Hakuba47 WINTER SPORTS PARK

On March 3rd it's the peach festival. There weren't any special events for Hina-matsuri (Girls'/Dolls' Festival), but we had other events instead.

For example we had an event for families who came with a station wagon. This is called the "HONADA Station Wagon Tour". We had different events like Snow Shoe Experience or making Rice Cakes.

Before snowshoeing there was an explanation by one of our originals Kitahara-sensei.
If you're doing a snow shoe tour with Kitahara-sensei even the simplest mountains become an interesting and funny sight.

Everyone can do this snow shoe tour, if they apply beforehand.

You could also test "Never Summer Snowboards" for free at the base area.
They have a long history of producing snowboards and have their own factory.
Tomorrow will be another chance to try their newest models for free.

The snowboard school held a badge test today.
Those badge tests are hold next to the half pipe on R-4 so they won't hinder any of the regular customers.
Until the last test on May 5th, there are still 5 tests left.
We're aiming for number 1!

Also the "47 Kids Exchange" for March is very lively.
Because in March there are a lot of events at the schools as well, the number of children taking part is lower than the months before.
But those who started in January are really good already, so the lesson with less people could focus more on everyone's individual skills.

We also had the Half Pipe competition for the "North Alps Terrain Park Tour" and a training camp for skiers.
Next weekend we have the Hakuba47 Gelande Festa.
This means a lot of events for the coming weekend as well.
We are waiting for you~

UPDATE:2013.03.03

Recently, the weather on the weekend is changing for the worse with strong wind.
It's like we're caught in a weird cycle.
Today the wind was already strong in the morning and we could only open the Gondola at 11am.
Even after that the Gondola was opened the wind was still strong, so the guests who were out skiing/snowboarding were freezing a lot.
Even though were having March now, the coldness seems to continue for a while.

When Line-C finally opened, the guests lined up immediately.
It seems like everyone was waiting for Line-C
R-1 became lively for an instance.
R-1 is a recommendation for those people who like long turns. If the weather is nice, you have a pretty view of Hakuba village.

Even if the weather is like this, the staff seems to be in high spirits.
They're were posing for my camera.

With this high spirits even for days with bad weather like today, they aim to put the guests in a better mood, too!

The "Ebi Chili Don" is very popular at Alice. You can only get it on weekends.
Tender prawns and chili sauce are a good match, and are perfect for cold weather days.
Maybe you have the chance to try it the next time!

UPDATE:2013.03.02

After yesterday's fine weather, today there was a complete change and it was raining the whole afternoon - a lot!
Although it was the first day of March - this weather spoilt the mood a bit...

Even if you're just out to ski for a little bit, you were already dripping wet.
This the another popular character in Hakuba 47 - "Kamoshika-kun". His whole body was drenched!
But he didn't care at all and was walking around in the rain.

There a few Kamoshika (Japanese serow) living in Hakuba47.
You can see them from the Gondola. They're resting somewhere at the right side.
Sometimes they even come close to the slopes, but they're shy, so they won't say hello ;)

If it's raining cats and dogs, the beginner park on R-6 will be open.
Because the park was empty today there were some customers encouraged to do some secret practice.
I'm sorry to have taken a picture of there secret practice.

It's not the best weather for boarding, but maybe they're getting some motivation for the next time. Please don't go home and practice a bit more!

Tomorrow is the Half Pipe competition of the "North Alps Terrain Park Tour".
The park will be closed to prepare the competition, but the pipe changed quite a bit due to the rain.
Might feel like a first time experience even for those people who are already used to the pipe.
This is a chance to be successful in the competition even for beginners.
You can enter the competition on the day itself.
(The number of entries is pretty low, so the chance of winning is even higher)

UPDATE:2013.03.01