I don't want anyone to know. Powder heaven Cupid Valley

Joetsu City in Niigata Prefecture faces the Sea of ​​Japan and is blessed with abundant snow and mountains. The surrounding area is home to ski resorts such as Nozawa Onsen, Arai Mountain Resort, and Charmant Hiuchi, known for their superb powder snow and vast ungroomed runs. However, it is little known that Cupid Valley, located on the mountainside in Joetsu City, is also a ski resort with incredible powder potential

In the 24th and 25th season, cat tours will be held, and a service will be introduced that allows you to rent out the vast ungroomed slopes. Skier Ken Hirose and snowboarder Taisuke Hiruma skied down this popular mountain

A ski slope that locals gather at and are known only to those in the know

First, for those who are unfamiliar with the name Cupid Valley, let's first understand where it is

Cupid Valley is located in Joetsu City, in the southern part of Niigata Prefecture, which is long and narrow, and borders Nagano Prefecture. It is surrounded by Myoko, Nozawa Onsen, and Tsunan, which are known for their heavy snowfall, and the average annual snowfall in Yasuzuka Ward, Joetsu City, where Cupid Valley is located, is 799 cm

Cupid Valley is located deep in the mountains in Yasuzuka Ward, where the snow is deep. Visitors are amazed at how the snow walls get higher as they approach Cupid Valley. The top of the ski resort is 720m above sea level, and all slopes face north

Despite being located in one of Japan's most snow-dense regions, all of its slopes face north. Why has this ski resort in such a dreamy location escaped our radar until now? The answer is that Cupid Valley has been touted as a family ski resort. The lower half of the resort is rich in gentle slopes, making it ideal for families and local elementary school ski lessons, making it the perfect place for a first-time skier. However, the terrain at the top of the slopes is complex, with a variety of features including streams, steep slopes, and bowl-like terrain. The true appeal of this ski resort, which had previously been hidden, has only recently been recognized

First, I'd like you to watch the video of the two of them skating

Skier Ken Hirose is a frequent visitor to Cupid Valley. This time he came with fellow snowboarder Taisuke Hiruma. He came all the way from his home in Gunma Prefecture just to ski Cupid Valley. What is it that draws him so much?

Hirose: "The appeal of Cupid Valley is that it receives a lot of snowfall and has a large area of ​​ungroomed snow, including runs and tree runs. Despite this, there are still not many people who come specifically for the powder. Because there is little competition, on snowy days there is so much powder that you can't ski down it all in one day. The powder remains for two or three days, so it is recommended for days when there is no snow left at other ski resorts or when you absolutely want to ski down powder. There is no need to traverse to get to the powder area, and the terrain changes a lot in the tree run area, so I think it is an interesting ski resort for snowboarders as well

"Last season, there was little snow, and the only ski resort other than the backcountry area where we could ski on solid powder was Cupid Valley in December. With so much snow now, it's a good opportunity to try out new gear in powder at the ski resort before heading out to the mountains."

Despite the rain forecast, Cupid Valley experienced heavy snowfall

Hiruma: "I'm usually based in Nozawa Onsen, but Cupid Valley has an image of having great snow, so I make the effort to come from Nozawa Onsen a few times a year. It faces north and has gentle slopes, so I come here for a change of pace. It takes an hour and a half from Nozawa Onsen, but there aren't many inbound tourists and the competition is low, so it's worth the time it takes to get there

What surprised me this time was that we started skiing early in the morning, so we stayed the night before at Cupid Valley, but when we arrived in the middle of the night, it was raining at the foot of the mountain, but only Cupid Valley had turned to snow. Even though the forecast had called for rain. And what's more, there was a nice pile of snow. It piled up to about waist height overnight

So when we finished filming and returned to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of snow, so it turned out that a huge amount of snow had fallen only in Cupid Valley. I was really surprised by that, and I can see why Hirose-kun had praised it so highly

For snowboarders, the slopes aren't too steep, and there are plenty of variations in the terrain, so it's fun to feel like you're riding on the snow. You can't go too fast even in the tree runs, so you can ski safely and with peace of mind. There are plenty of places to land your ball, so I think anyone can enjoy themselves."

