Hakuba

For an authentic Japanese skiing experience, look no further than the Hakuba Valley with its 10 ski areas.

weather Forecast today: Generally clear

Max temp: 27.8 °c
Min temp: 17.2 °c

Last Updated: Wed 21 May

weather Forecast today: Generally clear

Max temp: 27.8 °c
Min temp: 17.2 °c

Last Updated: Wed 21 May

Ski Club offerings

Freshtracks holiday

Check out the Ski Club’s holidays available in this resort

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50%Beginner

30%Intermediate

20%Advanced

Niseko might have better powder, but the Hakuba Valley gets more than its fair share

which is great news if you’re planning a trip to ski at its three main ski areas. Happo-One is the largest of these, covering 52km of pistes, including the 1998 Olympic ski racing pistes. Hakuba 47/Goryu is around half the size but a fun ski area and Iwatake has access to 50km of further slopes, but a much smaller vertical. Traditional guesthouses are the order of the day in terms of accommodation and as you might expect, the food is fantastic and there are numerous hot spring onsens to unwind in at the end of the ski day.

Join us on the 14-night Ski Club Freshtracks Japan Powder Adventure holiday, which takes in the best of the Hakuba Valley as well as the resort of Nozawa Onsen.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

Fantastic variety in the valley with 10 ski areas
Great snow record and access to some of Japan’s best powder
Authentic Japanese experience and great food

Language barrier can be an issue
Driving between ski areas is required and this can be tricky in snow
Off piste skiing is very heavily regulated, hire a guide for the best access

On the Slopes

All of the ski areas have options for beginners and intermediates, but the plentiful snowfall means that most will want to be confident skiing powder before heading half way around the world to go skiing. This also means you will make the most of the Japanese Alps’ epic terrain and big vertical.

For advanced and expert skiers and boarders, the tree skiing here is second to none. Hiring a mountain guide and carrying a pair of touring skins will make a big difference, but within the ski resorts there are some good inbound areas.

In particular the Hikage zone at Iwatake, the open bowls at the top of Hakuba 47/Goryu and the Kurobishi off piste area at Happo-One.

In the Resort

We’d recommend basing yourself in Hakuba itself rather than at one of the resorts as this will give you the freedom to travel around. The town of Hakuba has a great atmosphere with a wide range of bars and restaurants. There are good western options but the main attractions are the excellent Japanese food and izakayas (Japanese bars).

By far the best way to unwind after a day on the hill is in a traditional Japanese onsen – these are littered throughout the valley so don’t worry about finding one!

Getting to Hakuba

The transfer from Tokyo take a little less than three hours, via bullet train to the city of Nagano and then an express bus service up to the resort.

Tokyo airport: 2.5-3 hours

Season Dates

Opens: Late November (TBD)
Closes: Early May (TBD)

Resort holidays

Hakuba Piste Map

Top (1831m)

	Wed 21 May			Thu 22 May			Fri 23 May			Sat 24 May			Sun 25 May			Mon 26 May			Tue 27 May			Wed 28 May			Thu 29 May			Fri 30 May
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Generally clear	Partly cloudy	Light rain	Rather cloudy	Partly cloudy	Partly cloudy	Generally clear	Broken clouds	Mainly cloudy	Occasional rain	Rain	Rain	Rain	Light rain	Mist	Partly cloudy	Rather cloudy	Light rain	Occasional rain	Rain	Rain	Light rain shwr	Light rain shwr	Mist	Partly cloudy	Occasional rain	Light drizzle	Broken clouds	Occasional rain	Occasional rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	23.6°c	22°c	14.4°c	20.6°c	20.6°c	11.6°c	15.9°c	15.6°c	9.5°c	13.1°c	11.6°c	9.2°c	13.1°c	13.1°c	9°c	14.1°c	14.1°c	9°c	12.6°c	11.5°c	8.1°c	14°c	13.2°c	8.4°c	15.9°c	15.6°c	9.5°c	16.1°c	15.8°c	10°c
Min temp	21.8°c	14.4°c	13.8°c	16.5°c	11.6°c	8.5°c	12.4°c	9.5°c	8.6°c	11.6°c	8.6°c	8.6°c	11.1°c	9°c	7.5°c	10.8°c	8.9°c	8.6°c	11°c	8.1°c	7.8°c	11.9°c	8.4°c	7.6°c	13.5°c	9.5°c	8.9°c	14.1°c	10°c	8.9°c
Feels like temp	22°c	23.2°c	15.7°c	17.9°c	22.2°c	11.8°c	12°c	15.8°c	9.6°c	11.6°c	11.5°c	7.8°c	11.6°c	14.1°c	9.2°c	10.7°c	13.9°c	9°c	11.2°c	11°c	8.2°c	12.1°c	13.3°c	8.4°c	13.6°c	15.7°c	9.6°c	14.4°c	16°c	10.1°c

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Select day:

