With the footsteps of the 2023-2024 season fast approaching, many skiers are once again aiming for powder snow. Looking across Japan, it's filled with skiers looking for powder snow, not just inbound tourists. Hakuba, Nozawa, Yuzawa, Myoko, and Madarao are likely to be mentioned as candidates for users in the Kanto region. (Other areas include Arai, Charmant, and Urabandai.)
However, when it snows in these areas, skiers from Japan and abroad line up for the lifts, all trying to get on the fast track. Sometimes the competition is exciting, but sometimes you just want to take it easy and enjoy the high-quality powder for hours on end. Cupid Valley makes that wish come true
This ski resort may not be familiar to many people, but it is located in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. If you are coming from Gunma or Nagano prefecture, it is a little further away from Lotte Arai, Nozawa Onsen, or the Yuzawa/Minamiuonuma area. If you take Minamiuonuma as an example, the distance is about the same as going from Minamiuonuma to Nozawa Onsen
Like neighboring heavy snow areas, Cupid Valley is an area where heavy snowfall occurs due to winds blowing in from the west, carrying moisture from the Sea of Japan. It's located on the northern side of the Sekita Mountains, where the Shinetsu Trail connecting Niigata and Nagano prefectures is located, and all of its slopes face north. However, Cupid Valley has traditionally been a ski resort popular with families from within the prefecture. This is likely why it's not been very familiar to us.
To access it, turn off onto a side road off National Route 253, which connects Joetsu City and Minamiuonuma City, and continue on. Entering the heavy snow zone deep in the mountains, the gradually rising snow walls on both sides create an exciting atmosphere, stoking expectations for the powder snow that awaits.
Last season, Shinji Saiki, a local skier who knows the area inside and out, and Eigo Higuchi, an ARMADA rider, skied at Cupid Valley. Eigo was eager to ski in the powder, so Saiki invited him to show him around
From here on, let's take a look at the appeal of Cupid Valley based on the stories of these two people
To be honest, I had never heard of this ski resort, so I was really surprised (lol)
~The Story of Eigo Higuchi~
"I wanted to ski in a hidden powder spot that I don't usually ski in, so Saiki-san showed me around Cupid Valley. It was the first time I'd heard of this ski resort, and I was really surprised that such a great ski resort could be found in a place like this (laughs). It was that good
The first thing that surprised me was how little competition there was, even on a weekday, compared to Nozawa Onsen, where I'm based. I stayed for two days, but there was so much powder that I couldn't ski it all. It felt bigger in person than it looked on the slope map
Also, when I heard it was a ski resort in Niigata, I thought the snow might be a little heavy, but I was surprised to see so much super light snow. Last year, the surrounding area suffered from a lack of snow, but because it's deep in the mountains, there was a lot of snow. What was impressive was how the snow walls suddenly changed height on the way to Cupid Valley. The temperature was so low that it was freezing at the summit first thing in the morning, and it was the finest powder (laughs)."
"My favorite run this time was Soleil Hire. It's steep and you can go fast even when the snow is piled up, and there's still powder even if you don't go first thing in the morning. It was great that even though it was on the slope, I was able to ski several runs without tracks. Another great thing about Soleil Hire is that you can ski long groomed runs before you get there
Also, the tree run area to the right of the second quad lift is highly recommended, as even though it's a tree run, it has an open slope and a steep gradient. The open burn stretches out as far as the eye can see, so you can ski anywhere you like, and it's a great feeling of freedom."
"Next time I come, I'd like to come when there is guaranteed powder. I'd like to bring my friends and tell them about this place. The food on the slopes was delicious, and even beginners can enjoy the lower part of the resort, so it's a ski resort where everyone can have fun."
"It would be a waste, so I want someone else to skate."
~Story by Shinji Saiki~
Next, let's hear from Mr. Saiki, the Cupid Valley expert who guided Higuchi Eigo. Mr. Saiki usually works as the principal of the ski school at Maiko Snow Resort, also in Niigata Prefecture. But why did he go out of his way to visit Cupid Valley?
"Cupid Valley has a complex terrain, and the courses are designed to take advantage of this. I usually work as a school instructor at Maiko Snow Resort, and I think the key to improving your skiing is to ski a lot over complex terrain. In other words, Cupid Valley is a natural ski teacher. You'll naturally improve just by skiing at the ski resort.
As an instructor, I have to keep honing my skills, so I go there to practice. In the tree run area, you can ski in untouched natural conditions. The tree run area at Cupid Valley is particularly ideal for improving your skiing because of its complex natural terrain."
"Because the ski resort is in the mountains, it gets a lot of snow. I mainly go to Cupid Valley on snowy days. I work at Maiko Snow Resort, so it may seem a bit embarrassing for me to say this, but because Maiko is close to an expressway interchange, more and more people are coming here to enjoy the powder snow
However, if you go to Cupid Valley, which is about an hour and a half from Maiko, you can ski without having to fight for powder. Or, even on the second or third day after it snows, there's a good chance that powder will still be there at Cupid Valley. Even if you don't have high hopes at other ski resorts, there's usually powder here, so I often come here on days when I feel like skiing in powder
"First thing in the morning, I take the second quad to the summit. To be honest, there isn't much competition in the tree run areas on either side of the lift, so I head to the ungroomed Marionette course first. This is my favorite run. The terrain changes up, down, left, and right, and it's so twisty and undulating that I don't think any other ski resort would offer it as a run. If you ski there, you don't need a ski teacher. The mountain teaches you how to ski. This place has a lot of terrain changes, making it perfect for practicing
When I want to enjoy groomed runs, I go to La Mer. Some of the snow is ungroomed, but the slope changes just enough to make long runs refreshing. In the morning, I choose between groomed and ungroomed runs, depending on my mood at the time. I ski Marionette or La Mer, and when it starts to get crowded... Although there aren't that many people there, my routine is to go ski the untracked runs in the tree run area."
"I ski hard in the morning, so rather than doing multiple runs in the afternoon, I concentrate on a few runs. Of all the ski resorts, Solaire Higher has the steepest slope, so it's good training because you can ski at high speed.
Etre also has a long stretch of nice groomed slopes, so I recommend it for concentrated runs.
However, it's impossible to ski all the powder in Marionette, La Mer, and the Tree Run area in just the morning (laughs). My usual pattern is that I run out of time and energy before I can ski all the powder. That's why there's still powder left even on the second or third day after a snowfall. It often feels like a waste.
I don't really want to say this, but sometimes I wish more people would come because it would be a waste. But at the same time, I don't want too many people to come, so it's a conflicting thought (laughs)
At the end of the day, I personally recommend testing your skills by skiing a little freeride run, or a slightly rough marionette run with a "poco-poco" feel. You'll finish feeling refreshed and satisfied with how much you've improved. This is your daily routine."
Cupid Valley is a spot known only to those in the know, but it's relatively easy to get to from Nozawa Onsen, Myoko, Arai, and other ski resorts that boast heavy snowfall, just an hour to an hour and a half away. We recommend going on a day when you can get some powder, or the day after or two after a snowfall when the surrounding ski resorts have already been devastated
Cupid Valley
Official website: https://www.yukidaruma-kogen.com/
Official social media: https://www.instagram.com/cupidvalley/ | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063803551575