REPORT

This morning, I spoke with two people from Nagano’s Suwa City (pictured), who told me they were fans of Snownavi, and added, “Snownavi is great because we can compare information and conditions at various ski resorts like Shiga, Nozawa, Sugadaira, and more. It’s cold even though it’s April 1st, oh, and it’s snowing.” It is April Fool’s Day, but it really did start snowing around 9:00 a.m. at Okushiga Kogen.
[Okushiga Kogen・Fourth Slope]

In other news, Okushiga Kogen started its “spring lift operation” today. (*Please take note of dates when the gondola is closed). Today the Fourth Slope (first photo) was groomed with well-packed granular snow and a mogul lane to the side. The groomed Downhill Course (pictured) had similar snow conditions, but the surface was starting to loosen up slightly and my skis ran well.
[Okushiga Kogen・Downhill Course]

In the middle of the Downhill Course, I ran into Mr. Richard Berger (pictured), a previous overall winner of the International Ski Technique Championships! He told me, “I spend about five weeks every year in Hokkaido, Niigata, Nagano, and other areas teaching Austrian skiing techniques to ski school instructors. This is my second season wearing ZUICA clothing. It’s lightweight, highly functional, easy to move around in, and I like that it doubles as town wear. I didn’t get wet at all in the rain the other day either.”
[Okushiga Kogen・Downhill Course]

He continued, “I’m staying at the Hotel Grand Phoenix Okushiga, a great ski-in ski-out accommodation, until 4/3 (Wed.). I called my son last night and bragged to him, ‘We’re staying at the most beautiful hotel in Japan.’” He was so candid and his skiing was so impressive that I became a fan of his right away.
[Okushiga Kogen・First Slope]
　
*The snow depth listed at the top of this report is the highest reported throughout the Shiga Kogen area. Currently, that amount of 225 cm is at Kumanoyu, while the official amount for Okushiga is 170 cm.

[Availability Information on 4/1 (Mon.)]
*Available Courses … (Okushiga) No.1, No.2 Expert, No.3, No.4, No.6, Downhill, Kuma otoshi, Rinkan, Hillside, Fourt Gelende, Kids Rinkan, Detouring and totally 48 Courses
*Available Lifts … Okushiga Gondola (8:30-) and totally 14 lifts
*Fees … 4/1- Spring Discount 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY6,500, Middle & High school students, over 60 y/o JPY5,900, Under 12 y/o JPY3,200

*Request for the original data of our photographs
　
　
reported by Snownavi