Intro

March was incredible!  The month began with thousands flocking to the Valley for 4 days of world class music and ended with a series of jaw-dropping spring powder days. It marked the second year in a row where March brought the goods. Check out our favorite shots below in our Hakuba photo journal recap of March.

Snow Machine

Hakuba played host to the inaugural Snow Machine Music Festival which brought dozens of the most popular artists from Australia and Japan to the Japansese Alps for 4 days and nights of incredible music and dancing. Thousands from all over the world visited to catch their favorite acts including What So Not, Client Liaison, The Jungle Giants, Hot Dub Time Machine and many more.  The main event stage was set in Happo Village with smaller stages set throughout the Valley.

Stages Throughout the Valley

While the main stage events were held every evening in Happo Village, there were spectacular daily shows across the valley at Happo One, Iwatake, and Hakuba 47. Thousands of festival goers were on the slopes every day enjoying the live performances in incredible locales.

March Snow

Snow Machine ended on March 4th with an overnight storm bringing 10cm+ into the Valley for the first real accumulation of the month. The temps then rose over the next few days with a string of beautiful blue birds, a bit of rain, and lots of slushy spring skiing. It wasn’t until March 12th that we received another decent fall of 15 cm on resort.

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When it Rains it Pours

From mid March until the end of the month, Hakuba saw frequent heavy snow fall with few people still around to enjoy them. The mountains were a lucky escape for those fortunate few who were able to stick around.

March 16

Overnight on March 16th the Snow Gods sent a spring dump of January proportions with reports of 15-20cm falling on resort.  By 8am the sun was out and we appeared on the verge of an epic bluebird before the Snow Gods spoke again, and said it was time for more! It puked from 9am until noon with another 15cm+ falling in the valley.

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March 18

The snow came again with reports of well over 40cm on top of Hakuba 47 and 20cm at the base. Happo Village received at least 20cm of accumulation turning the entire Valley white once again.

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March 20

Happy Vernal Equinox Day! Japanese schools were closed and all the kids were up the slopes with us enjoying another 15-20cm of powder snow. It began around 6am and didn’t stop until nearly 3pm. The following day was an epic blue bird full of powder and sunshine.

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March 23

More snow fell on the evening of March 23rd. I mean to say It Dumped! It was another morning of 15cm+ to wake up to.

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March 29

Finally on March 29th we got hammered one more time with perhaps the biggest storm of the month. Iwatake was covered from top to bottom and we were shin deep in powder at Tsugaike. Hakuba 47 was the resort of choice with plenty of powder, nearly all lifts operating,  and not many people to share with.

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In Closing

We hope everyone is staying safe and taking all necessary precautions in these uncertain times. Before you know it, life will return to a state of normalcy and when that day comes, we’ll be waiting for you here in Hakuba. If you’d like to talk about next winter please email us at [email protected] or click enquire below. All our properties are 30% off, and as no one knows what the future will bring, we’re offering 100% refunds for all bookings cancelled by October 15th. Stay safe!