Madarao Mountain Resort Guide

斑尾高原スキー場

Madarao Mountain Resort in northern Nagano is a cult favourite for powder enthusiasts, receiving some of Japan's heaviest snowfall thanks to its position directly in the path of Siberian weather systems crossing the Sea of Japan. The mountain is celebrated for its dense birch and beech glades — arguably the finest tree skiing in Honshu — and its relaxed, uncrowded atmosphere. 27 courses spread across 75 hectares cater to all abilities.

Resort Location

Location of the resort on the map of Japan.

180.1 km from Tokyo · Resort base 870 m above Tokyo
440 m Vertical Drop
75 ha Skiable Area
910–1350m Base Elevation
37 Runs
9 Lifts
~13,000 /h Uphill capacity
1377 m Longest Run
36 ° Max Slope

Resort highlights

Access
Night skiing Terrain park

Snow Report

Snow Report →

How deep the snow gets, and when — averaged across recorded seasons.

250cm

Typical base at the deepest half-month.

Measured
Peak · 250cm
Half-month average snow depth across recorded seasons. The band marks reliable ≥180 cm cover.

Lift Tickets

Lift Tickets →

What an hour of skiing actually costs, across every ticket length.

¥711/h

Cheapest cost per hour among the compared passes.

Measured
Night ¥3,200 · 4.5 h ¥711 /h Hourly ¥4,100 · 3 h ¥1,367 /h Half day ¥6,900 · 5 h ¥1,380 /h
Adult walk-up fares (online where available) divided by the hours each pass is valid.

Getting Here

Getting Here →

One recommended public route from each gateway, all leading here.

2gateways

2 gateway cities with a confirmed public route.

Measured
2 gateway cities converging on Madarao Mountain Resort by public transit.
  • Hokuriku Shinkansen (Hakutaka) to Iiyama + Nagaden bus: Tokyo Station — (北陸新幹線, 105 min) — Iiyama Station — (Nagaden Bus, 25 min) — Madarao Kogen
  • Direct shuttle from Narita/Haneda: Narita/Haneda Airport — (Nagano Snow Shuttle (JHN Travel), 345 min) — Madarao Kogen
The recommended public-transit route from each origin. Driving routes live on the Getting Here tab.

Videos

Videos →

What riders actually said on camera, timestamped to the moment.

6clips

6 rider clips from confirmed videos.

Creator-sourced
  • Powder Ski resort in Japan. "Madarao" — Powder Wave 2

    “in the country and when it snows powder snow lovers gather here in particular we recommend powder Wave 2 with a maximum slope of 35° and a total length of 800 M it is a tree Run course with trees thinned out at regular intervals making it easy to ski”

    Powder Ski resort in Japan. "Madarao" · Mar 2025 Watch at 0:44 →
  • 斑尾高原滑雪場-進階滑雪上癮者的口袋名單。大量鬆雪與非壓雪雪道+高達10條合法樹林路線+假日不擁擠!。更棒的是它有多條初學者友善雪道! — Utopia

    “different tree runs that you could explore that are all designated tree runs which was amazing my personal favorite was crystal Bowl as well as the natural halfpipe so if you definitely come here do check out those two runs”

    斑尾高原滑雪場-進階滑雪上癮者的口袋名單。大量鬆雪與非壓雪雪道+高達10條合法樹林路線+假日不擁擠!。更棒的是它有多條初學者友善雪道! · Sep 2024 Watch at 11:29 →
  • Home of Japan's Best Powder Tree Runs? 🌲 Madarao Ski Resort Guide 🏂🏻 — crystal Bowl

    “different tree runs that you could explore that are all designated tree runs which was amazing my personal favorite was crystal Bowl as well as the natural halfpipe so if you definitely come here do check out those two runs”

    Home of Japan's Best Powder Tree Runs? 🌲 Madarao Ski Resort Guide 🏂🏻 · Jan 2025 Watch at 11:29 →
  • Japan’s Best Tree Skiing? — Adventure Aisle

    “>> What chair are we on right now? This little one right to the summit, right? Oh, then we go down Adventure Aisle into the >> We can do any of those trees, it looks like. Who's first? >> Teletubbies.”

    Japan’s Best Tree Skiing? · Feb 2026 Watch at 4:33 →
  • パウダーが当たった日のモーニングルーティン、斑尾高原で1mくらい積もったから仕事前に滑りいったヤツらが羨ましすぎた — トラバース

    “のこのコースねこのコースまっすぐ行けば忍者つくはずなんで まぁこんな感じでちょっとトラバースしなあかんでワンフットっていうかあるかなあかもしれないですけど こんな感じですね 忍者来たけどさ これ忍者ねこれここ 今日クローズみんなこれ飛ぼうかな思ったけど飛べへんな”

    パウダーが当たった日のモーニングルーティン、斑尾高原で1mくらい積もったから仕事前に滑りいったヤツらが羨ましすぎた · Feb 2023 Watch at 4:27 →
  • ビッグスケールのゲレンデで、圧巻のパウダーを楽しめる!斑尾高原スキー場をご紹介 — カモシカコース

    “ファミリーアドベンチャーコースのカモシカコースになります。はい。後ろを見ると3ラでございます。はい。ちょっと見てくれて。この木の感覚あのとても広くてあのすごくこうコース取りしやすいのでこう初めて釣リーランしたいなっていう方にも練習になるいいコースなんです。”

    ビッグスケールのゲレンデで、圧巻のパウダーを楽しめる!斑尾高原スキー場をご紹介 · Jan 2026 Watch at 2:12 →
Excerpts from confirmed creator videos; each links to its timestamp on YouTube.