Skiing & Snowboarding
Hakuba is a small village that sits in the folds of the Northern Alps in Japan’s Nagano prefecture. The village is dwarfed by the range of 3000m peaks surrounding it. It is one of the most beautiful places in Japan. There are 12 varied resorts, over 200 runs, an average of 12m of beautiful Powder a season and unlimited untouched backcountry. These are just some of the reasons to come to Hakuba.
When to Come to Hakuba
The ski & snowboard season in Hakuba is a long one, beginning as soon as there`s adequate snow coverage, typically towards the end of November, & continuing right through the Japanese “Golden Week” holiday the first week of May.
Hakuba Snow Forecast and Conditions
View detailed snow forecast for Happo One at: snow-forecast.com When to Come to Hakuba The season in Hakuba lasts from the beginning of December till the second week of May although four years ago we were riding bottomless powder for the whole of November. There are usually consistent powder conditions from mid December to mid… Read more »
The Resorts
Happo One Lifts 33 Runs 30% Beginner 50% Intermediate 20% Expert Longest run 8km Steepest run 38 Elevation base 760m Top 1831m Night skiing Yes Happo Website From the lodge a 5-minute walk or a 1-minute free shuttle bus. Beginners Beginners can start in either the Sakka area to the right of the photo, the Shirakaba… Read more »
Discount Lift Tickets
Discount “Happy 7” passes can be purchased at the front desk. Its 8000yen for a 2 day pass which is good for the 7 resorts in Hakuba proper – Happo, Goryu/47 and Iwatake most notably. The 2 day pass needs to be used within a 3 day period (so you could ski two consecutive days… Read more »
Rentals and Lessons
Rentals There are a few decent rental shops in town and on arrival in Hakuba we’ll take you there to help you get sorted out.. For snowboard gear The Boarding co has top of the line Burton and prior models as well as Burton cruzer models for beginners and intermediates……and they’ll even deliver and pick… Read more »
Backcountry
The Backcountry in Hakuba is endless and is probably the reason why I ended falling in love with Hakuba. From cruisy long faces peppered with perfectly spaced glades of birch to big open alpine bowls. Narrow steep chutes with over a km of vertical to endless rolling natural fun parks with cornice drops, cliffs, natural half-pipes, rollers and hits galore.
Beginners and Intermediates
Beginners are well catered for in Hakuba. The Sakka area of Happo is a short walk from the lodge and provides a perfect place to learn. There is also a roped off kiddies fun area where kids can safely toboggan or ride inner tubes. All the mountains in Hakuba have beginner areas.
Cross-country Skiing and Snowshoeing
Cross-country Skiing Host of the Nagano Olympics’ Cross-country events, Hakuba has four courses to select from for the nordically inclined from early December through late March.