Shiga Kogen (Mar 15, 2022)

At the beginning of March last year and again this year, I went skiing at Shiga Kogen in Nagano prefecture. I usually ski at local ski areas in Niigata, but as spring approaches and sunny warm days increase, I go to Shiga Kogen in search of better snow. It’s a refreshing change.

Shiga Kogen is a huge mountain resort, which consists of 4 areas (Oku-shiga, Yakebitai, Chuo and Yokote-yama Shibu-toge) with several courses in each one. It would take three or four days to ski all the courses in the whole resort.

The Yokote Ski area in the Yokote-yama Shibu-toge area is famous for having the highest elevation at 2307m. Panoramic views of the Northern Alps from the observation deck are definitely worth visiting. I was lucky to be able to enjoy the view this year.  Last year’s memory of skiing in a cold snowstorm was completely replaced! At the summit, a lunch of hand-made bread and warm stew in the lodge was another pleasure!