Yakebitaiyama Shiga Kogen
Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort, or Yakebi for short, is the largest and most modern of the
Shiga Kogen ski areas. Owned by Prince Resorts, the ski area features the three buildings of the
Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel at the base.
Pros and Cons of Yakebitaiyama
Pros
- Yakebi is the biggest Shiga Kogen ski area.
- Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort is at high elevation, so the snow quality during winter is generally excellent.
- It’s adjacent to Okushiga Kogen which is another of the best Shiga Kogen ski resorts.
- Yakebitaiyama offers the best fall-line in-bounds tree skiing in Shiga Kogen, and the sidecountry of Yakebi and Okushiga Kogen is great.
- The Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort offers a handful of very good intermediate groomed runs.
- It has the best lifts of the Shiga Kogen ski resorts. The ski area is a bit more protected, and the gondolas are less likely to go on wind hold compared to Okushiga Kogen.
- The Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel buildings offer ski-in ski-out convenience.
- Kids under 13 ski free and equipment rentals are free if you sign up to become a member at the hotel.
Cons
- Some beginners will be intimidated because it’s a big leap between the magic carpet terrain and the green runs, which are steeper than your average beginner run.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- Evening dining options are limited (like elsewhere in Shiga Kogen) to restaurants in the Prince Hotel buildings, most of which are expansive but expensive buffets. At least it’s possible to get a shuttle to Ichinose where you can pick from another couple of restaurants.
- There are no group ski and snowboard lessons in English at Yakebitaiyama, only those in a private format.
Yakebitaiyama Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The Yakebi Ski Resort of Shiga Kogen is small on a global scale and moderate sized by Japanese standards. It offers 93 hectares of piste terrain plus lots of off-piste, 495 metres of vertical (1,500 to 1,995m), and 16 trails. It has 5 lifts: 2 gondolas; 2 fast quad chairs (one hooded); and a slow romance aka double chair lift for beginners.
Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort is bookended by Okushiga Kogen and the tiny Ichinose Yamanokami, which then connects onto the many other northern Shiga Kogen ski areas.
The official trail statistics are 15%, beginner, 70% intermediate and 15% advanced, which includes the Olympic Trail where various events were held during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.
See the
Yakebi skiing page for more information on the terrain and snow.
Where is Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama?
As the name suggests, the ski area sits on Mount (Yama) Yakebitai. Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort is the second most northern ski area of the
Shiga Kogen group, with
Okushiga Kogen to the northeast, 3.5km by road to the gondola or 6km to the main hotel base. The main Ichinose village is about 1km away by road from the West Building of the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel.
Yakebitaiyama is 21 km (30 minute drive) from
Yudanaka (and nearby
Shibu Onsen) and if you’re driving there, the phone number for GPS navigation is 0269-34-3111.
Inter-resort shuttles connect Yakebitaiyama to other Shiga ski areas, whilst the hotel has shuttles between its three buildings, albeit somewhat irregular.
See the
Shiga Kogen travel page for information on how to get there.
Yakebitaiyama Accommodation
Like most of the other Shiga Kogen ski areas, hotels are your only choice of accommodation.
There is no village at Yakebitaiyama and accommodation consists of the
Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel which has 3 separate buildings spread along the bases of the slopes.
The East Building is reasonably deluxe and has the nicest rooms and fanciest restaurant (and $$$). The South Building and West Buildings are more affordable and somewhat dated and utilitarian.
The West Building has the family snow park and magic carpet and is popular for families with small children, but be mindful that the slopes above the magic carpet are for intermediates. The other two buildings have a slope out the front that is ideal for confident beginners.
If you want to participate in the weekend first tracks program, you’ll probably want to stay in the East Building. On weekdays, if you want to lead the pack on a powder day, either the East or South buildings are good.
The hotel has various dining options although if you don’t want to leave your hotel building, these are limited. The Yakebitaiyama dining options are mostly rather expensive buffets for breakfast and dinner. Thankfully the hotel offers a night shuttle to/from Ichinose where there are a couple of dining options.
You can check rates and availability for the
Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel here and book online.
Otherwise you can stay in other
Shiga Kogen accommodation or at the foot of the mountain in
Yudanaka accommodation or
Shibu Onsen hotels.
Ski Resort Facilities
There are no on-mountain restaurants where you can have lunch with a side of views. All the dining options are at the base in the hotel buildings or next to them. To avoid a soulless cafeteria, try Ramen Corner for lunch.
Ski and snowboard rental equipment is available in each of the three hotel buildings. It’s of reasonable quality and includes some big sizes, but if you have specific requirements, it’s best to contact them beforehand to check.
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You can get private ski and snowboard lessons whereby an instructor can meet you at your hotel building. Or if you want group lessons, you’ll need to get a shuttle bus up (or ski across) to
Okushiga Kogen.
