Home of the Dragondola — at 5.5km the world's longest gondola, linking Naeba to Kagura. The Prince Hotel anchors a full Niigata ski town.
Live conditions
Off-seasonThe mountain is resting.
Next season
Opens late November
Current temp 12°C, wind 5 km/h. We’ll resume the daily report once snowfall picks up.
Forecast data via Open-Meteo. Refreshes hourly. Always verify with the resort before driving up.
Why Naeba Ski Resort
Home of the Dragondola — at 5.5km the world's longest gondola, linking Naeba to Kagura. The Prince Hotel anchors a full Niigata ski town.
Naeba Ski Resort is a premier ski resort in Niigata, with 22 marked runs and 1085m of vertical. It averages around 7m+ of snowfall a season, over terrain that suits intermediates and advanced skiers. Expect a large interconnected mountain.
Terrain in detail
SeriousPlenty for advanced skiers — proper black runs, real consequence. Difficulty, powder character, and the stats that matter on the mountain itself.
Hardcore index
62
Plenty for advanced skiers — proper black runs, real consequence.
From terrain split, run profile, vertical drop, expert features.
Powder profile
Yuzawa storm magnet — heavy, frequent refills.
Heavier, frequent storm cycles — deep refills, denser snow.
7
m+
per season
Frequent deep days through midwinter
Expert runs
7 of 22
Estimated from advanced terrain split.
Vertical drop
1085m
Big-mountain vertical.
Steepest pitch
32°
Stiff black-run pitch.
Backcountry gates
None
In-bounds skiing only.
Tree skiing
Limited
Mostly groomed terrain.
Moguls
Few
Mostly cord and powder.
Best for
Terrain
Getting there
From airport
Approximately 90 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo
Train / bus
Shuttle from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Shinkansen Station Approximately 90 minutes by Shi
Shuttle from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Shinkansen Station Approximately 90 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo
Photo: SLIMHANNYA / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
Curated guides covering Naeba Ski Resort and the rest of Niigata.
More resorts in Niigata
powder-focused
Niigata's high-altitude powder magnet — base elevation above 1,200m means season lasts into Golden Week, and gate-managed backcountry is easy to access from the top.
day trip
The only resort in Japan with a Shinkansen station at the lift base — you can literally ski in a suit on your lunch break. Beginner-heavy, famously accessible.
day trip
Yuzawa's most walkable resort — the NASPA hotel sits on the slope, the Shinkansen station is a short shuttle away, and the runs are firmly beginner–intermediate.
family-focused
One of the Yuzawa cluster's more varied mountains — longer runs, a dedicated beginner zone, and direct Shinkansen access.
