snow became gradually more dry and coarse as I skied down.
[Skyline Course]

　　
[Happo-One Opening Information for 1/17 (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 65 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