Jeunesse Ski Area Terrain

Like most other Akita ski resorts, Jeunesse is a small ski area and it has shrunk in recent years due to a key lift being suspended. They can’t bring themselves to call it “retired” yet! Jeunesse Akita has 12 courses, of which 2 are in the former lift-serviced zone, 375 metres of vertical (395-770m), and 3 remaining lifts.

The skiers’ right side of the resort previously serviced by the quad chair is still accessible for those willing to put in just a little work for powder rewards. A 5 minute walk is required to get back to the main area.

Lifts

Jeunesse Kurikoma Ski Area has 3 operational lifts. This includes the main quad chair (2nd quad lift) which is a detachable chair lift with a safety bar – oooh fancy! Further up the hill is a fixed grip double chair (3rd pair lift) which they tend to run at a good pace. There is a slow double chair (1st pair lift) that only operates on weekends and holidays during some parts of the season. It services beginner terrain and a tiny patch of trees, so powder hounds are unlikely to be too concerned if it’s not operating.

Weekends possibly see some locals turn up, but on weekdays, lift lines are absolutely zero.

Lift Tickets

Lift pass configurations are single day tickets and single ride tickets, so you can’t make additional savings with a 4 hour or 5 hour pass or the like.

Jeunesse Ski Area doesn’t accept credit card for lift ticket purchases. You know you’ve found a little gem of a ski area when they only accept cash!

Jeunesse Snow and Weather

The exact snow volumes at Jeunesse Kurikoma are unknown. During January and February, the snow base reported by the resort usually sits at about the 1.2 to 1.5 metres mark. It probably just gets moderate amounts of snow, although Geto Kogen which is very close as the crow flies, gets absolutely slammed with big snowfalls. The resort has a giraffe at the base which they often use in social media posts as an indication of the snow depths – wonder if that’s how they measure the base depth too?!

Jeunesse snow quality is usually very good. Whilst the top elevation isn’t particularly high, the aspect of the ski area is primarily northwest and there are a variety of aspects to play with.

The Jeunesse ski area is mostly quite open so it can be exposed to the wind which can affect snow quality and lift operations.

The Jeunesse Kurikoma ski season is reasonably short and usually goes from mid December to mid March.

For the Beginner

The best beginner zone is accessed from the double chair, or if this chair lift isn’t operating, there is a beginner trail off the quad chair lift and a couple off the top lift. A huge plus for the beginner terrain on weekdays is that you’ll be able to learn in complete peace without the fear of others crashing into you.

For the Intermediate

Jeunesse only has a few intermediate runs, but the grooming is usually good and without any crowds you’ll be able to cruise or zoom at your own pace.

Advanced Skiing On-Piste

There are a couple of black runs, with the Mall Course being the steeper of the two. It has a section that hits 40 degrees, although when we visited this patch was bereft of snow, likely due to it being wind blown.

Off Piste Skiing and Riding

There are two main zones for off-piste skiing, and they are incredibly easy to navigate without the fear of getting lost. Whilst there may be a few old-timers around who frown on tree skiing, it seems to be reasonably well tolerated.

The best off-piste riding is off the top lift. Some evergreen trees may have some shrubbery, whilst there are deciduous trees without much undergrown where you can let the board/s fly.

Further down the hill, there are lots of off-piste lines if you drop below the outer beginner trail. Some bamboo clearing has been undertaken and skiing around the shrubs may provide some fun.

There is a steep gully between the current and former parts of the ski area. Some people ski it, but it’s gnarly.

Former Zone

You can drop into the former part of the ski area. It has a more solar aspect than other parts of the hill, and it’s a mostly mellow and open, but you may find some fun in there. It’s a 5 minute walk up the road to get back to the main base area.

Sidecountry

At the top and skiers’ right is a golf course, so you won’t find much steep backcountry terrain there! Jeunesse has a little bit of sidecountry to skiers’ left off the top chair where you can do 30 turns then bail out, or continue down a ridge to a bench and then traverse out with a short bump up via a skin or bootpack. In this lower zone there is a deep winding gully that needs some navigation. As with all these small Japan ski areas, you need to be particularly careful if you head off the courses because the resort has negligible resources to provide any rescue assistance.