Guide to Ski Resort Lift Passes in Hakuba Valley

The Hakuba Valley boasts an incredible 10 ski resorts for snow lovers to choose from. It’s amazing, but for some it can also be a source of confusion. What is the best ski pass to get in Hakuba? Should I buy a multi day pass to try and save money? What’s the most convenient ski ticket option so that I’m not waiting in lines every morning? Do I need to order or book my skiing/snowboarding lift tickets in advance? How can I save money on lift tickets in Hakuba? There are so many questions you might be asking, and since it’s already complicated enough to organise a snow trip to Japan, we’ve pulled together this guide to ski resort lift passes/tickets in Hakuba Valley to make your life easier. No worries.

What type of ski lift passes are there in Hakuba?

All resorts in the Hakuba Valley use the ADATA electronic card system for their lift passes. Users of the pass need to put them in their pocket (away from other cards, old electronic card passes and away from phones), then pass through the electronic gates to be allowed onto the ski lift. Most resorts use a hard plastic card that you need to pay a ¥500 deposit for (you can return them to a machine at the end of use and get the money back), other resorts are still using a durable cardboard card that is disposable.

In the Hakuba Valley, do I need to reserve my ski days in advance?

No! Unlike some resorts internationally, you will be welcome to ski/ride at any resort you choose to on any day that it is open. All you need to do is buy a pass. There are no restrictions on numbers. There are no complicated hoops to jump through or lottery systems to “win” to be allowed your day on the snow. You and your friends and/or family can all ride together with big, stress-free smiles on your faces. We are lucky enough here to not be facing the overcrowding that other areas in the world are facing.

Should I buy a new lift ticket every day at the resort ticket window?

We recommend buying passes on a day by day basis to those that want ultimate flexibility, but also want the most cost effective option. Some resorts do offer multi-day passes, but often they aren’t actually discounted as you might expect them to be. For example, a 1 day pass at Happo in 2022/23 purchased at the ticket window was ¥6,500. A 2 day pass was ¥13,000. You do the math! There is also the option of buying a “Hakuba Valley” pass… I’ll go into that in more detail below.

How much do ski lift tickets/passes cost in Hakuba?

This depends on the resort you choose to ski at. The cost for a day pass at the time of writing (Summer 2023) at the main resorts in Hakuba are approx ¥5,500 – ¥7,500 per day (by today’s exchange rate, that is AU$58-80, or US$38-51 per day). Some of the smaller resorts are as little as ¥4,000 per day! Each resort will update their pricing for the season in their own time. Check each website for the most detailed info… and be sure to check the date they are advertising – some resorts wait until quite late in the year to inform us of their pricing for the coming season.

Happo One
Goryu
Hakuba 47
Iwatake
Tsugaike
Cortina/Norikura
Kashimiyari

Do Hakuba ski resorts have long lineups at the lift ticket counter?

Usually not, but it is possible, especially if you are visiting during the Christmas and New Year break, Chinese New Year or on a Japanese public holiday weekend. BUT there is a hack. It is not commonly known that once you have your hard plastic ADATA lift pass, you can reload it online… AND the cost of a day pass is cheaper if you load it yourself online. Therefore, once you have that card in your hand, you no longer need to physically join the line to buy your pass. All you need is a credit card and to be slightly more organised and you get a cheaper pass with no risk of needing to line up. Winning!

Can I reload my Hakuba ski pass online? If so, how?

As mentioned above, YES, you can reload any hard plastic ADATA card that was purchased in the Hakuba Valley. You can reload it with a day pass from any resort in the Valley, you are not limited to reloading it only for the resort you just rode at today. E.g. you brought the pass at Happo, but want to ride Goryu tomorrow. This is no problem.

The process for loading your pass online can seem a little complicated as each resort seems to have a slightly different system – also, they don’t put the passes up and available to purchase online until the resorts are open for the season… so if you are trying to be super organised pre-trip, you might feel frustrated at the lack of information. This is getting better year on year, but the best place to start is by visiting the resort ticket page (listed above), or this website https://www.hakubavalley.com/en/ticket_en/onlinewebshop_en/

We have loaded our own passes in the past with very few problems. The best thing to do is to buy your first day at the resort when you get here, then try to top it up that evening with the resort you want to ride the following morning by visiting that resort’s website and following their instructions for “Web Ticket”.

I want everything to just be easy and organised in advance, what should I do?

If this is you, then we recommend looking into the “Hakuba Valley Lift Ticket”. This pass allows you to use 10 ski resorts in the Hakuba area with one pass. You can buy a pass from 1 to 10 days that have a period of validity. E.g. A 5 day pass is valid for 10 days from the first day of use. With this pass you could technically access more than one resort in one day if you wanted to (though this is not a common desire in Hakuba), and you also get free access to the HV Shuttle bus (A different bus to the free shuttle buses offered by the individual resorts, it’s about ¥600 for non-pass holders). You can pre book your Hakuba Valley Lift Ticket in advance of your trip and even have it delivered to your accommodation so that you are ready to hit the snow as soon as you arrive.

