Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, is a region blessed with a beautiful natural environment, facing the Sea of Japan, snow, and mountains. There are ski resorts in the surrounding area, such as Nozawa Onsen, Arai Mountain Resort, and Charmant Hiuchi, which are known for their superb powder snow and vast uncompacted snow slopes. It is actually not well known that Cupid Valley, located on the mountainside in Joetsu City, is a ski resort with incredible powder potential.
Cat tours are held in the 24-25 season, and a service that allows you to rent out the vast uncompacted snow course is also available. Skier Ken Hirose and snowboarder Taisuke Hiruma skied this popular mountain.
A ski slope known only to those in the know where locals gather
First of all, for those who are unfamiliar with the name Cupid Valley, I would like to understand where it is located.
Cupid Valley is located in Joetsu City, located in the southern part of the long and narrow Niigata Prefecture, adjacent to Nagano Prefecture. Yasuzuka Ward, Joetsu City, where Cupid Valley is located, is surrounded by Myoko, Nozawa Onsen, and Tsunan, which are familiar with heavy snowfall, and the annual snowfall in Joetsu City's Yasuzuka Ward is 799 cm (normal value).
Cupid Valley is located deep in the mountains in Yasuzuka Ward, and has even deeper snow. Visitors are amazed to see the snow walls getting higher and 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 Japan's proud heavy snowfall region, all slopes face north. Why has a ski resort with such a dream-like environment never caught our attention until now? This is because Cupid Valley has been touted as a family ski resort. The lower half of the ski resort has plenty of gentle slopes, so it is used for ski classes by families and local elementary schools, making it the perfect place for a ski debut. However, the topography of the upper part of the ski slope is intricate, with a variety of features such as streams, steep slopes, and bowl-like topography. The true appeal of ski resorts, which had been hidden until now, has recently been recognized.
First of all, I would like you to watch the video of the two skating.
Hirose: ``The appeal of Cupid Valley is that there is a lot of snowfall, and there is a wide area of uncompacted snow, including courses and tree runs.However, there are still very few people who come for the powder.The competition is low, so it is best to try it on the day it rains. There is so much powder lying there that it can't be covered in one day. Because there is still powder left, it is recommended on days when there is no snow left at other ski resorts or when you definitely want to ski powder.There is no need to traverse to get to the powder area, and the terrain changes within the tree run area. I think it's an interesting ski resort for snowboarders as well.
Last season, when there was little snow, the only ski resort outside of the BC area where I skied solid powder was Cupid Valley in December. With a lot of snow, it's also a great opportunity to try out new gear in the powder at a ski resort before heading out into the mountains. ”
Contrary to rain forecast, heavy snowfall only in Cupid Valley
Hiruma: ``I usually base myself in Nozawa Onsen, but I have the impression that Cupid Valley has nice snow, so I go there several times a year.It faces north and the skiing is gentle, so it's a nice change of scenery. It takes about an hour and a half from Nozawa Onsen, but there are not many inbound tourists and the competition is low, so it's worth the time.
What surprised me this time was that since we started skiing early in the morning, 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 was for rain. What's more, there's a good amount of snow piled up. It piled up up to my waist overnight.
When I returned to the foot of the mountain after filming, there was no sign of snow, so it turned out that Cupid Valley was the only place where it had snowed heavily. I was really surprised that Hirose-kun had something to praise.
The slope isn't too steep for a snowboarder, and there are plenty of terrain changes, so it's fun to feel like you're riding on the snow. You won't go too fast during the tree run, so you can ski safely and with peace of mind. There's a lot to guess at, and I think anyone who comes will enjoy it."
As Hiruma said, there was quite a lot of rain at the foot of the mountain the day before. Moreover, rain was forecast for the Yasuzuka area on the day of the shoot. However, when the film crew arrived, it was snowing instead of raining. Thanks to the large amount of snow that had turned into a large amount of snow, even though we had planned to gather early in the morning and start shooting, the snow compaction truck was not able to compact the snow in time, and due to the large amount of snowfall, visibility was poor and we were unable to start shooting. I was so happy that I was late. I'm glad it wasn't raining, but I didn't expect it to snow... This is a scenario that no one expected.
