REPORT

The Shiga Kogen Visitor Center inside the Shiga Kogen 98 Hall reopened on 4/27 (Mon.) after undergoing renovations. Furthermore, the Shiga Kogen Yamanoeki Resort Center reopened on 4/22 (Wed.), and “Taishoken” resumed operations on 4/29 (Wed., holiday). Shiga Kogen is still very much in winter mode, but preparations for the summer of 2026 are already underway.
[Shiga Kogen 98 Hall・Visitor Center]

Even though 4/30 (Thu.) was a weekday, Yakebitaiyama was busy from the start of early morning operations due to the Golden Week holidays. I spoke with a man from Nakano City (pictured, far right) who told me, “I always check your reports. Yesterday the snow softened quite a bit, but this morning’s overcast skies kept it firmer, which is nice. If anything, I prefer it even firmer—almost icy.” The Panorama Course was groomed this morning, with firmly set granular snow.
[Yakebitaiyama・Panorama Course]

The South Course (pictured) was also groomed with a firm granular snow surface. The trail narrowed as I descended, and the final section was reduced to about one groomer’s width, with additional snow pushed in to maintain coverage. I met a couple from Aichi Prefecture who told me, “We always check your reports. It’s great that you can still lap a long run off the gondola at Yakebitaiyama during Golden Week.”
[Yakebitaiyama・South Course]

I then drove to Okushiga Kogen and headed to the 4th Slope. Two visitors from Kanagawa and Saitama (pictured) commented, “We always use Snownavi. We came for the moguls at Okushiga before the snow disappears. It’s really fun!” After that, the man visible in the far right of the frame also stepped into the shot (spring really brings out the Snownavi followers!).
[Okushiga・4th Slope]

　　
＊The ski areas open at Shiga Kogen as of 4/27 (Mon.) are Okushiga Kogen, Yakebitaiyama, Kumanoyu, and Yokoteyama–Shibutoge.
＊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 80 cm is shared by Okushiga Kogen and Yakebitaiyama.
　　　　
[Shiga Kogen Details on 4/30 (Thu.)]
*OPEN Courses … (OKUSHIGA) 1st, 2nd Expert, 3rd, 4th, Rinkan, (YAKEBITAIYAMA) Panorama, South, (KUMANOYU) 2nd Beginner, 4th Beginner, (YOKOTEYAMA) 1st, 2nd, King, (SHIBUTOGE) Gemute, Weber
*Operating Lifts … Yakebitaiyama No.2 Gondola (6:00～) and totally 12 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Pass 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