A remote volcanic plateau near Mt Norikura — limited lift-served terrain, but serious high-altitude backcountry for those who know the range.
Live conditions
Off-seasonThe mountain is resting.
Next season
Opens late November
Current temp 2°C, wind 2 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 Norikura Kogen Ski Area
A remote volcanic plateau near Mt Norikura — limited lift-served terrain, but serious high-altitude backcountry for those who know the range.
Norikura Kogen Ski Area is a hidden-gem ski resort in Nagano, with 12 marked runs and 748m of vertical. It averages around 11m of snowfall a season, over terrain that suits experts. Expect high-altitude terrain and backcountry access.
Terrain in detail
ExtremeTrue expert terrain — steep, deep, and demanding. Difficulty, powder character, and the stats that matter on the mountain itself.
Hardcore index
83
True expert terrain — steep, deep, and demanding.
From terrain split, run profile, vertical drop, expert features.
Powder profile
Inland alpine — variable depending on storm direction.
Drier on cold storms, deeper when the Sea of Japan fires.
11
m
per season
Frequent deep days through midwinter
Expert runs
7 of 12
Estimated from advanced terrain split.
Vertical drop
748m
Solid sustained pitch.
Steepest pitch
—
Pitch not published.
Backcountry gates
Open
Lift-accessed sidecountry — register at the gate.
Tree skiing
Limited
Mostly groomed terrain.
Moguls
Few
Mostly cord and powder.
Best for
Terrain
Getting there
From airport
3 hours from Tokyo
Train / bus
Bus from JR Matsumoto Station 3 hours from Tokyo
Bus from JR Matsumoto Station 3 hours from Tokyo
Photo: Ski Mania / Public domain · Source
Curated guides covering Norikura Kogen Ski Area and the rest of Nagano.
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