REPORT

Shiga Kogen’s early morning operation, now a signature of spring skiing, kicked off on 3/28 (Sat.) at Yokoteyama. The program will expand to Yakebitaiyama and Okushiga Kogen on 4/4 (Sat.), and to Kumanoyu on 4/18 (Sat.). A group of three snowboarders I met today (one pictured) told me, “It feels amazing first thing in the morning!”
[Yokoteyama・2nd Slope]

The 2nd Slope (pictured), which is about 750 m long, is the run that’s open early at Yokoteyama, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. A rider from Kanagawa Prefecture (pictured), carving clean, sharp turns, told me, “I’ll make sure I check Snownavi from now on, haha. Getting to ride firm snow in spring is the best. The edges bite really well today—it feels great!” Firm, groomed granular snow covered both the moderately sloped upper section, and the gentler lower section.
[Yokoteyama・2nd Slope]

The base area around the 1st Sky lift began to get busy around 7:30 a.m. due to the “24th Tanabe Cup SL/GS in Yokoteyama–Shibutoge.” A staff member I met said, “I’m glad we got good weather for the event.” On the 1st Slope at around 8:00 a.m., the groomed granular surface had started to soften. Even so, skis still carried speed well through the final section (pictured) despite the gentle pitch.
[Yokoteyama・1st Slope]

At Shibutoge, the Weber Course will host the “Yokoteyama–Shibutoge Spring Park,” which was popular last year. It will pre-open on 3/28 (Sat.) and 3/29 (Sun.), with a grand opening on 4/1 (Wed.). Later in the morning, skier traffic gradually shaved snow from the surface on the 2nd Slope at Yokoteyama, but the groomed run stayed smooth and held up well overall.
[Yokoteyama・2nd Slope]

　　
＊Starting 4/1 (Wed.), the Nagano Prefecture 150th Anniversary “Shinshu Experience Discount” will offer 50% off one-day lift tickets for residents of Nagano and 20% off for visitors from outside the prefecture.
＊The base depth at the top of this report reflects the maximum snow depth across all of Shiga Kogen. Currently, the highest recorded depth of 140 cm is shared by Ichinose Family, Ichinose Diamond, and Shibutoge, while Yokoteyama is reporting 110 cm.
　　　
[Shiga Kogen Details on 3/29 (Sun.)]
*Fully OPEN (Except for Shibutoge Simple, Yokoteyama 5 & 6, Kumanoyu – Yokoteyama Connection, Buna, Yakebi Wall, YAKEBI COAST, Upper part of World Cup, Maruike A)
*Available Lifts … Yokoteyama Sky (6:00～) and totally 39 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. (Spring Discount from 4/1: Adult JPY7,000, Middle & High school students JPY6,500, Under 12 y/o JPY3,500, over 60 y/o JPY6,500)

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi