Hakuba47 WINTER SPORTS PARK

Cuisine from the Slopes of Hakuba.

You've never heard of a fine restaurant that gets sloppy just because they're busy, have you? We tell our staff to never give up their standards, no matter how busy we get. So I think our staff have a pretty hard time during the peak season." So says Mr. Okura, general manager of the Hakuba47 restaurants.
"In general, Japanese inns off er two meals for overnight guests, and other people are unable to eat at an inn unless they are staying. This is the custom. This is particularly true of provincial tourist spots. On the other hand, at first-class resorts in other countries, guests only stay at the hotel and eat elsewhere. And they don't go out in their skiwear!" Certainly the level of food at Japan's ski areas is completely different, and there isn't much of a sense of "theme." With Hakuba Village just initiating its "Soba Village" campaign, the food culture has yet to mature. Developing the food culture is a vital factor in Hakuba's joining those first-rate resorts around the world.

Welcome to the 47 Senior Ski Club!

The Hakuba47 Senior Ski Club draws its members from around the country, and is a pioneer among senior clubs. Aside from all members being over 47, there aren't any other particular rules, creating a free atmosphere and members plan original events on their own accord. Their activities don't always end on the slopes of Hakuba47 or even in the Hakuba area. Today they're going on a bus tour to Madarao Ski Area!

The Snowmakers
The Sub-Zero Night Shift

There is snow on the ski slopes. Something as simple as that can be an uncertain matter in this time of global warming. In recent years snow falls in Hakuba later and later. At the end of December, however, the socalled "Christmas Cold Front" comes, at this point still on schedule, to save us. It would be nice if it gave us a white Christmas, but usually it just gets really cold.
This numbing cold gives our snow makers the sign to begin their work. The below-freezing temperatures provide the best conditions for snow making. The guntype snow machines used at Hakuba47 shoot out mist and compressed air that has been cooled to -60℃ into the air, and as the mist and air mix they form snow. Snow is most easily made when the water temperature is near 0℃, but no matter how low the air temperature gets, water temperature cannot drop below 0℃ . In other words, the lower the air temperature, the closer the water temperature gets to 0℃, and lots of fine snow can be made. Even using a snow machine, the amount and quality of the snow are both greatly influenced by outside temperatures.