Hakuba hopes for good weather
The snow situation in Hakuba is not easy at the moment. Although there was a lot of fresh snow recently, the snow depth is currently below average by Japanese standards. However, as the organizers are doing everything they can to hold a contest in open terrain this year, at least on the third attempt, if you include the FWQ from two years ago, they want to go ahead with the contest on Friday, 18.01.2019. This is one day before the official weather window and not all riders are happy about it, as a short journey can lead to jet lag or lost ski luggage. There are two faces to choose from, one with lots of backs and spines that all end in a ditch, and the "petit triangle", presumably the bad weather option with a few trees and less vertical extension. You can see these slopes in the photo gallery at the end of the article, but these pictures are not up to date!