Hakuba Happo-one

Happo climbs a long east-facing ridge straight out of Hakuba village, so the lifts start a short walk from the Happo bus terminal. The Adam gondola and the Riesen quad both carry you to the middle mountain. From there a chain of quads takes you up to the Grat quad, which tops out at 1,831 m with the Hakuba Sanzan peaks filling the view. Happo says the Adam gondola retires after the 2026/27 winter, so this is its last season.

The famous terrain sits on the upper half. Kurobishi is the mogul face everyone watches from the chair, and after a storm the bumps fill in and it skis like a powder bowl. Usagidaira gets steeper and more broken the further down you go. The two 1998 Olympic downhill courses drop off the Panorama area toward Kokusai and Sakka. Tenbo is the short expert pitch under the old men's super-G start.

Once patrol has checked the slope it opens Omusubi. This ungroomed face is reached by the traverse from Skyline toward Panorama. Urakuro on the north side of the Kurobishi No. 3 pair is the other designated off-piste area. Beyond the boundary the resort has designated backcountry gates, and the Hakuba Valley rules ask you to file a climbing registration before you use them.

Wind is the catch. The upper quads close when it blows, and on those days the mountain shrinks to the Riesen Slalom and the lower slopes, which still give a long cruise back to the village. Peak-season tickets run from 19 December to 22 March, and spring skiing carries on at the lower price until Golden Week ends on 5 May.