Iwappara Ski Resort
岩原スキー場36°56′ N 138°51′ E586 m vertical20 runs10.2 kmNight riding
Iwappara suits families and first-timers who want a huge, gentle main slope close to Echigo-Yuzawa, and its trade-off is a short season that ends in late March.
Photo Famifamifami · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
- Beginner6.5 km
- Intermediate2.5 km
- Advanced1.1 km
Figures the resort does not publish are measured from the map data.
OpenStreetMap maps 0 named runs and 7 lifts at Iwappara, 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 Iwapparaコース
Named runs from the trail map
Main Bahnメインバーン
Iwappara's pride is this wide gentle slope, groomed flat and lit at night.
Good for wide easy slope, night riding
Grand Bahnグランドバーン
A smooth easy slope near the middle entrance, lit at night with views of the town.
Good for first night session
West Courseウエストコース
A flat, wide mid-pitch slope on the west side, good for practising carved turns, with sunset light on the peaks.
Good for carving, sunsets
Challenge Courseチャレンジコース
The badge-test slope stays ungroomed on weekdays and is groomed on busy weekends. Bumps form on some days.
Good for badge tests, ungroomed weekdays
Fine Snow Bahnファインスノーバーン
The area beside the Romance lift, where the resort rates the snow among its best.
Good for best snow at Iwappara
7 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥5,500, about CAD 49 or USD 35 (October 2026 rates)
- Night
- ¥1,500, about CAD 13 or USD 9.50 (October 2026 rates)
- 2 days
- ¥8,800, about CAD 79 or USD 56 (October 2026 rates)
- 3 days
- ¥11,500, about CAD 103 or USD 73 (October 2026 rates)
Iwappara calls its lift tickets entry tickets and kept 2025/26 prices for 2026/27. The day-plus ticket from 08:00 to the end of night riding costs ¥5,800, and the afternoon-and-night ticket from 13:00 costs ¥4,500. Juniors aged 3 to elementary school pay ¥3,500 for a day, and riders 60 and over pay ¥4,300. A day ticket can be swapped for a day at Joetsu Kokusai, one day at a time.
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Bus
- Free shuttle on weekends, holidays and 28 December to 1 January; loop buses on the Echigo-Yuzawa and Nakazato-Iwappara routes
- Train
- Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa, then the free Iwappara shuttle from across the road outside the station arcade.
The nearest station is Echigo-Yuzawa. Free shuttle bus; no reservation needed.
Iwappara sits on the east side of the Yuzawa valley, and its Main Bahn spreads up to 200 metres wide on a gentle pitch. The resort grooms it flat and wide on purpose, which suits nervous beginners. Iwappara lists 20 courses, from that main slope up to its advanced pitches. A beginner can string courses together from the top for a long run all the way to the base.
Strong riders head for the Challenge course, which the resort leaves ungroomed on weekdays and grooms on busy weekends. The resort rates the snow on the Fine Snow Bahn and the Romance course beside it among its best. Night riding lights the Main, Grand and West slopes until 19:00, or 20:00 on Saturdays, and the Grand Bahn looks down on the town lights and the expressway.
Prices stayed the same for 2026/27, and the day ticket costs ¥5,500. The resort has also renamed its lift tickets entry tickets. A free shuttle runs from Echigo-Yuzawa on weekends, holidays and over New Year, with loop buses on two routes through the valley. The kids' snow area costs ¥1,000 a day.
Worth knowing
- Cross the road from the Echigo-Yuzawa arcade to find the Iwappara shuttle stop.
- Buy the day-plus ticket if you plan to stay for the night session; it costs only ¥300 more.
- Your Iwappara day ticket also works at Joetsu Kokusai on a different day.
Quick answers about Iwappara Ski Resortよくある質問
How big is Iwappara?
Iwappara has 20 runs and 7 lifts over 586 m of vertical, from 397 m at the base to 983 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 10.2 km of piste there.
How steep is Iwappara?
The steepest mapped pitch at Iwappara is about 28.7° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 1.1 km of the mapped total.
How much is a lift ticket at Iwappara?
An adult day ticket at Iwappara costs ¥5,500, about CAD 49 or USD 35 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season.
Does Iwappara have night riding?
Yes. Iwappara runs night lifts 17:00–19:00, to 20:00 on Saturdays. Night riding runs from 19 December 2026 to 27 March 2027 on the Main, Grand and West slopes. There is no night session on 28 March.
How do you get to Iwappara from Tokyo Station?
By bus: Free shuttle on weekends, holidays and 28 December to 1 January; loop buses on the Echigo-Yuzawa and Nakazato-Iwappara routes.
When is the season at Iwappara?
Iwappara usually opens 19 December 2026 and closes 28 March 2027.
Within 25 km
Places to stay nearby宿
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Hot springs nearby温泉
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Towns and neighbourhoods nearby町
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