Enjoy the Steep & Deep Tree Run Powder | Another side of Yuzawa Nakazato, a family ski resort

Do you know the latest Yuzawa Nakazato?

Located in Yuzawa Town, Niigata Prefecture,Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resortis a wide ski resort with 11 courses and 6 lifts.
The slopes are relatively gentle, and it is recognized as a "family-friendly" ski resort thanks to its abundance of children's attractions and expanded services such as kids' rooms.

Yes, that's certainly not wrong.
However, I want to emphasize that this perception alone would be a misunderstanding of this ski resort.
This is a ski resort that will satisfy true tree and powder enthusiasts who enjoy the core of skiing.

The steep tree run area is very popular with advanced skiers

Smile Resort, which manages and operates this ski resort, focused on a vast and steep tree-run area that had previously been inaccessible, in addition to the gentle slopes.
On the mountain to the right of the ski resort, there was an undeveloped zone large enough to be opened as a tree-run area. This area was developed by basically utilizing the natural terrain and trees, and then opened up as a tree-run area.

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On the map, this refers to the area around G and H on the right side. By opening up this area, the skiable area will expand even further. Except for dangerous spots such as under the lift cables, the entire mountain is now skiable.
Furthermore, there are no special fees or applications required to ski in the tree run area. As long as you have a lift ticket, you can enter.

The STEEP editorial team takes a look at this season's Yuzawa Nakazato!

The STEEP editorial team heard that "Yuzawa Nakazato is in fantastic condition right now." To see just how much fun it would have for tree and powder enthusiasts who pursue a true ski experience, we went to Yuzawa Nakazato in late January. Here are our evaluation points and evidence

Good Point 1: The variety in the density of the trees and the resulting rhythmic changes are enjoyable.

Good Point 2: A wide variety of slopes to choose from, depending on your preference.

Good Point 3: It has a moderate slope with some steep sections, making for a satisfying ride.

Good Point 4. Consistent snowfall provides stable and excellent conditions.

Good Point 5: The undulating and rich natural terrain makes it incredibly interesting.

The terrain among the trees is varied and undulating, and the snow piles up in different places depending on the wind. If you aim for the snowdrifts, you can enjoy an exquisite run

This drone footage gives a clear view of the tree run area

Check out the ungroomed courses where you can enjoy long runs

The innovations at Yuzawa Nakazato are not limited to the tree run area.
They have also made improvements to the four steep slopes that already exist as part of the ski resort. These have been utilized as ungroomed slopes.

All of the ungroomed runs are concentrated on the mountain to the right of the ski resort, with a total of five runs. The white areas in the image below are ungroomed runs. The areas inside the white dotted lines, excluding the red areas, are tree runs

① Dynamic Course / Length 600m, Maximum slope 32°, Average 17°
② Giant Course / Length 580m, Maximum slope 32°, Average 22°
③ Challenge Run / Length 370m, Maximum slope 32°, Average 25°
④ Extreme Course / Length 200m, Maximum slope 31°, Average 24°
⑤ Training Run / Length 250m, Maximum slope 31°, Average 25°

Uncompacted powder all-you-can-eat on an ungroomed course

Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture, where Yuzawa Nakazato is located, is a well-known area for its heavy snowfall. Taking advantage of the abundant snowfall, the ungroomed courses offer unlimited access to untracked powder during the peak season, with snowfall continuing day after day. Once you ski down the deep fresh snow piled up on the steep slopes, you'll be treated to a ton of face shots and an incredible run

We especially recommend the Giant Course, which can be reached by taking the No. 2 Romance Lift. It's exhilarating to ski down the unobstructed, open run of fresh snow on the single slope that stretches out in front of the ski resort

A deep and steep field known only to those in the know

While Yuzawa Nakazato presents itself as a family-friendly ski resort, it secretly boasts a steep and deep field with abundant fresh snow, a large tree run area, and five ungroomed courses.

In fact, it's common knowledge among locals and avid skiers that "Nakazato is a great place to go when it snows." On this particular day, a local professional snowboarder was there filming. In other words, it had been a ski resort known only to a select few until now.

Ken Hirose talks about the quality

Currently, Hirose Ken, who has competed in the freeride skiing festival FWQ many times, uses Yuzawa Nakazato as his home base

Regarding the quality and potential of the ungroomed and tree run areas, he said,
"Yuzawa Nakazato has steep slopes, but the trees are spaced at just the right intervals, making it ideal for practicing freeriding. The speed helps you develop the ability to make quick course decisions. As for the ungroomed slopes, personally, I find it most enjoyable when there are just enough people to make it bumpy. That's what freeriding is all about. The slope is steep and the run is long, so it's also good for practice. I used to practice here a lot before FWQ HAKUBA 4-star."

The potential that was harnessed

Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort has many gentle slopes, just looking at the slope specifications. Until now, it has been a family ski resort, so I'm curious as to why they are expanding the tree run area

We spoke to Mr. Yagi, the ski resort's operations manager

"Yuzawa Nakazato is wide horizontally and generally has many gentle slopes. However, when we looked at the slopes that had not been used as courses until now, we realized that there were also steep slopes, and that the slopes had a variety of characteristics. It's a shame that this area is not being used.

In my line of work, I visit various ski resorts overseas, and many of them have slopes where you think, 'Wow, you can ski here too?' There are many ski resorts that are so large that it's hard to tell where the ski area begins and ends.
In the case of Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort, if we were to develop the forest area on the right side of the ski resort into a tree run course with safety management in place, and open it to customers at their own risk according to their own skill level, it had the great potential to be skied on an entire mountain. In addition, there are slopes that will satisfy even hardcore skiers. With the desire to make the most of this, we decided to open it up.

There are already several ski resorts in Yuzawa Town and Minami Uonuma that are famous for backcountry skiing, but if those ski resorts are closed due to strong winds or something, I would like people to come and try us out."

The ability to turn an entire mountain with a single lift has transformed Yuzawa Nakazato

While nearby ski resorts such as Kagura are known for their backcountry skiing, Yuzawa Nakazato offers a different experience, perfect for enjoying steep tree runs. Don't miss the deep powder snow on the first track. A single lift can take you across a vast area that's practically an entire mountain. This is the charm of Yuzawa Nakazato

In fact, on the day of our visit in late January, among the many family skiers, we could see skiers and snowboarders wearing thick skis. Those lining up for the lift before the resort opened were also wearing thick skis

Yuzawa Nakazato, which has been perceived as a ski resort for beginners, is definitely starting to change. It won't be long before people start to recognize another side of this ski resort

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◆Official Website:https://www.yuzawa-nakazato.com/winter/