	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Generally clear	Partly cloudy	Light rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	23.6°c	22°c	14.4°c
Min temp	21.8°c	14.4°c	13.8°c
Feels like temp	22°c	23.2°c	15.7°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Rather cloudy	Partly cloudy	Partly cloudy
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	20.6°c	20.6°c	11.6°c
Min temp	16.5°c	11.6°c	8.5°c
Feels like temp	17.9°c	22.2°c	11.8°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Generally clear	Broken clouds	Mainly cloudy
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	15.9°c	15.6°c	9.5°c
Min temp	12.4°c	9.5°c	8.6°c
Feels like temp	12°c	15.8°c	9.6°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Occasional rain	Rain	Rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	13.1°c	11.6°c	9.2°c
Min temp	11.6°c	8.6°c	8.6°c
Feels like temp	11.6°c	11.5°c	7.8°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Rain	Light rain	Mist
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	13.1°c	13.1°c	9°c
Min temp	11.1°c	9°c	7.5°c
Feels like temp	11.6°c	14.1°c	9.2°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Partly cloudy	Rather cloudy	Light rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	14.1°c	14.1°c	9°c
Min temp	10.8°c	8.9°c	8.6°c
Feels like temp	10.7°c	13.9°c	9°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Occasional rain	Rain	Rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	12.6°c	11.5°c	8.1°c
Min temp	11°c	8.1°c	7.8°c
Feels like temp	11.2°c	11°c	8.2°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Light rain shwr	Light rain shwr	Mist
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	14°c	13.2°c	8.4°c
Min temp	11.9°c	8.4°c	7.6°c
Feels like temp	12.1°c	13.3°c	8.4°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Partly cloudy	Occasional rain	Light drizzle
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	15.9°c	15.6°c	9.5°c
Min temp	13.5°c	9.5°c	8.9°c
Feels like temp	13.6°c	15.7°c	9.6°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Broken clouds	Occasional rain	Occasional rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	16.1°c	15.8°c	10°c
Min temp	14.1°c	10°c	8.9°c
Feels like temp	14.4°c	16°c	10.1°c

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Resort (750m)

	Wed 21 May			Thu 22 May			Fri 23 May			Sat 24 May			Sun 25 May			Mon 26 May			Tue 27 May			Wed 28 May			Thu 29 May			Fri 30 May
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Generally clear	Partly cloudy	Occasional rain	Broken clouds	Partly cloudy	Broken clouds	Generally clear	Broken clouds	Mainly cloudy	Occasional rain	Rain	Rain	Rain	Light drizzle	Rather cloudy	Partly cloudy	Light rain shwr	Occasional rain	Occasional rain	Rain shower	Rain	Thunderstorms	Light rain shwr	Generally clear	Partly cloudy	Light rain shwr	Light rain shwr	Broken clouds	Occasional rain	Occasional rain
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	27.8°c	26°c	18.6°c	24.5°c	24.6°c	17.1°c	21.1°c	21.1°c	15.9°c	17.6°c	16.2°c	14°c	17.6°c	17.6°c	14.1°c	18.6°c	18.6°c	14.2°c	17.5°c	16.6°c	13.2°c	18.9°c	18.2°c	13.2°c	20.5°c	19.8°c	14.1°c	20.4°c	19.9°c	14.6°c
Min temp	22.6°c	18.6°c	17.2°c	18.5°c	17.1°c	13.1°c	15.1°c	15.9°c	13.4°c	14.8°c	13.6°c	13.1°c	13.6°c	14.1°c	11.9°c	13.5°c	14.2°c	13.1°c	14.1°c	13.2°c	11.9°c	14.8°c	13.2°c	11.5°c	15.6°c	14.1°c	12.5°c	16.5°c	14.6°c	12.4°c
Feels like temp	23.9°c	28.4°c	21.2°c	20.9°c	26.9°c	18.8°c	15.1°c	22°c	16.9°c	15.4°c	16.5°c	14.1°c	14.9°c	19.1°c	15°c	13.8°c	18.8°c	14.8°c	14.8°c	17°c	13.9°c	15.6°c	19°c	13.9°c	16.3°c	20.7°c	14.8°c	17.4°c	20.6°c	15.3°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	27.8°c	26°c	18.6°c
Min temp	22.6°c	18.6°c	17.2°c
Feels like temp	23.9°c	28.4°c	21.2°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	24.5°c	24.6°c	17.1°c
Min temp	18.5°c	17.1°c	13.1°c
Feels like temp	20.9°c	26.9°c	18.8°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	21.1°c	21.1°c	15.9°c
Min temp	15.1°c	15.9°c	13.4°c
Feels like temp	15.1°c	22°c	16.9°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	17.6°c	16.2°c	14°c
Min temp	14.8°c	13.6°c	13.1°c
Feels like temp	15.4°c	16.5°c	14.1°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	17.6°c	17.6°c	14.1°c
Min temp	13.6°c	14.1°c	11.9°c
Feels like temp	14.9°c	19.1°c	15°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	18.6°c	18.6°c	14.2°c
Min temp	13.5°c	14.2°c	13.1°c
Feels like temp	13.8°c	18.8°c	14.8°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	17.5°c	16.6°c	13.2°c
Min temp	14.1°c	13.2°c	11.9°c
Feels like temp	14.8°c	17°c	13.9°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	18.9°c	18.2°c	13.2°c
Min temp	14.8°c	13.2°c	11.5°c
Feels like temp	15.6°c	19°c	13.9°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	20.5°c	19.8°c	14.1°c
Min temp	15.6°c	14.1°c	12.5°c
Feels like temp	16.3°c	20.7°c	14.8°c

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	AM	PM	Night
Weather
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm
Max temp	20.4°c	19.9°c	14.6°c
Min temp	16.5°c	14.6°c	12.4°c
Feels like temp	17.4°c	20.6°c	15.3°c

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Resort Conditions

Snowfall	Next 3 days	No information
Depths	Upper piste depth	No information
Depths	Lower piste depth	No information
Snow conditions	Snow quality	No information
Lifts	Lifts open	No information
	Resort opening date	Sat 29 Nov 2025
	Resort closing date	Wed 06 May 2026