Lifts & Terrain
Myoko Kogen Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Myoko Kogen is made up of 10 different ski resorts that offer something for most ability levels: mellow areas for beginners with opportunities for night skiing; long groomed runs for intermediates; and tree skiing for advanced riders. Myoko Kogen doesn’t offer many runs that will make experts quake with trepidation, but experts will largely be kept happy amongst the powder or out in the backcountry.
Off-piste skiing is permitted at Myoko Kogen, as is backcountry skiing. The patrollers don’t like anyone riding under the lifts, but there seems to be a level of tolerance for it as everyone does it.
The Myoko Kogen ski areas receive an abundance of snowfall and can be characterised as being uncrowded. Sounds like a great recipe for a powderhounds destination!
Myoko Akakura
”Myoko Akakura” refers to the two interconnected areas of Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko. These are the most popular ski resorts because they are both sizeable and are located near most of the accommodation and restaurants.
Akakura Kanko Ski Resort (aka Akakan or Shin-Akakura)
Akakura Kanko has lots of beginner runs and some red runs, although it doesn’t cater particularly well for intermediates. There are only a couple of black runs.
The real highlight of Akakura Kanko for advanced and expert riders is the off-piste merriment. The former lift serviced area above lift no. 17 provides lots of fun for those willing to hike, and the area under lift 17 has some really gnarly terrain for experts including some opportunities for hucking. This terrain requires lots of snow cover; otherwise major powder fossicking may be required. The most popular tree skiing area is left and right of the top lift (no. 22), but it feels as though the lift doesn’t go high enough (only 1,500 metres, 355 metres lower than Suginohara). The tree skiing above the top lift is superb, and Akakan is also a great gateway to other backcountry riding for those prepared to earn their turns.
Akakura Kanko ski resort has good lift infrastructure. Of the 8 lifts, one is a gondola and all others are quad chairs, some with hoods. The ski resort has a kids’ park, a small terrain park, and good supporting facilities and services.
Akakura Onsen
Akakura Onsen is largely mellow and is really well suited to families and less experienced riders. Beginners will love the many green runs and Akakura Onsen has several wide runs for intermediates such as Utopia or Panorama, the night skiing area. The ski resort really only has one black run, although this area provides some good steep tree skiing.
The quality of the Akakura Onsen lifts are somewhat mixed, and the resort has a tiny terrain park and good facilities for kids.
Suginohara
The next largest resort is Suginohara, which is proud of its status of having the longest run in Japan. Suginohara is great for cruising with the emphasis on terrain for beginners and intermediates. The new terrain park is also increasing its popularity with freestylers.
Snowboarding is incredibly trendy, with skiers being a bit of a rarity at Suginohara. Even rarer are westerners, so don’t expect many people to speak English or for there to be much English signage at Suginohara.
The lack of westerners is probably advantageous if you want to head off-piste. The best off-piste riding is off the top lift. There is some decent gradient in places, and it’s still below the tree line yet has an elevation of 1,855 metres, so the snow quality is often superb. The trees are reasonably tight in places if there’s not much cover. Better terrain for tree skiing virgins can be found next to the Columbia terrain park, where there are perfectly gladed pines on a mellow pitch.
Suginohara has impressive lift infrastructure with a fast modern gondola and two hooded detachable quad chair lifts. On the contrary, the lowest double lift might get the award for the slowest chair lift in all of Japan. It services night skiing so you’d be at risk of freezing your bits off sitting on that chair!
Ikenotaira
Ikenotaira Onsen is great for beginner and intermediate riders, as well as families considering the large children’s play area. There is only a little black terrain and some tree skiing, and Ikenotaira Onsen is probably most well liked for its terrain park and half pipe. This is the ultimate place to go if you want to make the most of your
ski insurance!
Seki Onsen
Powderhounds with their own wheels should head to Seki Onsen. It’s a no frills ski resort with limited infrastructure and negligible grooming, but Seki is freeride heaven amongst lots of steep-ish trees. Seki Onsen is reputed to receive 16 metres of snow annually so it’s popular with powderhounds, but because it’s pretty small (2 lifts, 6 runs, and 310 metres of vertical) it doesn’t take much for it to get hit hard with powder rodents. Seki is a locals’ favourite and chances are they’ll be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast, so good luck!
With a small amount of hiking it’s possible to ski over to Seki from Akakan (probably with a guide), but it’s not possible to ski back so you’ll need to find a taxi or hitch a ride.
Other Myoko Kogen Ski Resorts
Family friendly slopes can be found at Kyukamura and Myoko Ski Park, both very small ski resorts. APA Resort Pine Valley is currently closed for financial reasons. Madarao Kogen is pretty good for powderhounds and is inter-connected with Tangram Ski Resort, although these ski areas are probably more easily accessed from Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort.
See the table to compare the Myoko Kogen ski resorts on statistics such as elevation, size, spread of terrain for different abilities, and number of lifts.
Akakura Kanko
|
760 |
1,500 |
*
|
4.5 |
40
|
30
|
30 |
10
|
8
|
Seki Onsen
|
310 |
1,210
|
*
|
1.5 |
20
|
50 |
30
|
6
|
2 |
| Suginohara |
1,124
|
1,855 |
90
|
8.5
|
40 |
40
|
20
|
17 |
5 |
| Ikenotaira |
700
|
1,500 |
60 |
4.5 |
40 |
45 |
15 |
10
|
8 |
Myoko Ski Park
|
135 |
860 |
* |
1.2
|
60 |
40
|
0
|
2
|
1 |
APA Pine Valley
|
365 |
945
|
46
|
2.1
|
30
|
60 |
10 |
7 |
5
|
Madarao Kogen
|
428 |
1,350
|
*
|
2.5 |
30
|
45 |
25 |
16 |
19
|
Tangram Circus
|
520 |
1,320
|
50 |
2.5
|
30 |
40
|
30
|
14 |
6
|
* info not available or unreliable
Lift Tickets
For the international market a four area combined lift pass is available, the Myoko Big 4, enabling access to both Akakura resorts, Suginohara and Ikenotaira. If you pre-book tickets or buy them through the tourist office or Myoko Snowsports, you can get a Myoko Akakura Snow Area Pass for about the same price which provides access to the two interlinked Akakura resorts. If you organise rental or lessons from Myoko Snowsports, both passes are offered at discounted rates.
If you rock up to one of the ticket windows you can only buy a pass for one of the Akakura resorts, even though they are interconnected. On the plus side, these tickets are about 1,000 yen cheaper than the dual pass.
Snow Conditions
Commonly the off-piste areas at Myoko Kogen have bottomless powder. Myoko receives some great snow falls with the large volumes due to the proximity of Myoko to the Japan Sea. The average snowfall is higher than other ski resorts near Nagano such as
Hakuba,
Nozawa Onsen and
Shiga Kogen.
The quality of the powder is pretty good; not the super light dry powder that Hokkaido is renowned for, but still reasonably dry. Of course the quality of the snow is somewhat dependent on elevation. The top of Suginohara (with a top elevation of 1,855 metres) typically has great snow quality. This area is higher than the top elevations of
Hakuba (1,670m) and
Nozawa Onsen (1,650), but Akakura Kanko’s top elevation is only at 1,500 metres.
Myoko Kogen Backcountry
If you’re willing to earn your turns, the real joy of Myoko Kogen is the backcountry. Venturing into the backcountry or even off-piste needs to be undertaken at the risk of the rider, and as such you should be adequately equipped with backcountry know-how, avalanche safety gear, and snow shoes or skins. Alternatively consider a backcountry tour with
Myoko Backcountry.