snowbender 3 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Anyone been up to Shiga Kogen in the last week or so? I know conditions were pretty decent still before then and have read the reports, but wonder how is the warm weather affecting the snow out there? Any first hand would be great. Might go up on Monday. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Id imagine the same as Hakuba. In another thread somebody commented on how much better Shiga Kogen was to Hakuba regarding snow coverage without thinking how much higher Shiga Gelende's start from. In essence, theyre the same if you compare from altitude, not lifts Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 go skiing!!! Look at this beautiful spring weather! Nothing better than being on the slopes now ripping some lines Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I'd imagine Shiga Kogen is better than Hakuba. (Altitude/lifts or whatever) the fact is that snow conditions certainly were better - actually considerably better - in Shiga Kogen than they were in Hakuba when I went (to both) on 30th and 31st March. Here's what I said at the time: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/308980/Current_conditions_report_Shig.html Link to post Share on other sites
snowbender 3 Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 Cheers muika. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 You're welcome. I'd be interested to hear how it was if you do go. I doubt I will get out again though, if I do it will probably be an impulse Kagura - not bad though, 22 times overall. Preparing lots of trips to places in the coming months now which is fun. Link to post Share on other sites
Matt 0 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Originally Posted By: muikabochi I'd imagine Shiga Kogen is better than Hakuba. (Altitude/lifts or whatever) the fact is that snow conditions certainly were better - actually considerably better - in Shiga Kogen than they were in Hakuba when I went (to both) on 30th and 31st March. Here's what I said at the time: http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/308980/Current_conditions_report_Shig.html Although to actually make a fair comparison you would have had to go to both on the same day. When you went to Hakuba the day after Shiga kogen there was already an extra day of strong sunlight plus a significant rise in the freezing level. If you had gone to Hakuba on the 30th and then Shiga kogen on the 31st you may have found the conditions were better on the upper slopes of Hakuba than Shiga Kogen. Wanted to say that soon after your report but didn't get round to it. At the time I noticed a considerable deterioration between the snow on the Sunday and on the Monday especially on east to south aspects which were getting drilled by the sun (and which incedently Happo mostly faces). I hit the backcountry on the Monday and of course the north facing slopes were still holding great snow. At varying times in this strange season if you'd gone one day you would have had bottomless powder and -10 degrees whereas the next day might see rain to 3000m so you can't really make sweeping statements based on two seperate days.. Thats it.. Link to post Share on other sites
Matt 0 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Having said that the lower slopes at Shiga kogen probably still have snow on them now whereas the snows definitely gone now on the lower slopes in Hakuba. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 The point that cb is trying to make is that at shiga you get 500 vertical meters of sking. In hakuba you get 1000 vertical meters. if you compare the 2 resorts and those last 500 vertical meters the snow is about the same. With the wheather freeze level reaching 3000 meters all the snow in nagano is or has turned to melt freeze. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 he is hardly making sweeping statements, just giving his opinion of conditions as he experienced them Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Sensitive bunch, aren't they? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 The Hakuba locals really seem to take things to heart when comapring the Hakuba resorts to A N Other Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I can hardly call myself a Hakuba local, and everybody knows Ive said my best powder day was at Shiga Kogen. Just stating a simple fact that Shigas lowest lift starts from about 1600m, compared with Hakubas 800m so the snow would seem like its better with more coverage when it fact theyre about the same. Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Be told muika - your personal observations about the snow quality when you were there are just so obviously misinformed and incorrect! The snow obviously wasn't better at Shiga Kogen, it only seemed so. This is already quite tiresome and entirely predictable, but I can't work out what the heck the height of lifts has to do with a persons first-hand experience of the snow when they were there. muikabochi was simply commenting on the snow conditions he experienced at Shiga Kogen one day and then Hakuba the next day. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 We could just talk about the snow quality in Niseko instead, because there can be no argument that it's better than both Hakuba or Shiga on just about any day of the season Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Spring snow is spring snow.... Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Originally Posted By: Go Native We could just talk about the snow quality in Niseko instead, because there can be no argument that it's better than both Hakuba or Shiga on just about any day of the season Link to post Share on other sites
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