REPORT

At the start of the day, I spoke with a member of the ski patrol who told me there was about 20 cm of fresh snow at Usagidaira, and possibly up to 30cm at Kurobishi. In fact, the snow that fell overnightl had blown into snow drifts that were even deeper than I expected, between 30 to 40 cm along the Kurobishi 3 Pair (pitcured)! A skier called out to me saying he loves the Snownavi site, and then proceeded to lay down first tracks on the smooth slope surface.
[Kurobishi Slope]

Along the Kurobishi 3 Pair (pictured), the fresh snow had been packed by the wind at the beginning but still had that fluffy powder feel, and it became softer and softer the further down I skied. I rarely bottomed out on the harder, uneven surface below the new snow, so the conditions gave skiers and boarders the feeling of floating that only powder can provide. Being that it was the start of the weekend, the turnout was quick, there was a large number of international visitors, and the overall atmosphere was very festive.
[Kurobishi Slope]

The visibility was poor due to fog, but it was still hard to complain. However, the fog and clouds overhead were not always thick nor constant, and at times, as in the second photo, a faint blue sky could be seen. I ran into a large group who had gathered from both Ibaraki and other parts of Nagano Prefecture (pictured), who exclaimed, “The powder snow is back! We’re so happy!” I couldn’t have agreed more.
[Riesen Slalom Course]

I had a brief encounter with a skier from Tokyo (pictured), who was in great spirits after skiing the steep upper portion of Kitaone, saying, “We finally got some snow!” Even though it is January, it had been 11 days since the last powder day. Most of the groomed slopes in the middle to upper portion of the ski resort were back to a moderately firm, powder snow conditions.
[Skyline Course]

　　
[Happo-One Opening Information for 1/21 (Sat.)]
*All courses are available (Except for Omusubi)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.-), totally 17 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