The Japanese Alps are located on the main island, just a short distance on a bullet-train from Tokyo. Once ensconced in this mountainous terrain, where rugged peaks tower over 3,000 metres, skiing intuition leads you to the Hakuba valley where even the valley floor is blessed with an average annual snowfall of over 12 metres per annum.

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There are 11 separate ski resorts in the valley, all unified under one lift pass, namely (from north to south): Cortina, Norikura, Tsugaike Kogen, Iwatake, Happo-One, Hakuba 47, Goryu, Sanosaka, Kashimayari, Jigatake, and Minekata. This equates to 960 hectares of skiable terrain, 90 miles of piste, 200 plus courses, 135 lifts (5 gondolas) and at least nine terrain parks. Although there is a huge amount of terrain for beginners through to advanced skiers and snowboarders, visitors will need to be prepared to catch a shuttle bus each day if they want to sample it all. The Hakuba Valley also has great backcountry with opportunities to hike/skin up from the top of some of the ski resorts. Backcountry skiing and snowboarding can be absolutely phenomenal, we have the contacts and local knowledge to secure the best guides.

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The main hub of the valley is Happo, where most of the luxury accommodation is found. The ski village has a great vibe and caters well to English speaking guests with a wide range of restaurants including Western style dining as well as plenty of opportunities to sample the fabulous Japanese food. Happo One, the ski mountain on your doorstep is the largest in the valley. Featuring wide open pistes, intersected with vast ungroomed sections making it a breeze to dip your skis into the deep powder.