Tsugaike Kogen / ◎246cm / Snow Clouds2022.Jan.14
Last night’s storm ended up dumping the highest snowfall of the season so far! Unfortunately, snow removal and safety checks were hampered by strong winds, and at the scheduled 8:00 start time the only lift operating was the gondola; from base to mid-station. I set my sights on the resort’s steep, lower slope Champion to bag some fresh tracks in powder, and was on the Champion Quad (pictured) when it opened at 9:00.
[Champion]
That turned out to be the right call, as there was around 60 to cm of fresh snow on the ungroomed area beneath the Champion Quad Lift (pictured). The snow felt a little heavy from being blasted by the strong winds overnight, but I still very much enjoyed the feeling of floating on fresh POW. Everyone was amped up, including those watching from the lift chairs – who where who cheering as skiers and boarders laid down tracks below them.
[Champion]
However, it was necessary to take great care not to fall, since digging yourself out of the deep, new snow would have been incredibly tiring. (※You couldn’t rely on your poles to support your efforts since they would just in to snow.) The groomed portion of Champion, covering around 1/3 of the total slope area, had around 15cm of new snow covering a soft base. The remaining ungroomed areas all seemed to have around 60 to 70cm.
[Champion]
Between 3 and 5cm of fresh, flufy topping the moderately-soft, groomed slopes of Oya-no-hara (pictured) and Karamatsu. Occasional strong gusts of wind could be felt, but the falling snow continued steadily even up until 10:00.
[Oya-no-hara]
[Availability Information for Jan. 14]
* All Areas Available!
* Available Lifts … Gondola ( 8:00 a.m.―), totally 7lifts
* Lift Price … 1-day Ticket Adults JPY5,500, 6-12 y/o JPY3,300, Over 60 y/o: JPY4,000
*Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort will start the 2021-22 Winter operation from late November, 2021 (*Depending on the snow) until May 5, 2022.
* Request for the original data of our photographs
