Chubu, Japan
Ishiuchi Maruyama
75-year-old resort with 23 runs, 664m vertical, 8m annual snowfall. Japan's largest night skiing zone, 80 mins from Tokyo.
Season 2025-2026
Opens
19 Dec 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
107
Annual snow
8m
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Ishiuchi Maruyama operates across 236 hectares with 23 marked runs and a vertical drop of 664 metres, spanning from a base elevation of 256 metres to a 920-metre summit. The resort averages 8 metres of annual snowfall and opened in 1949, making 2024 its 75th anniversary season. The longest single run extends 4,000 metres from summit to base, whilst the resort maintains connectivity to GALA Yuzawa and Yuzawa Kogen through the tri-resort Yuzawa Snow Link pass.
Terrain splits 40 per cent beginner, 40 per cent intermediate, and 20 per cent advanced across the 23 courses, with no designated expert terrain. The Paradise Course delivers wide intermediate cruising with views across the Minamiuonuma Plain and Echigo Sanzan mountains. The resort spreads across three base areas - Central, Hatsukaishi, and North - each offering independent access points. Tree-run zones and ungroomed sections provide powder stashes after storms deliver Uonuma snow.
Independently run lodges and restaurants line the slopes at each base area, preserving traditional Japanese ski culture. The Veranda observation terrace sits mid-mountain and accommodates non-skiers arriving via gondola. Night skiing covers 3,000 metres across 12 illuminated courses, operating daily from late December through February and Friday-Saturday in March. Weekend traffic from Tokyo creates queues at upper lifts, particularly the summit quad.
The Yuzawa Snow Link pass connects 48 combined courses across Ishiuchi Maruyama, GALA Yuzawa, and Yuzawa Kogen from December through March for 3,000 yen over a standard lift ticket. Direct shinkansen access from Tokyo Station to Echigo-Yuzawa takes 80 minutes, positioning the resort for day trips. The terrain suits intermediates seeking variety and beginners building confidence, whilst night operations and terrain park features draw freestyle riders. Proximity to Echigo-Yuzawa onsen town adds post-skiing relaxation options.
664m
Vertical
23
Runs
289 acres
Skiable
8m
Annual snow
The Terrain
23 runs across 289 acres skiable
Ishiuchi Maruyama spreads 23 runs across 289 acres skiable of terrain. It leans beginner at 40%, with 9 beginner runs to find your feet and 5 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
23
runs
23 runs across 4 grades
Beginner9 runs · 40%
Intermediate9 runs · 40%
Advanced5 runs · 20%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Ishiuchi Maruyama
The 2025-26 season operates from 19 December 2025 through 5 April 2026, spanning approximately 107 days. Night skiing runs daily from 27 December 2025 to 28 February 2026, then Friday-Saturday only through 28 March. The Hatsukaishi and North base areas close 29 March, consolidating operations to the Central zone for the final week. Spring operations extend The Veranda observation terrace through Golden Week from 25 April to 10 May for sightseeing.
The resort averages 8 metres of annual snowfall, with heavy accumulation weeks typically arriving mid-December through February. The Niigata coast's position relative to Siberian weather systems crossing the Sea of Japan delivers consistent powder cycles, with individual storms depositing over 50 centimetres overnight. The base elevation of 256 metres creates marginal temperatures during warm spells. North-facing aspects preserve snow quality longer than south-facing runs. Snowmaking supplements natural coverage on high-traffic zones.
January and February offer peak powder conditions and deepest base depths, though weekend crowds from Tokyo increase during this window. Early December provides quieter slopes with lighter coverage. March delivers spring corn snow and extended daylight, with parking fees waived from 8 March through closing. Late-season operations concentrate on higher-elevation terrain as lower runs thin. December's third week historically records the highest weekly snowfall totals.
The resort programme includes fireworks displays on select evenings and Children's Ski Day on the third Sunday of each month from January to March, offering free lift tickets for elementary-age children. Apres-ski events feature DJ music lounges at the Central base on weekend afternoons. The terrain park undergoes layout renewal in late March ahead of spring sessions. Night skiing offers illuminated halfpipe access and intermediate run options beyond beginner zones.
Season 2025-2026
19 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
107
Days open
8 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Ishiuchi Maruyama, and where to stay
Ishiuchi Maruyama sits in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, within the Yuzawa valley of central Honshu's snow country region. The resort base occupies 256 metres elevation surrounded by peaks reaching beyond 1,900 metres, including views toward Mount Iiishi. The Minamiuonuma Plain stretches north from the base, with the Echigo Sanzan mountains framing the eastern skyline. Niigata Prefecture's heavy-snowfall zone benefits from moisture-laden systems off the Sea of Japan.
Echigo-Yuzawa town centre lies 3 kilometres from the resort, a 10-minute free shuttle bus journey from Echigo-Yuzawa Station. Yuzawa gained literary fame as the setting for Yasunari Kawabata's Nobel Prize-winning novel Snow Country. The town offers traditional ryokan accommodation, numerous onsen facilities, and Ponshukan sake museum at the station featuring tastings of over 100 Niigata sake varieties. Ishiuchi Station on the Joetsu Line sits 15 minutes' walk from the Kanko entrance.
The Kan-etsu Expressway provides road access via Shiozawa-Ishiuchi Interchange, located 5 kilometres and approximately 5 minutes' drive from the resort along Route 17. Tokyo's Nerima Interchange sits 120 minutes distant via expressway. Parking costs 1,000 yen on weekends and holidays but operates free on weekdays and from 8 March through season close. Four separate entrance gates - two Central gates, North entrance, and Hatsukaishi entrance - serve different parking zones and terrain areas.
Tokyo Station connects via Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa Station in 80 minutes, with free shuttle buses departing the east exit every 10-15 minutes during operating hours. Haneda Airport requires 2 hours by train to Echigo-Yuzawa, whilst Narita Airport extends to 3 hours. Niigata Airport sits 90 minutes away via bus to Niigata Station then 80-minute train to Echigo-Yuzawa. Multi-resort shuttle buses link Ishiuchi Maruyama with GALA Yuzawa, Yuzawa Kogen, and NASPA resorts on circular routes.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Ishiuchi Maruyama, powered by Stay22.
Good to know
Frequently asked
When is Ishiuchi Maruyama's ski season?
Ishiuchi Maruyama's season typically runs from December 19 to April 5, roughly 107 days, weather and conditions permitting.
How much skiable terrain does Ishiuchi Maruyama have?
Ishiuchi Maruyama has about 289 acres skiable across 23 runs.
How many lifts does Ishiuchi Maruyama have?
Ishiuchi Maruyama operates 15 lifts in total.
How much snow does Ishiuchi Maruyama get?
Ishiuchi Maruyama averages around 315 inches (26.2 feet) of snowfall per season.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.
26 Aug 2026
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed
I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.
23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
22 Aug 2026