Akakura Terrain

“Myoko Akakura Ski Resort” refers to the two interconnected ski areas of Akakura Onsen Ski Resort and Akakura Kanko. Akakura skiing and snowboarding is the most popular in Myoko because the two Akakura ski resorts are sizeable and are located near most of the accommodation and restaurants.

Akakura Onsen Ski Resort (right side of the trail map)

Akakura Onsen is primarily a mellow ski area with trail stats of 50% beginner, 30% intermediate, and 20% advanced. The Akakura Onsen ski resort has a mass of easy green runs and a handful of intermediate runs. There is really only one black run that’s pretty short, but it has a maximum pitch of 38 degrees and some of the surrounding off-piste terrain is steep-ish and gnarly at times.

Akakura Onsen is larger than its neighbour and has 14 lifts (compared to 6), although some of the lifts are a bit shabby.

Akakura Onsen is popular with young children due to the low angle slopes, a kids snow park, and the night skiing.

Akakura Kanko Ski Resort (left side of the trail map)

Akakura Kanko has another couple of names: Akakan for short; and also Shin-Akakura to denote that it’s newer and more modern than its counterpart (keep your expectations low!). When you look up the hill from the base, the Akakura Kanko Hotel dominates the landscape; a striking upscale hotel that provides ski-in ski-out access via a beginner and easy intermediate trail.

Akakura Kanko is a small ski area that’s shrunk over the years and now only has 9 courses and a couple of small terrain parks.

Akakan is where most powder hounds head because it’s slightly steeper (once again, keep your expectations in check). The trail stats are 40% beginner, 30% intermediate, and 30% advanced. Beginner and intermediate runs make up the lower areas, whilst up higher there are a couple of black runs. Nearby are some small areas for tree skiing, although ski patrol can be strict about heading off-piste and they may threaten to pull lift tickets if you cross a lift line. Another limitation for snowboarders can be that the gradient isn’t adequate to get enough momentum on deep days.

Akakura Kanko also provides gated access to sidecountry and backcountry terrain, which ski patrol is cool with (naturally you’ll need avalanche safety gear and know-how).

Akakan is the smaller Akakura Ski Resort, although it has a higher top elevation (1,500 m versus 1,200m), longer vertical (760 m versus 550m) and better lift infrastructure. The gondola has had a recent make-over and there are 3 quad chairs of which 2 have hoods which is nice for protection during the massive snowstorms. The top quad was changed to a triple and Kanko also has another triple chair lift. Many years ago there was another lift above the Champion #3 which we’re still lamenting the loss of, whilst in recent years, the Champion #1 lift has been retired. This was a lift that rose up from the bottom of the Akakura Onsen village, so it’s impeded access to Kanko unless you buy a joint ticket or catch a shuttle bus.

Lift Tickets

Kanko and Akakura Onsen lifts cost about the same and for many people, it will make sense to spend a little more (about 1,500 yen compared to an Akakura Onsen pass) and purchase a combined lift pass for both Akakura ski areas, particularly if your accommodation is near one resort and you mainly want to ride the other.

It's possible to purchase early bird passes and save some yen, however you probably don’t want to commit to pre-purchasing lift passes so that you can see what the weather does and remain flexible to ride other ski resorts in the area.

Also many of the Japanese accommodations provide discounted lift tickets, so check with the hotel reception or your host. The Mt Myoko All-Mountain Pass covers both Akakura resorts, Ikenotaira, and Suginohara, but not Seki. The Mt Myoko All-Mountain Pass costs significantly more per day than any of the individual ski areas, and even though it also includes the local shuttles between these areas, it isn’t worth it financially unless you plan on skiing Akakura in the morning and Suginohara in the afternoon. For those in Myoko for a long time, the season passes are worthwhile.

Akakura Snow

Akakura Kanko and Akakura Onsen ski resorts both receive massive amounts of snow, particularly when storms come from the NNW.

The quality of the powder is generally very good; not quite like the typical Hokkaido powder but still very respectable. The top elevations of the Akakura ski resorts are not particularly high (especially compared to Suginohara). The aspect is mostly easterly whilst Akakura Onsen also has some SE facing slopes which don’t fare so well during spring and/or when temperatures rise. You can see the Niigata snow stats for comparisons of elevation and aspect, and also compare to ski resorts in Nagano.

Akakura Sidecountry & Backcountry

Akakura Kanko provides avalanche beacon enabled gates to the backcountry where you can hike up Mt Maeyama (“front mountain” - 1,932m) as much or as little as you like. The Maeyama ridge opens lots of options, some which have avalanche prone ascents and serious terrain on the descent.

A common sidecountry run to the skiers’ left is the well trafficked tunnel run on active avalanche paths that pops out near the Tsubame Highland Lodge. It’s fun but requires a lot of traversing. If you head skiers’ right instead, you may want a guide as the terrain traps plus the dam system and river make the navigation challenging.

For a big day of spring touring, it’s also possible to head up to Mt Myoko.

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