Last Monday and Tuesday (Feb 6 and 7) brought a larger rain event to Hakuba for the first time this season. The rain was followed by a few days of snow. Despite rumors that this has created dust on crust conditions, the skiing has actually been pretty good.
The crust seems to have formed very differently on different aspects, elevations, and places in the valley. Some areas it is very firm, others much more forgiving. The same can be said of the snow, with different snow totals and wind loading creating different depths and consistencies.
In the right places, the skiing has been down right good. In others, it is down right dangerous, with very serious avalanche hazard. Be careful out there!
High pressure is in the cards moving forward, so hopefully in a couple days bigger lines will be stable and skiable.