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Hardly anyone stayed for the night session. To be fair it had been snowing heavily non stop for the whole day. Everyone is probably resting up for tomorrow. Last day of the season so I was going to make the most of it.
The Zashiki lounge is a free rest area where you can chill. Next door is the Gala no Yu with indoor and outdoor onsen and childrens pool.
The slick looking Gravity Yuzawa shop had gear from Goldwin, Northface, Anon and Smith. A lot of the goods were discounted. They had their own branded tee shirts which would make good souvenirs.
Niigata specialty tare katsudon, which is deep fried pork cutlets dipped in a special sauce. Not a fan. Not sure why you would want to have soggy katsu.
Ishiuchi has 18 restaurants scattered throughout the resort. Pretty cool how there are yakiniku, ramen restaurants and izakayas mid-mountain.
Night skiing at Ishiuchi was awesome. This was one of the biggest days in Yuzawa. Whiteout conditions late afternoon, but when the lights finally flickered on you could see the the slope properly. Night ski is also included in your ticket. Well worth sticking it out in the freezing cold.
Naspa has a fully kitted out tuning / waxing station. 2 Toki benches, Toki wax iron, brushes and wax.
Ishiuchi's Sunrise Express speeds you up to the Veranda in 7 minutes. It can handle both 6 seater hooded chairs and 10 seater bubbles with heating and leather seats. Luxurious.
The Naspa Blue and Orange shuttle buses run from Naspa Ski Garden to Ishiuchi Maruyama, stopping at the train station, Yuzawa Kogen and Gala Yuzawa ski resorts. No luggage space on the bottom so you have to take everything onboard. They are free to get on but the bus gets packed real fast.
Ishiuchi's Base Station has a couple of performance skis and boards for rental from Atomic, Ogasaka, Vector Glide, Faction and Jones.
Yuzawa Nakazato has 2 distinct mountains. The left mountain is for learners with gentle greens and reds. The right mountain has steeper, un-groomed runs. The resort has also opened up the areas in between as off piste runs for advanced riders. On powder days this area would be a freerider's dream.
These defunct blue train carriages are a feature of Nakazato. They are used by ski schools and groups for meeting places and shelter from the cold. Saw people just chilling in there with a beer and snacks.
The Volcom shop at Nakazato had a sick looking mini skateboard ramp. it's free to use, but you do have sign a consent form.
The Volcom shop had the best range of outerwear, goggles and accessories for snowboarders.
The signature pizza at Paolino. The cheese was super tasty and the woodfired base was perfect. Make sure you order a glass of wine as each pizza is hand made by the main guy, so it can take a while for it to be ready.
Surprised to see what looks like a sister shop of Iwappara's legendary La Locandra Del Pittore pizza restaurant here in Nakazato. Will definitely have to have lunch there.
The famous Bakudan "Big Bomb" onigiri from Ponshukan. Ponshukan's signature huge onigiri is made with local Uonuma Koshihikari rice. This is one is made with the recommended spicy cod roe filling. It comes with a cup of miso soup making it a meal in itself.
