Ski & Board

Located right at the Hotel Villa Hakuba Doorstep – Happo-One is Hakuba’s most popular resort. The largest and highest resort in Hakuba, Happo-One is known for long groomed runs, perfect for beginner and intermediate riders. Happo-One has 22 lifts and 1 gondola allowing access to the Happo Banks terrain park and back country area.

Hakuba 47’s steep and fast runs are popular with intermediate and advanced riders. Slightly out of the way, Hakuba 47 can be a good option for those looking to avoid crowds and also has a terrain park and half-pipe. Adjoining Hakuba 47 is Goryu which is home to long wide trails, gentle slopes and is well suited to beginner and intermediate riders.

Only a short shuttle ride from Hotel Villa Hakuba – Iwatake offers a range of runs for confident beginners and intermediate riders. Its main gondola provides access to most of the runs, and the view from it’s peak is one of the best in Hakuba. Iwatake also has a terrain park and a public onsen for a relaxing way to finish a day on the mountain.

Tsugaike Kogen has some of the best lift infrastructure in Hakuba, with the lower part of the mountain holding numerous wide beginner runs with minimal trees. For the more adventurous theres options for heli-skiing in Tsugaike along with the advanced, offpiste tree runs home to some of the best powder in the valley.

Regarded as Hakuba’s powder playground – Cortina offers steep tree terrain and has the added benefit of off-piste riding being permitted within the resort. Adjacent to Cortina, Norikura has plenty of beginner and intermediate runs which are usually uncrowded as well as many lesser-utilised advanced level slopes. The onsen at the bottom of the Cortina slope is a must for anyone returning from a long day on the mountain.

A small and quiet resort, Jiigatake is perfect for those looking for an easy day on the hill without the crowds. With 4 chairlifts Jiigatake’s 7 runs are wide and gentle, perfect for children and beginners.

Kashimayari Ski Resort is the closest resort to Matsumoto and is moderately sized with 16 courses, 8 lifts, and a vertical of 720 metres. From the top of the mountain you can enjoy a 5,000m downhill course with amazing views of Lake Aoki. There are some really fun tree runs accessible from the top of the mountain as well. The terrain breakdown is as follows: 40% beginner, 45% intermediate, and 15% advanced.

Sanosaka may be smaller than its counterparts in the valley, but it more than makes up for that with the amazing views of lake Aoki and less crowded runs. Popular with Japanese weekend visitors, Sanosaka is a great spot to visit on a weekday. The resort offers 5 lifts and 10 courses with the following distribution: 40% beginner, 40% intermediate, 20% advanced.