In the 24-25 season, you can reserve powder on a cat tour
Cupid Valley has a perfect environment with a large amount of powder constantly falling and the slopes facing north, so renovation work will be carried out on the lift above the ski resort in the 2024-25 season to further improve the area. For this reason, there is no lift access to the upper part of the ski resort, but a luxurious cat tour is held instead.
As you can see from this map, next season a new long lift will be built from the middle of the ski resort to the top of the mountain. Therefore, from early January to early March this season, all light blue courses on the map will be uncompacted snow courses exclusively for cat tours. Most of this light blue course is originally a compacted snow course, but for this season only, it will be a no-track course with no slopes. Since you can rent it out and enjoy the finest deep snow, it is sure to be a premium experience.
By the way, there are two types of tours available: the ``Cupid Valley CAT Tour'' held on Saturdays during the high season, and the ``Thunderbird CAT Tour'' with an English guide for inbound tourists. The business system is as follows.
Cupid Valley CAT Tour
⚫️Business period: Early January to early March
⚫️Holding date: Every Saturday during the period
⚫️Capacity: 8 people each time ⚫️Price
:
8:30-10:30 18,000 yen
10:00-11:30 10,000 yen 5000 yen
12:00-13:30 12,000 yen
(number of runs is 1 to 2, but may change depending on snow conditions)
⚫️Reservation application: Call 025-593-2041 (reservations must be made by 16:00 the day before the event)
⚫️Reception : 8:00~At the ticket counter
Thunderbird CAT Tour (for inbound)
●Business period: Early January to early March
●Dates: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the period
●Fee: 85,000 yen
●Contact: https://snowcatjapan.com
Hirose, who frequently visits Cupid Valley, told us about his favorite course.
Hirose: ``First, we head to Marionette. The long powder turn is a staple first thing in the morning.It's a 1,500m long slope with lots of undulating topography that you don't find at regular ski resorts, and it's uncompacted snow. La Mer is a unique slope that's great for practicing. It's a wide slope that slopes from the middle.It's fun to speed up and hit the powder.The upper part of Soleil and Etre are slopes that are comfortable and can be flowed at top speed. I'm looking forward to seeing your face."
The upper part of Soleil and Etre are originally compacted snow slopes, but this season they have been turned into uncompacted snow for cat tours. The skiing distance for the upper part of Soleil is 1500m. I have high expectations for being able to ski this super long powder run only this season.
In addition to the cat tour course, Cubai, number 1 on the map, is also an uncompacted snow course, and is the first place you want to head to when you get on the first quad lift in the morning. At No. 7 Bromenade, there is a continuous large wall on the left hand side of the slide, and powder is piled up there as well. It's also fun to guess at speed.
Once you've enjoyed your tour and are satisfied with the slopes, head to the Center House restaurant. All the dishes are delicious, from unique dishes such as the bone-in chicken big cutlet plate to classic dishes such as ramen and curry. Let's not forget that the existence of a restaurant that appeals to everyone's appetite is also a hidden secret to Cupid Valley's popularity.
is from Hokkaido and lives in Gunma Prefecture. Using the techniques cultivated through alpine skiing, he is active in the freeride competition scene. Based in Numata, he travels to fields around the world including Mt. Tanigawa.
Instagram: @kenny_fjc
lives in Iiyama City, Nagano Prefecture. He runs an inn at the foot of Nozawa Onsen and usually skis there.
Instagram: @kamasisisou is active in a wide range of outdoor activities, such as snowboarding photography and guiding Mt. Fuji.
■Information
Cupid
Valley 4820 Sugawa, Yasuzuka-ku, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture 942-0534
Official website: https://www.yukidaruma-kogen.com/Official
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