Tonight’s subject is… “I finally get new gear!!” due to an increase in snowfall. (just kidding)

 

MatchaMatchaDonDon at your service.

The long awaited snow has finally come.

Early in the morning, we had 10 to 20 cm of snow both on top and at the bottom of the resort.

There is snow on trees and on the safety nets! What a great sight.

Seeing snow on branches and poles means that the snow is compact enough and will last a while.

 

Children also played in the fresh snow. They made snowballs and built snowmen.

Usually, Hakuba’s snow is not compact enough to build anything but we got blessed today.

The snow doesn’t seem fluffy when you look at it, but it definitely feels like marshmallow when you fall on it.

Now that’s what a ski resort is supposed to be like!

But remember kids, don’t eat the snow, it is not real marshmallow.

Snow has finally come, but it is still only 20cm.

The patches of ground on the slopes have disappeared, but not all the holes have been filled, and there are still rocks sticking out here and there.

 

Just before, there were some snow icons on the weather forecast, so we can expect the ‘winter shogun’ to appear in full gear, ready for battle!

Finally, the new snow that everyone has been waiting for has slowly come floating over.

 

The initially cleanly groomed snow has seen some use throughout the day to the point where it might end up with a bad reputation for being icy…

The reason why I, Matcha, could enjoy the icy slopes of the Expert Course yesterday is all thanks to my brand new ski gear!

The change in my skis is because Kanreki-san and GAN-san kept (loudly) telling me that I was leaving my skis in the patrol warehouse for too long, so I’ve left them at home. Maybe I should go get them sometime soon…

Now that I have such wonderful equipment, all we need is for the snow to show its face and snow like crazy.

Its been foretold that we will be getting 10~20cm of snow tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the lower parts of the mountain might rain, so the snow on the top could end up a bit heavy.

Well, as long as it snows!

A daily life of setting up nets, and the forever endless avalanche safety checks, that kind of lifestyle might unexpectedly be just around the corner.

Near the end of the day, I received candies from Mr. Chip n’ Dale of the lift staff.

If the weather continues to switch between rain and snow, we will have layers upon layers of icy snow like this Baumkuchen above.

 

For people going up the mountain, please double check your equipment and be careful.

As for when you return, definitely check the departure time of your bus or train.

Today a lot of visitors finished their ski session late.

Alright, let’s end this blog post on a good note!

When I tried to write this patrol blog, my co-worker Kanreki decided to start singing a song from an old baseball anime just to bother me! So I decided to go home early. So as a result, I was slowly but surely writing it, and when the night skiing shift came around, it turns out that it was co-worker Saba’s turn to break out into song… So I think I might give him a piece of my mind (and fist) tomorrow.

And so, I thank the heavens that it will be snowing tomorrow, and look forward to a fun day of work.

Lets all keep safety our top priority tomorrow!