Myoko Ski Resorts
Easy access to a number of Myoko Ski resorts from Gozan Lodge
There are 5 separate Myoko ski resorts on the mountain which are connected by a bus system (Myoko Suginohara ski resort, Myoko Ikenotaira Ski resort , Myoko Akakura Kanko Ski Resort, Akakura Onsen, Myoko Seki Onsen Ski Resort) and a number of quality resorts accessible by bus or guided day trip nearby such as Lotte Arai Ski Resort, Nozawa Onsen Ski resort, Madarao /Tangram ski resort, Shiga Kogen Ski resort and Kijimadaira Ski resort. We also run Multi day guided trips to a few spots which we prefer to keep a secret so our clients can make most of the empty lines and epic terrain!
Suginohara Myoko
ski resort
1,124 m of vertical
(1855m-1731m)
4 lifts 1 gondola
Gozan lodge is at the base of Myoko Suginohara ski resort. It has the most fall line, the highest, longest and steepest powder runs (easily accessible thanks to the relaxed ski patrol), the longest piste runs and the best backcountry access out of any of the resorts on the mountain. You can lap the gondola all day for long for long, mellow tree runs or hit the top chair which has some very nice and steep terrain for advanced riders. It is one of the most frequented places in our backcountry tours and single day tours. It’s top chair is the highest of the Myoko Kogen ski resorts by 300m vertical (1000ft), which provides higher quality snow, and more of it! Myoko Suginohara’s in-bounds, lift accessible terrain is a higher elevation than any of the backcountry that is regularly accessed by any of the other Myoko Kogen ski resorts.
For latest conditions check the ski field website
Seki Onsen Myoko ski resort
310m of vertical
(1,210 m - 900m)
2 lifts
Myoko’s Seki Onsen Ski Resort is a Family run, miniature powder paradise. It’s non existent ski patrol and good vibes 2 chair system is a bucket list item for powder hounds all around the world. It gets one of the highest snowfalls in Japan for it’s elevation and has an epic side country which despite it’s size, can hold fresh lines for most of the day if you know where to look. Shredding some of the deepest snow of your life while the other revelers watch from 3m above on the chair is one of the most surreal and Japan-centric ski experiences you can get inside of a resort. Seki onsen has the advantage of the closest proximity to the sea of japan and one of the first places of orographic lift snowfall occurs on the mountain. If there is 40cm at the bottom of the lift, there is usually more than 1m just 300 vertical meters above, so please take this into consideration before traveling out of the resort boundaries into the Seki Onsen backcountry. Book one of our single day or multi day guided packages to truly make the most of this location!
Lotte Arai Myoko ski resort
951m of vertical
(1,280m - 329m)
4 lifts 1 gondola
Re-opened in 2019 as a premium resort, Lotte Arai has the deepest snowfall of any resort in the region. Bringing the ridiculous amounts of snow, consistent strong winds and bad visibility regularly plagues the resort - we do not recommend trying to get your bearings on the first visit in bad visibility. It has strict ski patrol and guidelines but they are the most proffessional outfit in Japan and do their best to open up all safe terrain on the day. It has short, steep and deep lift-accessed terrain and on heavy snow days you will see a flock of people digging themselves out after getting stuck in the very regular bad visibility. It is not the easiest resort to find stashes all day so we very much recommend booking one of our single day or multi day guided packages to truly make the most of this location!
Madaro/Tangram ski resort
440 m of vertical
(1,350m - 910m)
10 lifts
Madarao/Tangram are two interconnected ski resorts and is a 25min drive from the Gozan Lodge. Although the mountain is small, Madarao and Tangram both have some steep features with great fall line tree riding. We like to take our guided groups tour here when it is cold and too deep in Myoko. Due to the low elevation and smaller snowfall it can be an epic powder day that doesn’t require too much effort getting out!! Check out our Madarao backcountry guide here
Myoko Ikenotaira ski resort
740m of vertical
(1,500m - 760m)
6 lifts
Myoko Ikenotaira is a mellow family resort with a nice park where we also take our beginner backcountry tours to learn the ropes. Remember to stop off at our friends Go Myoko for tasty local craft beer or ski lessons
Myoko Akakura ski resort
Stats: 740m Fall line
(1500m-760m)
1 gondola 6 lifts
Myoko Akakura Kanko has some great inbounds runs and some very short and steep side country zones that ski patrol do not mind if you travel as a group and with the correct backcountry equipment. We recommend being guided on any out of bounds zones in Myoko due to its large number of terrain traps and overhead exposure on the tracks out.
Akakura Kanko is also home to the famous “tunnel run”, it is a high traffic, exposed trail and sometimes the tunnel needs to be dug out - please be careful in this area!!
Akakura Onsen
Onsen is a family friendly resort with some fun terrain off the top lift when it is open. It is not worth getting just the Onsen ticket and we recommend buying the dual resort pass so you can take advantage of Akakura Kanko also. Book one of our single day or multi day guided packages to truly make the most of Akakura!
Nozawa Onsen ski resort
Stats: 1,085m of vertical (1650m-565m)
2 gondola 19 lifts
Nozawa Onsen is approx. 1 hr from the lodge and is an easy day trip on one of our guided tours or private single day guided packages. It has some epic slackcountry and an awesome, compact town with lots of high quality eateries (check our friends of Gozan lodge page for Nozawa) and a number of free traditional onsen to soak in after a long day of shredding. It is also home to the fire festival, which every January 15th is one of the more bizarre and fascinating experiences on a ski field anywhere in the world! Our Myoko valley + Nozawa Fire Festival guided resort tour is extremely popular so book early to avoid disappointment!
Shiga Kogen ski resort
Stats: 757 m of vertical
(2305m-1548m)
50 lifts 5 gondolas
Shiga Kogen is just less than an hour drive from the lodge and we head there when warmer storms come through due to it’s high elevation and lighter snow density. Home to a number of small, interconnected resorts which are mostly accessible by skiing but it’s highest lifted point Mt. Yokote is only accessible by Bus from the main resort area. It is by far the least crowded, and has some fun and diverse terrain if you know where to look. With views of almost every mountain worth riding in Honshu. It is a bit of a ghost town, so we like to take our guided tours to eat and onsen in nearby Yudanaka onsen, which the town in famous anime “spirited away” was based on.
Kijimadaira ski resort
801 m of vertical
(1271m-469m) 9 Lifts
Kijimadaira is near Nozawa Onsen and has some of the steepest tree runs in the area. It’s top lift is only open on specific days and conditions dependent due to its low elevation so we are always making the call on the day for our guided tours once we have called ski patrol for a report of openings.
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There are a number of other resorts in the area which are options for our multi-day packages but we prefer to keep those a secret bonus for those who decide to book a guide or discover the path less travelled.