Outdoor Japan Exit Reader Mode

Photo Essay: Winter in Shiga Kogen with Olympian Iker Fernandez

Going Deep from Shiga Kogen to Manza Onsen

“My Japon trip was awesome! Deep snow with good forest to ride even when it wasn’t sunny. The snow in Shiga was deep and light, the best pow you can get, and the food for people like me that love fish was amazing. Japon is a paradise. It is for sure one of the best snowboard trips you can do because of the deep snow, friendly people, new culture and good food!”

Iker Fernandez is a three-time Olympic snowboarder for Spain who returned to “Japon” for the first time since the Nagano Olympics. Back then he was going big on the half-pipe at Kanbayashi Snowboard Park near Shiga Kogen, but this time he and some friends went deep into the Shiga Kōgen backcountry riding a wave of powder across to Manza Onsen in Gunma.