GALA Yuzawa
GALA湯沢スキー場36°57′ N 138°47′ E823 m vertical16 runs19.3 km
GALA suits day-trippers from Tokyo who want to step off the Shinkansen and onto a gondola, and its trade-off for 2026/27 is a smaller mountain with the ungroomed South area closed.
Road closure
GALA Yuzawa keeps its South area closed for the 2026/27 season
GALA Yuzawa announced on 15 September 2026 that the South area, its four courses and the Landau ropeway to Yuzawa Kogen stay shut all season, with a shuttle bus in place of the ropeway. The resort opens on 19 December 2026.
Checked 2026-10-11 · gala.co.jp
Photo Ski Mania · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner8.6 km
- Intermediate5.9 km
- Advanced2.7 km
OpenStreetMap maps 19 named runs and 9 lifts at GALA Yuzawa, and the guide measures each one against the elevation model.
Open the 3D map ↓Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Ride every run at GALA Yuzawaコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 下山コース ファルコン | 2,608 m | 569 m | 22.1° | 12.2° | E | ||
| Edelweissエーデルワイス | 1,722 m | 199 m | 13.9° | 6.6° | E | ||
| EntertainmentエンターテイメントNotes | 944 m | 199 m | 17.1° | 11.8° | E | ||
| Swanスワン | 1,095 m | 159 m | 16.5° | 8.2° | N | ||
| Melodyメロディー | 400 m | 52 m | 11.8° | 7.7° | N | ||
| Roman Holiday AロマンホリデーA | 528 m | 44 m | 9.8° | 4.7° | SW | ||
| 林道湯の沢線 | 100 m | 4 m | 2.9° | 2.5° | W | ||
| Roman Holiday BロマンホリデーB | 61 m | 2 m | 1.6° | 0.4° | NE | ||
| Batmanバットマン | 1,692 m | 239 m | 16.1° | 8° | E | ||
| Elisaイライザ | 985 m | 238 m | 21.1° | 13.5° | E | ||
| GigiジジNotes | 746 m | 182 m | 21.8° | 13.7° | E | ||
| BroadwayブロードウェイNotes | 635 m | 156 m | 21.4° | 13.8° | NE | ||
| Grenobleぐルノーブル | 663 m | 154 m | 23.2° | 13.1° | N | ||
| Super Broadwayスーパーブロードウェイ | 384 m | 89 m | 22.3° | 12.7° | NE | ||
| Joanna AジョアンナA | 290 m | 58 m | 16.7° | 11.3° | W | ||
| Joanna BジョアンナB | 246 m | 55 m | 21° | 12.6° | NW | ||
| $2,600,000260万ダラーTreesNotes | 926 m | 238 m | 29.3° | 14.1° | E | ||
| Bronco AブロンコATrees | 388 m | 126 m | 27.5° | 18° | SE | ||
| Super SwanスーパースワンTreesNotes | 214 m | 69 m | 23.6° | 17.8° | NE |
Lengths, vertical, pitch and aspect are measured from OpenStreetMap run lines and the elevation model. Steepest is the hardest 60 m pitch. Read them as a guide and follow the signs on the hill.
More named runs from the trail map
Falconファルコン
The downhill trail from the North area to Ski Center Kawabanga, with views over the Tanigawa range and Minami-Uonuma.
Good for last run to the station, views
Roman Holidayローマンホリデー
A quiet beginner course that leads toward Ishiuchi Maruyama and the Renshu Dojo park area.
Good for link to Ishiuchi Maruyama, park practice
Know the zones before you goエリア
Central area中央エリア
zoneIntermediate
Five courses spread out around the gondola top and the Cheers rest house, from the beginner Melody to the steep course down from the top of the resort.
Good for groomers, beginners
North area北エリア
zoneIntermediate
Six courses with the snow park, the ungroomed Super Swan and the Roman Holiday link to Ishiuchi Maruyama. The Falcon downhill trail starts here.
Good for park, ungroomed snow, link to Ishiuchi
South area南エリア
zoneAdvanced
GALA's ungroomed South area and its links to Yuzawa Kogen are closed for the whole 2026/27 season.
Good for closed for 2026/27
9 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥8,000, about CAD 72 or USD 51 (October 2026 rates)
- Bought online
- ¥7,500, about CAD 67 or USD 47 (October 2026 rates)
GALA's 2026/27 prices: elementary-school children pay ¥4,000 at the window or ¥3,500 online, and up to two preschoolers per adult ride free. The gondola-and-Barouche ticket for non-riders costs ¥6,500 (¥5,500 online), and a four-hour ticket is ¥7,000 online. The early-bird day ticket at ¥4,800 sells on Webket and JRE MALL from 15 October to 30 November 2026; the ¥4,300 super early-bird sold out in five minutes. The YUZAWA SNOW LINK ticket covers GALA, Yuzawa Kogen and Ishiuchi Maruyama on one pass.
