Kandatsu Kogen

Kandatsu is a small resort a short distance from Yuzawa and is situated in a bowl surrounded by a thick forest. This resort get frequent and serious dumps of good powder and despite the chairlifts being slow and the runs fairly short, it is one of the better Yuzawa resorts for more advanced riders.

Three parallel chairlifts slowly take you up to the main base area. In front of you is a long quad chair which serves the main beginners slope, and at various points on your left run the other three lifts that serve the good stuff.

On the frequent powder days the main beginners run can get extremely slow, the pitch is very slight and you’ll struggle to get any speed up but otherwise this is a perfect long run for learning on.

Despite its size it has some decent steep runs; as with many Japanese resorts the black runs are left ungroomed but this time their gradient is what you would expect. Runs 2 & 3 are the designated powder areas and accessed from the 2-man chair. You’ll find some good powder long into the day and a few tracks to catch air-off.

There is limited off-piste potential due to the thickness of the tree’s the resort is cut out, and the eagles nest patrollers towers ensure there are no riding under the chairlifts.

There is a terrain park situated under the main chair lift and usually has a good array of rails and a few kickers. It can be extremely slow on a powder day to get enough speed up to hit the kickers but then again it’s a powder day so get out of the park. Visit www.skyisthelimit-i.com for more details on the park.

The Galleria restaurant serves your standard excellent Japanese fair, but on the ground floor there is also a pizzeria which does excellent pizzas and pitchers of beers.