Ski area	Temp	Powder Score
Hakuba 47	12°C	10
Hakuba Cortina	12°C	10
Hakuba Goryu	12°C	10
Hakuba Happo-One	12°C	10
Hakuba Iwatake	11°C	10
Hakuba Sanosaka Snow Resort	12°C	10
Jiigatake Snow Resort	13°C	10
Kashimayari Snow Resort	12°C	10
Hakuba Norikura Onsen Ski Resort	12°C	8
Tsugaike Kogen	11°C	8

Snowfall and base are calculated from a weather model, not reported by the resorts. "Next 3 days" is Open-Meteo’s published forecast shown as-is; it is not a forecast made by JAPANSNOWLINE. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency and the resort before you travel.

The season at a glance

Ski area	Typical winter	Worst–best of 12	Snow quality (of 392)	Adult day ticket
Hakuba 47	668 cm	380–860 cm	19	¥10,000
Hakuba Cortina	635 cm	385–794 cm	73	¥6,500
Hakuba Goryu	414 cm	301–609 cm	66	¥10,000
Hakuba Happo-One	414 cm	301–609 cm	102	¥9,800
Hakuba Iwatake	668 cm	380–860 cm	47	—
Hakuba Sanosaka Snow Resort	415 cm	301–609 cm	153	—
Jiigatake Snow Resort	449 cm	353–589 cm	95	—
Kashimayari Snow Resort	449 cm	353–589 cm	101	—
Hakuba Norikura Onsen Ski Resort	635 cm	380–794 cm	35	¥6,500
Tsugaike Kogen	668 cm	380–860 cm	23	¥9,800

Typical winter is the December–March average over the last 12 winters (calculated). “Worst–best” is the leanest and the deepest of those 12 winters, which is the range a trip booked a year out has to live with. Ticket prices are checked on each resort’s own site; “—” means we have not checked one yet.

When the snow falls

In Hakuba Valley, the most snow falls in January. March brings 46% of January's, or about 81 cm. The one that keeps snowing latest is Jiigatake Snow Resort, where March still brings 49% of January's snowfall.

Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
164 cm	178 cm	118 cm	81 cm

Monthly averages over the last 12 winters, averaged across the ski areas in this area. This is what falls in each month, not how deep the base is.

The mountains themselves

Ski area	Base to top	Vertical	Spread of the runs
Hakuba 47	798–1,651 m	853 m	3.6 km
Hakuba Cortina	755–1,100 m	345 m	2.9 km
Hakuba Goryu	761–2,237 m	1,476 m	—
Hakuba Happo-One	762–1,722 m	960 m	—
Hakuba Iwatake	737–1,150 m	413 m	3.6 km
Hakuba Sanosaka Snow Resort	766–1,203 m	437 m	2.0 km
Jiigatake Snow Resort	949–1,180 m	231 m	1.6 km
Kashimayari Snow Resort	857–1,488 m	631 m	2.6 km
Hakuba Norikura Onsen Ski Resort	777–1,562 m	785 m	3.0 km
Tsugaike Kogen	768–1,602 m	834 m	4.7 km

Elevations come from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan and OpenStreetMap. “Spread” is the width of the area the runs cover, not the total length of piste.

Questions people ask

Which ski areas in Hakuba Valley have live webcams?

8 of the 10, with 10 cameras in all: Hakuba 47, Hakuba Cortina, Hakuba Goryu, Hakuba Happo-One, Hakuba Iwatake, Hakuba Sanosaka Snow Resort and 2 more. Each one opens on the operator's own page.

How much snow does Hakuba Valley get in a typical winter?

From December to March, the most falls at Hakuba 47: about 668 cm. The least in the same area is Hakuba Happo-One, at about 414 cm — elevation and aspect make the difference. Calculated from the last 12 winters.

What happens in Hakuba Valley in a bad winter?

Over the last 12 winters, Hakuba 47 ranged from 380 cm in its leanest winter to 860 cm in its deepest, against a typical 668 cm, so a poor winter brought 57% of the usual amount.

When is the best time to ski in Hakuba Valley?

In Hakuba Valley, the most snow falls in January. March brings 46% of January's, or about 81 cm. The one that keeps snowing latest is Jiigatake Snow Resort, where March still brings 49% of January's snowfall.

What does a lift ticket cost in Hakuba Valley?

Adult day tickets we have checked on the resorts' own sites run from ¥6,500 at Hakuba Cortina to ¥10,000 at Hakuba Goryu.

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