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Drive
- Kan-etsu Expressway to Yuzawa IC, then about 3 km (5 minutes).
- Bus
- Free shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa, about 10 minutes
- Train
- Joetsu Shinkansen direct to GALA Yuzawa in winter; GALA quotes 71 minutes from Tokyo on the fastest train. Outside the station's season, ride to Echigo-Yuzawa and take the free shuttle bus, about 10 minutes.
The nearest station is Gala-Yuzawa. Seasonal Joetsu Shinkansen terminus inside the ski centre building; JR had not published its 2026/27 dates by 11 October 2026. Echigo-Yuzawa is the year-round alternative.
The Landau ropeway to Yuzawa Kogen is closed for 2026/27, and a shuttle bus replaces it.
GALA Yuzawa belongs to the JR East group, and its base building doubles as a Shinkansen station. The Joetsu Shinkansen stops at GALA Yuzawa station in winter, and you walk straight off the platform into Ski Center Kawabanga with its big rental floor and hot baths. GALA says the fastest train takes 71 minutes from Tokyo. The Dilligence gondola then carries you up to the Cheers rest house at about 800 metres, where all the riding starts.
GALA has closed its South area for the whole 2026/27 season. Four courses close with it. GALA promotes 2.6 Million Dollar and Bronco as its ungroomed natural-terrain runs, and Eliza and Batman go too. The Wagonette pair lift and the Landau ropeway to Yuzawa Kogen stop too. GALA says the area depends heavily on snowfall and that it has been surveying the ground there since the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake. Ageing equipment weighed on the decision as well. A shuttle bus now links GALA with Yuzawa Kogen.
What stays open is the Central area with five courses and the North area with six. Super Swan in the North stays ungroomed and is the steepest pitch at GALA. Roman Holiday leads across to Ishiuchi Maruyama. Falcon brings you back down to the base and the station, and GALA puts it at 2.5 kilometres.
Worth knowing
- JR runs GALA Yuzawa station only in winter and had not announced its 2026/27 dates by 11 October 2026. Check the JR East timetable before booking a day trip; Echigo-Yuzawa is one stop away with a free shuttle bus to the resort.
- Buy the YUZAWA SNOW LINK ticket if you plan to ski across to Ishiuchi Maruyama through Roman Holiday.
- The gondola runs for sightseeing from 12 to 18 December 2026, before the slopes open.
- Super Swan is GALA's steepest run and the place to go after a snowfall now that the South area is shut.
Quick answers about GALA Yuzawaよくある質問
How big is GALA Yuzawa?
GALA Yuzawa has 16 runs and 11 lifts over 823 m of vertical, from 358 m at the base to 1,181 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 19.3 km of piste there.
How steep is GALA Yuzawa?
The steepest mapped pitch at GALA Yuzawa is about 32.6° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 2.7 km of the mapped total.
How much is a lift ticket at GALA Yuzawa?
An adult day ticket at GALA Yuzawa costs ¥8,000, about CAD 72 or USD 51 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season.
Does GALA Yuzawa have night riding?
No. GALA Yuzawa closes its lifts at dusk.
How do you get to GALA Yuzawa from Tokyo Station?
GALA Yuzawa is kan-etsu Expressway to Yuzawa IC, then about 3 km (5 minutes) by car from Tokyo Station. By bus: Free shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa, about 10 minutes.
When is the season at GALA Yuzawa?
GALA Yuzawa usually opens 19 December 2026 for riding; the gondola runs for sightseeing from 12 December and closes 5 May 2027.
Within 25 km
Places to stay nearby宿
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Towns and neighbourhoods nearby町
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Ski resorts nearby山
In the journal and guides
Read more about GALA Yuzawa特集
Practical guide · 8 min read
How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?
One adult sharing a room spends about ¥90,000 on a budget week in Yuzawa and from about ¥178,000 for a mid-range week in Hakuba, before flights and rental. A ryokan-hotel week in Myoko runs to about ¥286,000.
Practical guide · 8 min read
Where can you ski on a day trip from Tokyo?
In winter the Shinkansen stops inside GALA Yuzawa's base building. Kagura has the biggest terrain within reach of Echigo-Yuzawa, and Mt.T in Minakami has the steepest, an hour from Tokyo plus a bus.