As Hiruma said, there had been a fair amount of rain at the foot of the mountain the day before. Moreover, rain was forecast for the Yasuzuka area on the day of filming. However, when the film crew arrived, it was snowing instead of raining. In fact, the weather had turned into a heavy snow, and although they had planned to gather early in the morning to start filming, the snow groomers were unable to pack the snow in time, and the heavy snowfall caused poor visibility, delaying the start of filming - a happy tragedy. They were glad that it wasn't raining, but they never expected it to snow so heavily... It was a scenario that no one had anticipated

Reserve the powder snow with a Cat Tour during the 24th and 25th seasons

Cupid Valley, where large amounts of powder constantly fall and the slopes face north, is in the best possible condition for skiing. To further improve the resort, the lifts at the top of the resort will be undergoing renovation work in the 2024-2025 season. As a result, the lifts to the top of the resort will be unavailable, but instead, luxurious cat tours will be available

As you can see from this map, next season a new long lift will be installed from the middle of the ski resort to the summit. As a result, from early January to early March this season only, all of the light blue courses on the map will become ungroomed courses exclusively for cat tours. Many of these light blue courses are normally groomed courses, but for this season only they will become smooth, no-track runs. Renting the course exclusively and enjoying the finest deep snow is sure to be a premium experience

By the way, there are two types of tours available: the "Cupid Valley CAT Tour" which is held on Saturdays during the peak season, and the "Thunderbird CAT Tour" which is an English guided tour for inbound tourists. The operating structure is as follows:

Cupid Valley Cat Tour

⚫️Operating period: Early January to early March
⚫️Dates: Every Saturday during the period
⚫️Limited number of participants: 8 people per session
⚫️Prices:
8:30-10:30: 18,000 yen
, 10:00-11:30: 15,000 yen,
12:00-13:30: 12,000 yen
(Number of runs: 1 to 2, however, may change depending on snow conditions)
⚫️Reservations: Call 025-593-2041 (reservations accepted until 16:00 the day before the event)
⚫️Reception: From 8:00 at the ticket counter

Thunderbird CAT Tour (for inbound tourists)

●Business period: Early January to early March
●Dates: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the period
●Fee: 85,000 yen
●Inquiries: https://snowcatjapan.com

Hirose, who frequently visits Cupid Valley, told us about his favorite courses

Hirose: "First, we head to Marionette. Long turns in the powder are a standard early morning activity. It's a 1,500m slope with a variety of undulating terrain that you won't find at regular ski resorts, and it's ungroomed. It's a unique slope that's great for practice and is fun. La Mer is a wide run that slopes up from the middle. At the top, it's fun to pick up speed and hit the powder. The upper part of Soleil and Etre are also steep, making them comfortable slopes that you can ski at top speed. I'm looking forward to seeing them show off their different faces this season."

The upper Soleil and Etre slopes are normally groomed runs, but this season they are left ungroomed for the Cat Tour. The upper Soleil slope has a run length of 1,500 meters. There are high expectations for being able to ski on this super long run of powder for this season only

In addition to the Cat Tour course, Cubai (number 1 on the map) is also an ungroomed course, making it the first place you'll want to head to after hopping on the first quad lift in the morning. Number 7, Bromenard, has a series of large walls on the skier's left, where powder also accumulates. It's fun to try to hit the slopes at high speed

Once you've enjoyed the tour and the slopes, head to the restaurant in the center house. From unique dishes like the bone-in chicken cutlet plate to classics like ramen and curry, every dish is delicious. Don't forget to mention that the restaurant's appeal is one of the hidden secrets to Cupid Valley's popularity

■Information

Cupid
Valley 4820 Sugawa, Yasuzuka-ku, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, 942-0534
Official website: https://www.yukidaruma-kogen.com/
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