Given its sprawling nature over two sides of a winding valley, it should come as little surprise that the quality of the snow in Shiga Kogen can be a little bit of a mixed bag. We found that the resorts with the highest elevations – particularly Yakebitaiyama and Okushigakogen – offered outstanding snow, with fine and dry powder. There was still plenty of snow elsewhere and given the fact that the ski area clocks in at 11 metres of snow on average any year, it’s a pretty safe bet that you will experience good conditions here between Christmas and early March.
The snow suffers somewhat at lower elevations
When we visited in March, we found that the valley snow tended to soften up considerably in the afternoon (which is perfectly normal) but this is perhaps worth considering when planning your day. It is often best to start lower down and then progress to higher ground as the day goes on if temperatures in the valley are hovering around no less than freezing. Maruike/Hasuike/Sun Valley were particularly slushy by late afternoon. The snow down in the valleys is boosted by snow-making facilities but these are still the first resorts in the ski area to close their doors in spring.