It is a beautiful spring morning here in Hakuba and the mountains are still white while the valley is getting greener by the day. Yesterday was our first Mt. bike ride of the season and it felt great to get the legs moving. There were still a few places in the shade where the snow remained along the ride. Cherries will be blooming by this weekend at the latest and will be at mankai (full Bloom) through the Golden week holiday. So you may want to gather the gang for some morning skiing, followed by a paddle on the lake, mt. bike ride or even some cold water canyoning before enjoying some afternoon ‘Hanami’ in the Northern Japanese Alps.
It’s still possible to ski to the bottom at Goryu though they are unsure as to how long this will last. As most years 47 still has clean runs to the bottom.The Terrain Parks on Hakuba 47 and Tsugaike are open and in great spring condition.
Avalanche Advisory:
Temperatures are rising and water is freely flowing in the snow pack thus slab avalanches to the ground are a definite possibility. Watch out for those precariously hanging slopes of snow on steep convexing terrain and under glide cracks. Move quickly through areas in terrain trap valley bottoms. There will be general loose wet slides on all slopes as surface snow temperatures rise and due to the snow pack being isothermal, ( all right at 0 degrees from ground to surface) Slides can be very big at this time of year so play smart.
Avalanche Danger:
Below Tree Line: Moderate
Tree Line: Moderate
Alpine: Considerable
See Below for International Danger scale classifications or click on the Canadian Avalanche Association web page for the International Danger Scale.
TEMPERATURE IN THE VILLAGE:
12 degrees C.
TEMPERATURE AT TOP OF MOUNTAIN:
8 degrees C.
WIND:
Calm
VISIBILITY:
Excellent
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Goryu:
BASE DEPTH: 150 cm (at 1500m)
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LIFT OPERATION:
Goryu Toomi & Hakuba 47 (limited operation), Happo-One (limited operation), Tsugaike Kogen (limited operation)