REPORT

As I drove up National Route 292 this morning, the temperature dropped steadily—from 2°C at Kanbayashi to -2°C at Hasuike, then down to -4°C at Yozaka. Despite forecasts calling for mild conditions nationwide, the mid-winter scenery at Yokoteyama today was striking. I ran into a couple from Chiba Prefecture (pictured) who told me, “We skied at Kumanoyu yesterday and came up to Yokoteyama today. The rime ice covering the trees is beautiful.”
[Yokoteyama・3rd Sky Lift]

I started from the Yozaka parking area, where about 5 cm of light, dry snow had accumulated, and rode the Yokoteyama 2nd Sky and then 3rd Sky (first photo) to reach the Shibutoge Ski Area, where the temperature was a frigid -7°C. On both the Weber and Gemute courses, up to 10cm of dry new snow had been blown in unevenly by a cold northerly wind, but the underlying surface was firm packed powder, making both runs easy and enjoyable to ski.
[Shibutoge・Weber Course]

The 2nd Slope (pictured) had a few hard-packed sections where the pitch steepens, but overall the groomed surface was composed of packed powder with a moderate, comfortable firmness. Conditions were such that I could engage my edges confidently and carry speed with ease. By the way, the 4th Slope remains closed through today for maintenance and is scheduled to reopen tomorrow.
[Yokoteyama・No. 2 Slope]

I met an instructor who called out to his students, “Hey, let’s ski well so the cameraman can get a good shot of us!” A student from Saitama Prefecture (pictured) also told me, “On the first day my legs were shaking and I could barely stand, but now I’m starting to board properly and it’s a lot of fun.” Although the slope was lively with school trip groups, it did not feel crowded.
[Yokoteyama・No. 2 Slope]

*The base depth at the top of this report reflects the maximum depth across all of Shiga Kogen. Currently, the highest recorded depth of 133 cm is at Shibutoge.

[Shiga Kogen Details on 1/16 (Fri.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for Yokoteyama 6th, Yokoteyama Jumbo, Shibutoge Simple, Kumanoyu 3rd A, Kumanoyu – Yokoteyama Connection, Maruike A, Yakebi Wall, Yakebi Valley, YAKEBI COAST)
*Available Lifts … Yakebitaiyama No.1 Gondola (8:30～) and totally 38 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY9,000, Middle & High school students JPY6,700, Under 12 y/o JPY4,100, over 60 y/o JPY6,900, 1 preschooler free per paying adult.

*Request for the original data of our photographs