Seki Onsen Ski Resort

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Seki Onsen Ski Resort

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Seki Onsen

Seki Onsen3.5/54
Seki Onsen3.5 out of 5 based on 4 reviews
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Seki Onsen Ski Resort

Seki Onsen is one of the Myoko ski resorts, and an off-piste haven for powder hounds. Seki Onsen Ski Resort attracts a lot of hype for its steep tree skiing and the masses of snow that bestow the ski area; somewhere in the realm of 14.5 to 16 metres on average per season! In some respects, Seki lives up to the hype, but in others it just doesn’t stack up. It’s definitely steep and deep, but it's also rather petite!

Seki Onsen is an ideal spot to visit for a powder day or two from one of the other Myoko villages, or you can stay in the Seki Onsen village for a few days if you want to experience the real Japan and stay off the well beaten tourist path. Otherwise Seki is ideal as part of a multi-day tour.

Seki Onsen isn’t really a “resort”. It’s a little ski area that is family owned and has only a handful of staff, very limited infrastructure, and no bells or whistles (or ski patrollers with a whistle for that matter).

Pros and Cons of Seki Onsen Myoko

Pros 
  • Colossal amounts of snow fall from the heavens at Seki.
  • Much of the terrain is steep and the treed areas are varied.
  • Lift tickets are very inexpensive (although you don’t get much for your handful of yen).
  • The resort has a liberal off-piste policy so you won’t have a ski patroller chasing you.
  • The vibe of this long running family run business is beautiful, it’s delightfully non-commercialised, and a pleasant step back in time.
Cons
  • Seki is fabulous; shame it’s so tiny and the lift-accessed terrain gets tracked out quickly.
  • The ski area is rather boring if it hasn’t snowed recently.
  • The lifts are historic and it can take eons for them to be dug out on a powder day.
  • On a weekend powder day, the lift queues can be very tiresome.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
  • The village of Seki Onsen doesn’t cater particularly well to gaijin, so it’s a fabulous place to get away from the gaijin.
  • Seki is a no frills ski resort with limited infrastructure and negligible grooming. This is awesome in some respects, but when they can’t get the lifts running first thing in the morning, it’s not so great.

Seki Ski and Snowboard Terrain

The Seki Onsen ski area is just a wee little thing and it doesn’t take long for the handful of locals to rip up the in-bounds powder. To give you an idea of the size, it officially has 4 runs (courses), 310 metres of vertical (900 – 1,210 metres), and 2 little lifts. The top lift is a single chair (fondly known as a suicide or pizza box chair) and it’s usually open, but not always. And on a big powder day it can take them a while to open the bottom chair considering the massive snow depths and the lack of sophisticated machinery to dig the chairs out.

With official trail stats of 20% beginner, 50% intermediate and 30% advanced, you could be sucked into thinking this is a good place to bring the family or some learners, but think again! There’s really only one intermediate run, and it may or may not be groomed. It may depend on whether the grooming man is working or not, and whether the grooming machine is working or not!

The terrain is characterised as being rather steep and it has a mixture of small open areas, tight trees and open glades.

Unlike many Honshu ski resorts, there’s no ban on off-piste skiing and snowboarding (lucky considering there are only 4 piste runs!) and you can venture a fair way from the lifts in search of freshies.

Seki Snow

Seki Onsen reputably gets 16 metres per season, and another source cites 14.5 metres. A ridiculous 19 metres of snow was reported for the 2021/22 season. Either way, it scores a lot of snow!

Where is Seki Onsen Japan?

Seki Onsen is considered one of the Myoko Kogen ski resorts, and is located north of Nagano City in the Niigata Prefecture. Seki Onsen is a 30 minute drive northwest of Akakura (the main village of Myoko), and about 12km from the town of Myokokogen.

Seki Onsen Accommodation

The small Seki Onsen village is very cute and traditional and has ryokans and other Japanese style accommodation. And it’s not called Seki “Onsen” for nothing, with various onsen / hot springs in the ryokan.

Seki Onsen Accommodation

Facilities

The facilities and services at Seki are reasonably simplistic. There is a ski rental shop but don’t have your heart set on renting equipment from this century. The ski area also has a restaurant and eatery.

Most of the Seki Onsen ryokan and pensions have onsen, which can be used by day trippers for a small fee.
Tours That May Include Seki

Safari (Road Trip) Tours

Pow Pow Japan Tour
HOSTED GROUP PACKAGE PRIVATE TOUR
Cultural Ski & Snowboard Adventure
Ability: Beginner to Expert
Ski Japan's famous powder in conjunction with a rich cultural experience on this hosted tour. The tour is hosted by a local Japanese person who speaks fluent English; whilst the focus of the tours is primarily snow sports, you will experience the culture, food & festivities beyond the normal ski/snowboard adventure.
Price p/p From price based on 8-day sample itinerary, twin-share room (group of 6).
Base/invoice currency is in Japanese Yen inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 1,526
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See all Safari (Road Trip) tours that visit Seki Onsen here

Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area Tours

Japow Experience
GUIDED BACKCOUNTRY & LIFT ACCESS
9 Nights | 10 Days | 8 Skiing/Riding | 7 Resorts
Ability: Advanced to Expert
If you are an advanced skier or snowboarder & don't mind a bit of hiking & are looking to experience deep, deep powder in & around Myoko Kogen then this tour could be for you.
Price p/p Displayed prices are per person based on a min private group size of 4
Base/invoice currency is Euro
Displayed price may vary slightly from actual due to exchange rate fluctuations.
USD 3,089
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Myoko Powder Tour
HOSTED & GUIDED TOURS
7 Nights | 6 Days Lifts | 5 Mornings Guiding
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
Get the best out of Myoko Kogen and nearby ski resorts and chase the powder with a Myoko Kogen Powder Tour. This tour includes quality accommodation in a great location, transport to nearby ski areas & morning guide. Tours runs Saturday to Saturday.
Price p/p Sample price based on twin/double-share option with shared bathroom, 7 nights for the 23/24 season.
Base/invoice currency is in AUD inc taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 1,489
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Madarao Adventurer
MADARAO BASED EXPLORER TOUR
7 Nights | 6 Days Skiing Riding | Up To 5 Resorts
Ability: Intermediate to Expert
Explore Madarao/Tangram & several of its nearby ski resorts (including the sidecountry) such as Nozawa Onsen, Myoko Kogen, Lotte Arai, & Shiga Kogen with a guide. This good value package is customizable for your group of up to 6.
Price p/p Price is per person in a private group of 2-3 for 23/24 season
Base/invoice currency is JPY
Displayed price may vary slightly to actual due to exchange rate fluctuations.
USD 1,541
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See all Single-Base, Multi-Ski-Area tours that visit Seki Onsen here

Ski & Snowboard Camp Tours

NZSIA Ski Instructors Course
LEVEL-1 SKI INSTRUCTOR COURSE
5 Days Instruction | 6 Days Lifts | 7 Nights Lodging
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
Come and ride in Japan as a solo or with a couple of mates and achieve your level 1 NZSIA ski instructors certificate. Professional NZSIA qualified coach, great accommodation & more...
Price p/p Based on bed in a shared room (max 3 per room)
Base/invoice currency is Japanese Yen
Displayed price might vary slightly due to exchange rate fluctuations
USD 1,936
View Details
 
See all Ski & Snowboard Camp tours that visit Seki Onsen here
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