REPORT

This morning, snowfall that felt unseasonably dry for March was coming down with an intensity that also didn’t feel like March. The Olympic Course (pictured), which is groomed after operations each day, had about 20 cm of fluffy fresh snow on top of a hard, groomed wet snow base! When I carved hard, my edges would scrape against the firm base with a harsh sound, but by focusing on keeping my skis flat, I was able to enjoy a wonderful floating sensation.
[Yakebitaiyama・Olympic Course]

At the No. 3 High-Speed Lift station, I overheard skiers saying how light and fluffy the snow was, and one person commented, “It’s so light I keep hitting the base! lol.” Taking the same lift back up again, I then followed the Middle Contact Course (pictured) to the East Course, and on to the South Course. The groomed slopes, topped with about 10 cm of dry fresh snow, had a moderately-packed, groomed powder surface, allowing for perfectly controlled turns.
[Yakebitaiyama・Middle Contact Course]

I rode the No. 2 Gondola with a couple from Saitama (pictured) staying at the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel. They told me, “Yesterday the groomed runs were hard-packed, but the snow this morning is great. The car we parked yesterday morning is probably buried now—digging it out will be a challenge! lol.” Also, the No. 1 Gondola, which had been out of service since 3/4 (Tue.), will resume operations on 3/8 (Sat.)!
[Yakebitaiyama・Panorama In Course]

YAKEBI VALLEY (pictured), a newly-established powder course opened in January 2024, welcomed skiers at 10 a.m. after a safety check. With 20 to 30 cm of fresh, fluffy snow, I enjoyed weaving quickly through the birch and fir trees. When I wrapped up my report and returned to the parking lot around 10:30 a.m., I found about 10 cm of light, dry snow accumulated on my car.
[Yakebitaiyama・YAKEBI VALLEY]

　
＊The base depth at the top of this report reflects the maximum depth across all of Shiga Kogen. Currently, the highest recorded depth of 250 cm is at Takamagahara, Okushiga, and Yakebitaiyama.

[Shiga Kogen Details on 3/7 (Fri.)]
*All Courses are OPEN (Except for Yakebitaiyama Gondola Contact, Yokoteyama king, Shibutoge Downhill Piedmont, Shibutoge Gemut）
*Available Lifts … Okushiga No.1 Pair (8:40～) and totally 35 lifts
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket Adult JPY8,000, Middle & High school students, over 60 y/o JPY6,400, Under 12 y/o JPY3,700

*Request for the original data of our photographs

reported by Snownavi