Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort
草津温泉スキー場36°38′ N 138°35′ E355 m vertical5 runs5.6 kmNight ridingSeasonal
Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort suits beginners and families who want an easy slope above one of Japan's great hot-spring towns, and advanced riders will finish its five courses by lunch.
Volcanic alert
Kusatsu-Shirane sits at volcanic alert level 1 with Yugama's crater area closed
JMA lowered Yugama from level 2 to level 1 on 15 May 2026, and Kusatsu town keeps everyone 500 m from the crater. Motoshirane, which erupted onto the ski area in January 2018, has been at level 1 since April 2019. Level 2 at either crater widens the closed ground to 1 km, and level 3 to 2 km, so check JMA's page before you ride the Shibu Pass road or the upper slopes.
Checked 2026-10-11 · data.jma.go.jp
Photo Maho · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Beginner3.2 km
- Intermediate1.7 km
- Advanced0.2 km
OpenStreetMap maps 4 named runs and 7 lifts at Kusatsu Onsen, 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 Kusatsu Onsenコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| しゃくなげコースNotes | 2,626 m | 285 m | 12.7° | 6.2° | E | ||
| ShakunageしゃくなげコースNotes | 330 m | 43 m | 12.1° | 7.4° | NE | ||
| 夏道コース | 456 m | 85 m | 21.1° | 10.6° | SE | ||
| 夏道チャレンジコース | 233 m | 63 m | 25° | 14.9° | SE |
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
R292 courseR292コース2,000 m
The course follows the winter-closed Route 292 for 2 km, and with Aobayama and Onariyama it makes a 4.3 km run to Tenguyama.
Good for long run
Out of five
How it rides
- Powder
- 2 out of 5
- Trees
- 1 out of 5
- Steeps
- 1 out of 5
- Park
- 1 out of 5
- Beginners
- 5 out of 5
- Quiet
- 3 out of 5
- Value
- 4 out of 5
- Après
- 5 out of 5
- Family
- 5 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 1 out of 5
Know the zones before you goエリア
Tenguyama天狗山ゲレンデ
zoneBeginner
The main slope at the base holds the night riding, and its Tengu wall reaches 30 degrees.
Good for night riding, base area
Aobayama青葉山ゲレンデ
zoneIntermediate
The top of the resort sits at 1,600 m, and Mt. Fuji shows on a clear day.
Good for views, best snow
Beyond the ropes · Marked runs only
Kusatsu keeps riders inside its managed area, which sits on the flank of the active Kusatsu-Shirane volcano. Under the resort's terms, anyone rescued after leaving the managed area pays every cost of the rescue.
- Stay inside the managed area; the resort warns that boundary and no-entry signs are kept to a minimum, so read the slope map
- Under the terms of use, the company bills anyone rescued from outside the managed area for search staff, snow machines, lift running costs, lighting and electricity
- Check JMA's alert levels for both Motoshirane and Shirane (Yugama) before you go. At Motoshirane, level 2 closes the ground within 1 km of the 2018 craters and level 3 within 2 km; at Yugama, level 1 already keeps everyone 500 m from the crater, level 2 extends that to 1 km and level 3 to 2 km
- The old Shirane ropeway and the summit runs above Aobayama closed for good after the 2018 eruption
7 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥6,000, about CAD 54 or USD 38 (October 2026 rates)
- Bought online
- ¥4,500, about CAD 40 or USD 28 (October 2026 rates)
- Night
- ¥2,000, about CAD 18 or USD 13 (October 2026 rates)
- 2 days
- ¥11,200, about CAD 101 or USD 71 (October 2026 rates)
In the 2025/26 table juniors paid ¥2,000 a day and seniors and secondary-school pupils ¥5,200, and a 4-hour ticket cost ¥5,300. The opening and spring weeks ran at ¥3,500 for adults.
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Bus
- Joshu Yumeguri highway buses run to Kusatsu from Tokyo, Shinjuku and other stations around the capital.
- Train
- Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Karuizawa, about 70 minutes, then the Kusakaru Kotsu or Seibu Kanko bus to Kusatsu in 78 to 115 minutes. From Ueno the limited express Kusatsu-Shima reaches Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi in about 2 hours 33 minutes, and the JR bus to Kusatsu takes 25.
A free town bus links the Kusatsu bus terminal and the ski area.
The nearest station is Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi, 25 minutes from the first lift. JR Agatsuma line; minutes are the JR bus to the Kusatsu bus terminal.
The Tenguyama car parks are free.
Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort is the town's own ski area, run by a company Kusatsu owns, five minutes' drive from the Yubatake. A gondola and six chairs serve five courses between 1,245 m and 1,600 m. The resort calls half of its terrain beginner ground. The Shakunage course runs 3.2 km through larch forest at an average 8 degrees, and the R292 course follows the winter-closed national road for 2 km.
The mountain changed after 23 January 2018. Motoshirane erupted that morning for the first time in about 3,000 years, a few hundred metres from the top runs, and rocks rained onto the slopes and the Shirane ropeway. JMA counts one dead and eleven injured, and the man who died was a Self-Defense Force member training on the slopes. The ropeway and the summit runs never reopened, and the ski area took its present name that April.
JMA has held Motoshirane at alert level 1 since April 2019, and lowered Yugama on Shirane from level 2 to level 1 on 15 May 2026. Check both levels before you go, because JMA tracks the two craters on separate scales. At Motoshirane level 2 closes the ground within 1 km of the 2018 craters and level 3 within 2 km.
A day ticket costs ¥6,000 for 2026/27, and ¥4,500 if you buy online in October. Saturday nights bring lit riding on Tenguyama until 20:00. A free town bus links the bus terminal and the slopes.
Worth knowing
- Buy the early web ticket in October 2026 for ¥4,500, or in November for ¥5,000.
- Look up JMA's warnings for Kusatsu-Shiranesan before each visit, since levels can change within a day.
- The free town shuttle runs between the Kusatsu bus terminal and the ski area, so a stay in town works without a car.
Quick answers about Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resortよくある質問
Is it safe to ski at Kusatsu after the 2018 eruption?
The ski area runs below the closed summit zone, and JMA held both Motoshirane and Yugama at alert level 1 in October 2026. Check JMA's current level for both craters before you go, because the closed zone grows at level 2 and level 3.
How do I get to Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort from Tokyo?
Take the limited express Kusatsu-Shima from Ueno to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi, about 2 hours 33 minutes, and the JR bus to Kusatsu in 25 minutes. The Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa and a bus of 78 to 115 minutes also work.
Is Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort open all year?
Kusatsu Onsen Ski Resort opens for part of the year. Kusatsu had not posted its 2026/27 opening date on 11 October 2026. In 2025/26 the opening days began on 18 December 2025.
How big is Kusatsu Onsen?
Kusatsu Onsen has 5 runs and 7 lifts over 355 m of vertical, from 1,245 m at the base to 1,600 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 5.6 km of piste there.
Can you ride off-piste at Kusatsu Onsen?
Kusatsu keeps riders inside its managed area, which sits on the flank of the active Kusatsu-Shirane volcano. Under the resort's terms, anyone rescued after leaving the managed area pays every cost of the rescue.
How much is a lift ticket at Kusatsu Onsen?
An adult day ticket at Kusatsu Onsen costs ¥6,000, about CAD 54 or USD 38 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season.
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