The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Tsugaike Mountain Resort operates across 904 metres of vertical drop from 800 to 1,704 metres elevation, with 14 trails and 196 hectares of terrain covering 50 per cent beginner, 30 per cent intermediate and 20 per cent advanced grades. The resort receives 13 metres of average annual snowfall in the northern Hakuba Valley. A gondola provides direct summit access, serving wide cruising runs and lift-accessed tree zones that require a 20-minute safety briefing for entry. The resort holds five consecutive days of access on the Epic Pass alongside the Hakuba Valley Pass.
The lower mountain contains some of the widest beginner terrain in Hakuba, with green runs stretching 4,900 metres from summit to base. Mid-mountain terrain features long intermediate runs including the Han-no-ki course and Champion slope. The upper mountain accesses the Tsugapow DBD tree zone, divided into five gates from mellow powder runs to steep cliff terrain. Only one black diamond piste exists on the groomed trail network, whilst a terrain park operates near the summit, serviced by two pair lifts.
Tsugaike village maintains a traditional Japanese ski resort character, with ski-in ski-out lodging and limited nightlife compared to Happo One or Echoland 15 minutes south. The resort draws fewer international crowds than other Hakuba areas, operating night skiing on the lower mountain including Shirakaba, Karamatsu and Kane-no-naru-oka slopes during weekends and holiday periods. International ski schools offer private lessons in English and Chinese. The gondola base station houses Tsuga-no-yu hot spring baths and rental facilities, whilst a 50-metre moving walkway serves a dedicated children's learning area charging 500 yen.
Epic Pass holders receive five consecutive days with no blackout dates across all 10 Hakuba Valley resorts, requiring a physical RFID card rather than mobile pass. The Hakuba Valley Pass provides interchangeable access via a free shuttle bus network connecting all valley resorts. The 2025-26 season runs from 5 December to 29 March. Tsugaike suits families, first-time visitors and powder seekers looking for quieter slopes and backcountry access within Japan's Northern Alps.
904m
Vertical
14
Runs
484 acres
Skiable
13m
Annual snow
Epic Pass
Pass
The Terrain
14 runs across 484 acres skiable
Tsugaike spreads 14 runs across 484 acres skiable of terrain. It leans beginner at 50%, with 7 beginner runs to find your feet and 3 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
14
runs
14 runs across 4 grades
Beginner7 runs · 50%
Intermediate4 runs · 30%
Advanced3 runs · 20%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Tsugaike
The 2025-26 season opened on 5 December 2025 and closes on 29 March 2026, operating daily from 8am to 4:50pm. Tsugaike typically opens in early December alongside Hakuba Goryu and Happo One, benefiting from northern valley positioning. The resort averages 13 metres of annual snowfall, with the 2025-26 season recording 722 centimetres through mid-season. Elevation advantage at 1,704 metres summit maintains consistent snow quality through March, whilst the base at 800 metres requires occasional snowmaking support for lower runs.
January and February deliver peak powder conditions as Siberian air masses cross the Sea of Japan, depositing consistent snowfall across the Northern Alps. The resort's northern Hakuba location receives marginally heavier accumulation than resorts further south in the valley. Night skiing operates nightly during New Year holiday periods, then typically once weekly for the remainder of the season from 6pm to 9pm. Spring conditions from mid-March onwards see the Panorama Ropeway cable car open for backcountry access to higher elevation terrain, with corn snow developing on lower slopes.
December and early January offer uncrowded conditions before Japanese school holidays, whilst late January through February sees peak visitation and pricing. March delivers warmer temperatures, longer daylight and stable weather windows ideal for families and intermediates. The resort historically operated into early May in some seasons, though recent closures occur in late March or early April depending on snowpack. Weekend and holiday periods bring higher visitor numbers from domestic markets, with weekdays remaining quiet throughout the season.
The resort schedules terrain park features for late season when snowpack stabilises. The Tsugapow DBD tree zone opens subject to avalanche conditions and requires all participants to complete a safety briefing at Jackie's Kitchen near the top gondola station before receiving access armbands. Special events and programming details update four times weekly via slope reports. Advance discount lift tickets and season passes sell from September, with cancellation insurance available at 90 per cent refund rates if requested before pass issuance.
Season 2025-2026
5 Dec 2025
Opens
29 Mar 2026
Closes
114
Days open
13 m
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Tsugaike, and where to stay
Tsugaike Mountain Resort sits in Otari village, Kitaazumi District, in the northwestern corner of Nagano Prefecture bordering Niigata Prefecture to the north and west. The base village sits at 800 metres elevation in the northern Hakuba Valley, part of Japan's Northern Alps within Chubu-Sangaku National Park. The resort occupies the eastern slopes above the Himekawa River valley, with Mount Hakuba-Norikura-dake rising to 2,469 metres directly above the ski area. Otari village comprises fewer than 3,000 residents spread across 54 settlements, maintaining traditional satoyama mountain community character distinct from Hakuba's more developed southern villages.
Hakuba village sits 15 minutes south via shuttle bus, connecting to Happo One, Echoland and other valley accommodation centres. Nagano city lies 50 kilometres southeast, whilst Matsumoto sits 70 kilometres south. The village of Otari and Minami-Otari Station on the JR Oito Line provide the nearest rail access. Itoigawa city in Niigata Prefecture sits 30 kilometres north along the historic Senshi Kaido trade route that once transported salt and seafood between the Sea of Japan coast and inland Nagano.
Road access follows Route 148 north from Hakuba village, then turns west into Tsugaike via local roads for approximately 10 kilometres total from Hakuba. From Nagano city, drivers take the Nagano Expressway to Azumino IC, then general roads covering 52 kilometres in approximately 70 minutes. From Tokyo, the route follows the Chuo Expressway to Okaya Junction, then the Nagano Expressway to Azumino IC, totalling roughly four hours covering 295 kilometres. Free parking operates at a second lot 400 metres past the gondola, with the main gondola-adjacent lot charging 1,000 yen on weekends and holidays.
Nagano Airport sits 80 kilometres south, though most international visitors arrive via Tokyo's Narita or Haneda airports approximately 330 and 280 kilometres distant respectively. Direct express buses run from Nagano Station to Tsugaike in 90 minutes, departing four times daily. The journey from Tokyo requires the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano Station, then the ALPICO express bus to Tsugaike, totalling approximately five hours. From Narita Airport, total transfer time reaches five and a half hours including train connections. Hakuba Valley shuttle buses connect all 10 valley resorts throughout the season, with Tsugaike positioned on the northern Cortina route operating every 30 minutes during peak periods.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Tsugaike, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026