Happo-One / ◎385cm / Snowy2022.Feb.06
I got pretty cold standing outside on the slopes before the start of business, and was relieved when approached by a kind member of the ski patrol who told me, “Come inside the patrol hut and have a hot cup of coffee.” This morning light, dry snow was coming down hard, carried by a weak northerly wind. The well-packed powder snow surface of Riesen (pictured) was topped off with 10 to 15cm of smooth, fluffy snow.
[Riesen Slalom Course]
The resort was officially reporting new snowfall of 24cm at Usagidaira, so my expectations were tempered, but I was delightfully surprised to find a full 40cm of light, fresh snow on the steep, ungroomed slope paralleling the Kurobishi No. 3 Pair. It seemed that after the early morning snow depth check, concentrated heavy snow during the course of an hour or so significantly added to the total. At 8:33, the first tracks were carved into the incredibly alluring untouched face (pictured).
[Kurobishi Slope]
Even after the first tracks were poached, there was a steady stream of shouts of joy and sprays of powder rising up from the slopes. The advanced skiers and riders flying down the mountain taking epic face shots of powder on repeat were quite impressive. With almost no wind on Kurobishi, this had to be right at the top of the list of the best powder days this season!
[Kurobishi Slope]
Oddly enough, the northern wind I had felt on Riesen, while absent on Kurobishi, was noticeable again as I skied down to Skyline. This truly has been an epic season of massive snowfalls across the country, with Sukayu (Aomori) crossing over 400cm in January for the first time in 9 years, and Charmant Hiuchi and Lotte Arai surging past 500cm on 2/4 (Fri.). Happo’s official snow depth of 380cm is the highest base total for the resort in the last 3 years, and we’re not done yet!
[Kurobishi Slope]
[Availability Information for Feb. 6 (Sun.)]
* All Areas Available (Except for Kitaone No.3)
* Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00 a.m.–), totally 14 lifts
* Lift Price … 1-day Ticket Adult JPY5,500, Child JPY3,200, Senior JPY5,000
＊Printable Rental Discount Coupons!
Carving Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY2,500 / Outerwear JPY2,000!
Carving Ski・Snowboard High Performance Model Rental JPY500 Off!
Kid’s Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY2,000 / Outerwear JPY1,000!
*Request for the original data of our photographs
