Happo-one / △180cm / Sunny2021.Apr.10
As of today, the Kokusai No. 1 Pair will now open on Saturdays, before switching to daily operation during Golden Week, between 4/29 (Thurs., holiday) and 5/5 (Wed., holiday)! This adds another lift option to connect visitors to the ski slopes from the bottom of the resort in addition to the gondola, and should help ease crowding and lift lines on busy days. This morning I was greeted by 3 skiers visiting from Tokyo and Aichi (pictured). They called out to me saying, “We love your site!” They continued, “The slopes are nice and firm, the weather is great; it’s a perfect day.”
[Kurobishi Slope]
Early morning conditions on the Usagidaira Slope (pictured) and the area along the Kurobishi No. 2 Quad (first photo above) were characterized by firmly packed groomed snow that made for excellent skiing conditions. Although it was only 1 to 2 cm, a slight dusting of fresh snow for the second night in a row meant that I was able to enjoy laying down fresh tracks under the perfectly blue sky.
[Usagidaira Slope]
With temperatures dropping low overnight along with the cloudless sky, it was quite a cold start to the day for this time of the season. But as the day progressed the mercury rose rapidly, and by just after 9:00 a.m. when I headed down the groomed portion of the Skyline Course (pictured), the firm snow surface from the top to the middle of the run had begun to slightly soften, and by the bottom was already turning to slush.
[Skyline Course]
Later on I again spoke to visitors on the slopes, this time a group of 3 from Aichi and Matsumoto. In talking with them, they told me, “We always check your reports! We actually met each other on the slopes some years ago. Whenever the timing works out we try to meet up and ski and snowboard together.” In other news, all of the 6 courses that remain open, including the Skyline Course, still have plenty of snow and there are no areas with exposed ground or underbrush!
[Kurobishi Slope]
[Availability Information for Apr. 10]
* Available Area … Riesen Grat, Usagidaira, Kurobishi, Urakuro, Panorama, Skyline
* Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.–), totally 7 lifts
* Lift Price … Spring Discount from Mar. 20: 1-Day Pass Adult JPY4,500, Child under 12: JPY1,000
*Request for the original data of our photographs
