Jeunesse Kurikoma Akita
Jeunesse Kurikoma Ski Resort is one of the larger Akita ski resorts, which isn’t saying much. It’s not a destination resort where you’d park yourself for a week. Rather it’s a small ski area worthy of hitting up for a day as part of a road trip of
Akita and
Iwate ski resorts in northern Tohoku.
Pros and Cons of Jeunesse Kurikoma
Pros
- Competition for fresh powder is low.
- It has a few nice groomers and considering the place is often really really uncrowded, you may be able to score fresh roys in the afternoon.
- Jeunesse has small areas for tree skiing as well as more open zones for powder skiing.
- Whilst the top elevation isn’t particularly high, the aspect of the ski area is primarily northwest.
- Lift passes are inexpensive.
Cons
- It’s a small ski area, so terrain variety is limited.
- You need a car to get there and there aren’t any substantial ski resorts close by. The upside is that this helps to keep the powder chaser numbers low.
- Lift operations can be a little hit and miss, so double check which lifts are open before you venture there.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The region gets big storms that pound the mountains with snow and wild weather. Fine weather days in the height of winter are not very common.
Jeunesse Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Jeunesse Kurikoma is a small ski resort with 12 courses and 375 metres of vertical from 770 to 395 metres. It has 2 quad chairs and 2 double chairs, although one of the quad chairs has been suspended for some time but the resort isn’t wanting to classify it as retired just yet.
The first pair lift that’s targeted to beginners is only open on weekends and holidays during some parts of the season. Beginner trails can be accessed off the remaining 2 chair lifts. Intermediate terrain is mostly limited to trails directly either side of the quad chair.
Like a lot of Japanese ski resorts, the goodness for advanced riders is accessed off the top lift (#3). There are 2 courses, one of which reaches a maximum gradient of 40 degrees, and 2 runs are classified as powder zones because they don’t groom them. This upper region has some tree skiing, and there is more off-piste skiing from the main quad chair. Off-piste skiing seems to be reasonably well tolerated.
Where is Jeunesse Kurikoma?
The Jeunesse Kurikoma Ski Resort is located in the south-eastern part of the
Akita Prefecture, close to the border with
Iwate Prefecture. It’s situated just off Route 397 and 10km southeast of the Higashinaruse Village and 34km southeast of Yokote. As with other Akita ski areas, it is not well connected with public transport, so having a rental car is ideal for flexible travel. The telephone number for GPS navigation is 0182-47-3104.
Jeunesse is in a similar vicinity to
Geto Kogen in Iwate Prefecture, although it’s 92km (1.5 hour) drive away.
Tengamori Ski Area is 15km to the west. It is a very small family ski hill that’s good for beginners.
Tazawako Ski Resort, also in Akita, is about 100km north, a drive that equates to about 2 hours.
Ani Ski Resort in Akita is further north again.
We visited Jeunesse on the way to Onikoube Ski Area, which is 89km south (1:40 hours).
Accommodation
Yamayuri Onsen Hotel sits at the base of the ski area. It offers basic western rooms and Japanese tatami rooms, and considering there are no evening restaurants at the ski hill, there are half board packages. The hotel features indoor onsen baths, with large windows that overlook the slopes. Non-guests can also access the onsen.
There are also a few places to stay in Higashi Naruse Village, or slightly further afield are a few options for
Yokote hotels or Yuzawa hotels.
Ski Resort Facilities
The facilities cover the basics including ski school (lessons in Japanese), equipment rentals, and a simple retail shop. There is a cafeteria with old-school lilac chairs. It specialises in pizza that’s not that great, but at least the food is really cheap. In a separate day lodge (Jeunesse 2) is a rest area that is only open from Friday to Sunday.
A snow tubing and kids play area is located near the base.