Asia Weekly Roundup #237

Shiga Kogen Reigns: Japan's Premier Resort Keeps Skiing Alive with Abundant Terrain

• Several Japanese ski areas plan to remain open into May, offering limited terrain for spring skiing enthusiasts who enjoy corn snow.
• Gassan, Japan's only summer ski area, opened for its 2024 season with the world's deepest snowpack, aiming to keep higher terrain accessible into July.
• Shiga Kogen boasts the most open terrain in Japan, with around 30 kilometers of runs still available, approximately one-third of its full area.

JAPAN REPORT

It's been mostly above-freezing temperatures, plenty of sunshine, some windy days and light rainfall for the dozen or so Japanese ski areas that still have slopes open and plan to remain open into May. Most of those that are still open though have limited their available terrain to maintain 20-30% of slopes on their upper mountains for die-hard spring skiers who love corn snow. Against the tide of areas closing, Gassan (300/800cm / 120/240"), the country's only summer ski area, opened for its 2024 season at the weekend, immediately reporting the world's deepest snowpack, as it does at this point almost every year. It'll see a rapid thaw in those numbers over the coming weeks and months but will hope to keep higher terrain open into July. Elsewhere Shiga Kogen (30/160cm / 12/64") is posting the most terrain still open in the country – about 30km (19 miles) of runs, about a third of its full area.

JAPAN FORECAST

Mostly dry with some light precipitation, most likely to fall as rain in most locations with temperatures typically in the +5 to +15C range. However, the longer-term forecast is for a weekend temperature drop with the potential for more snowfall against the bigger picture of the ongoing thaw.