Even Shiga and Kyoto had a snow fall last weekend, of course there was heavy snow in Gifu and Nagano. We went to Hirayu Onsen ski resort which is located in the northern part of Gifu, for skiing last Saturday. This ski resort has groomed ski runs for beginners and really famous steep ski runs for expert skiers and snowboarders. Actually it has been opened since December, however those steep ski runs have been closed due to lack of snow. On Saturday, when we arrived at the ski resort 30 minutes before opening, staff of the ski resort said to me all ski runs were opened without an announcement on the web site. Really? So we were really lucky and happy because we enjoyed deep powdery snow on steep ski runs without competition and tracks.
After Hirayu we headed to Kakuma Onsen in Nagano prefecture and stayed one night in the Japanese style hotel with hot springs. I think taking a hot springs bath after skiing is the best way to relax and recovery from fatigue. The next morning, I was really surprised because there was 30 cm of snow on my car, so it had been a lot of snow fall last night. I took 20 minutes to remove all the snow off the car and we headed to Yomase ski resort in a hurry. We jumped on the ski chair lift and dropped in the expert ski runs. It was amazing because the snow was powdery, light and deep. This skiing was the best this season. I hope we enjoy powdery snow next weekend.