The main reason that we don’t automatically recommend this product to our guests is the price. This is the most convenient lift ticket option in Hakuba Valley, but it is certainly not the cheapest! Even if you buy a 10 day pass, the average daily rate is still more than the cost of the most expensive day pass in the Hakuba Valley. In 2023/24 the 10 day pass is ¥77,600. The most expensive day pass (that we’ve seen advertised so far) purchased directly on the mountain is ¥7,500. Once again. You do the math! The other reason we don’t recommend it to guests at Hakuba Matata Lodge is that we have an incredible location with great access to the free shuttle buses. There is very little need to use the HV bus when you are already in a free bus hot spot. We certainly understand and appreciate the value of the HV lift tickets, and know that it really works for some people. Pay the money and do less thinking during your trip. If this sounds like you, check this website for info on how to buy the Hakuba Valley Lift Tickets. https://www.hakubavalley.com/ticket/

How can I get cheaper or discounted ski lift passes in Hakuba?

As mentioned above, it doesn’t always pay to buy multi-day passes to bring costs down, but there are ways to make savings.

Buy passes online by reloading your hard plastic ADATA card. Read above.
Buy discounted day passes from your accommodation.
Buy a season pass (Only viable if you are here for quite a long time! We’ll discuss this more below).
Buy “half day” passes. This is usually a minimal saving for far less time on the mountain. It’s certainly not better value.

At Hakuba Matata Lodge we can sell discounted ski passes to our guests for the Goryu/47/Iimori resort. This is technically 3 resorts on one pass… but it’s all on one mountain and lift access is available between each area. If you are interested in purchasing them, please contact us in advance of your stay and we can arrange it. The prices won’t be known until closer to the season, but it’s usually about ¥400 – ¥1,000 per day in savings per pass. Single day passes can be used on any day of the season, but multi day passes will need to be used consecutively. Not all accommodation providers have access to the discount passes, so be sure to ask your accommodation if they are able to sell them to you in advance of your trip.

If you are staying at Hakuba Matata, contact us to reserve your discounted passes.

I’m coming to Hakuba for a while, should I get a season pass? Or stick to day passes?

This is a complicated one to answer as there are just so many things to consider! Each resort has it’s own season pass, allowing access solely to that individual resort. Then there is the Hakuba Valley Season pass, which allows open access to all 10 resorts in the valley. It really depends on how much you want to get out and explore the different resorts, or if you are happy getting to know one really, really well. Let me explain…

If you are happy to spend 10 days skiing solely at one resort, you will break even on an early bird, individual mountain season pass.

E.g. Goryu/47 Season pass, if purchased by Oct 31 is ¥58,000. Divide that by the price of a day pass ¥6,000 and you work out that you pay off your season pass in 9.6 days. If your trip is longer than 10 days, your next days at that resort are technically free. If you want to ride elsewhere, it’d be out of pocket. Prices are different at each ski resort. Check each website before making your decision.

SEASON PASS HACK: If you are 18-39 years of age, you can get an early bird season pass at Happo for just ¥36,000 (if you buy it before November 10th). You’ll break even on this in just 5.5 days! You could use this as your default riding location, but when you are excited for the conditions at Tsugaike, or Cortina, or want to meet up with friends at Goryu or Iwatake, you can justify buying the day pass as you’ve really made a huge savings by committing most of your days to Happo, the biggest resort in the Valley.

If you are feeling unsure about committing to one resort and want ultimate freedom, this is where the conundrum comes in. The Hakuba Valley Season pass is like white gold. Access all the resorts in the Hakuba Valley on one pass. This, of course, comes at a price:

2023/34 Hakuba Valley Season Pass Prices

Super Earlybird 8/1〜9/14 Adult 110,000 yen Child 58,000 yen

Earlybird 9/15-10/31 Adult 135,000 yen Child 71,000 yen

Normal 11/1~ Adult 165,000 yen Child 87,000 yen

If you manage to get an Earlybird pass, it will take you more than 20 days of skiing/riding to pay it off. Without Earlybird, it’s more than 25 days. Once again, this is the ultimate convenience and takes the thinking out of getting out on the snow. You can keep that one pass in your pocket and leave it there until the end of your time in Hakuba knowing it’ll get you access to any resort in the Valley. It will also give free access to the HV bus. If you are here for the season and know that you will have plenty of days to get out on the snow, this is totally justifiable. If you are here for less time, or expect that you might not get so many days out, then perhaps it is not the option for you. Also, make sure you don’t lose the pass! You can get another one, but it’s not instant, and it’s not free. Last season they charged a replacement fee of over ¥5,000.

It’s also worth noting that season passes are only able to be used by the individual who has purchased it. You can not share it around to different people on different days. You will supply personal information and an ID photo when purchasing your pass. If a different person is caught using the pass, it is considered fraud and the police will be involved. For the sake of an enjoyable trip to Hakuba, please don’t make a plan involving sharing a season pass.white

Conclusion

We hope that this has answered your questions regarding ski lift passes in the Hakuba Valley. The good news is that they are relatively cheap compared to most popular resorts internationally, and they are easy to get! If you don’t want to prepare anything in advance this is totally OK and won’t break the bank as a result. On the flip side, if you want to be organised and have everything prepared for a smooth zero stress holiday, you can do that too! Getting on the snow here in Hakuba is easy!