REPORT

Precisely because the weather has been warm, Shiga Kogen is the place to go. This morning as I headed up toward the Kumanoyu Ski Area, the road turned icy and slippery around Ichinuma. After passing Hasuike, the road was covered in packed snow (pictured), the temperature plummeted to a chilly -5°C, and I began to smell the sulfur emanating from the Kumanoyu hot springs.
[Distant View of the Kumanoyu Ski Area]

I ran into a married couple (pictured) who were the first to ski off the Second Pair. They told me, “We love Snownavi, and we love Shiga Kogen so much that we moved to Yudanaka. Whenever we make it into one of your reports, we get calls from friends telling us they spotted us on your site (lol).” The Second Pair Lift started moving 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled 8:30 a.m., and most of the people who boarded it got off at the intermediate alighting area.
[Kumanoyu・Second Beginner Course]

The official snowfall base is only 25cm, but no need to worry. Both the Second Beginner Course, which was the first slope to open, and also the Umanose Course were well groomed and there were no exposed bushes in sight. In fact, a few ski patrollers (pictured) greeted me and let me know that they are planning to operate the Third Quad (pictured, background) beginning on 12/16 (Sat.).
[Kumanoyu・Umanose Course]

The Second Beginner Course, which is a gentle slope with an average gradient of 13 degrees, was groomed with a moderately firm surface made of a mixture of artificial snow and the 5 to 10cm of natural snow that had fallen yesterday. I noticed some advanced skiers impressively accelerating down the hill. A staff member of the resort informed me that their YouTube channel is updated every morning, and is a great way to see what’s happening on the slopes.
[Kumanoyu・Second Beginner Course]

　
[Availability Information on 12/14 (Thu)]
*Available Courses … (Yakebitaiyama) South C, (Ichinose Family) lower front G, (Takamagahara) lower Takamagahara Mammoth G, (Kumanoyu) 2nd beginner C, (Yokoteyama) 1st G, Kaiwa G.
*Available Lifts … (Yakebitaiyama) 4th Romance, (Ichinose Family) Ichinose 2nd pair A line, (Takamagahara) Takamagahara 2nd triple, (Kumanoyu) 2nd pair A line, B line, (Yokoteyama) 1st Sky B line, 4th pair
*Fees … Shiga Kogen Chuo Area 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY4,800, Under 12 y/o JPY2,400 (Until 12/22)

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi