White Valley is located in the Tanigawa Onsen area of Minakami town in Gunma Prefecture. This small ski hill first opened in 1962.
On powder days a full 90% of White Valley is left untouched by groomers - all but the lower area serviced by the Number 1 lift. They call it 'Premium Powder Day' and these days are announced the previous day via official sources. Would love to share statistics on how many times in a season this happens, but alas this information is not available. (If you know, please get in touch!) Fun fact when you're not riding the powder... the Joetsu Shinkansen tunnels go right under the base area of White Valley.
Minakami town is separated from Yuzawa town in Niigata Prefecture to the north by the impressive Tanigawa mountain range. The nine separate ski and snowboard resorts in Minakami are quite spread out throughout the central region of the town. Minakami is a popular year-round destination offering a wide range of outdoor sports and activities... and the onsen hot springs are very popular too.
Gunma Prefecture is located in the north west area of Kanto region on the main island of Honshu and shares borders with Niigata Prefecture to the north and Nagano Prefecture to the west. There are over 20 ski and snowboard resorts in Gunma Prefecture and they are mainly concentrated in the northern regions of Minakami and Katashina and the western region of the Prefecture.
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at White Valley.
Equipment Rental
Ski Rental:
Available
Snowboard Rental:
Available
Ski and snowboard equipment rental is available.
Children's facilities
The 'Chibbiko Hiroba' kids sledding area is located near the bottom of the Number 1 pair lift in the base area.
Park information
There are no special snow park facilities. It's about powder!
White Valley Season & Opening Times
Typical season is from Mid December until Mid March
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Daytime
Weekends and holidays
Normally open from 8:00am until 4:15pm
Weekdays
Normally open from 8:30am until 4:15pm
'Nighta' (night skiing)
Weekends and holidays
No
Weekdays
No
Opening information
White Valley is normally open from 8:00am until 4:15pm on weekends and holidays, and from 8:30am on weekdays.
In March, it is open from 8:30am until 4:15pm on weekends and holidays.
It is normally closed on Thursdays (but open on 30th December 2021).
There is no night skiing at this ski area.
White Valley Lift Ticket Charges
Adults
Child
Elementary School age
Senior
55 years & over
1 Day
4,300 yen
2,700 yen
3,600 yen
Sunrise (open-12pm)
3,500 yen
Sunset (12pm-closing)
3,400 yen
1 Lift Coupon
550 yen
550 yen
550 yen
11 Lift Coupons
4,200 yen
4,200 yen
4,200 yen
Season Ticket (all)
36,500 yen
20,000 yen
33,000 yen
Season Ticket (weekdays)
21,000 yen
16,000 yen
2021-2022 Season Lift Tickets
Children under 6 years old can ride the lifts for free.
Season ticket holders can buy cheaper lift tickets (for 3000-3200 yen) at nearby Norn Minakami, Kawaba and Tambara Ski Park resorts and also Ikenotaira Onsen in Niigata Prefecture.
Getting to White Valley
By public transport
Train
14.1km from Jomo Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen line
3.4km from Minakami Station on the Joetsu Line
Information
White Valley is located 3km from Minakami Station on the local Joetsu line and about 14km from Jomo Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen line.
6.9km from the Minakami IC on the Kanetsu Expressway
17.5km from the Tsukiyono IC on the Kanetsu Expressway
Nearest national route: Route 291 (2.7km away)
Nearest prefecture road: Prefecture Road 252
Direction
White Valley is just under 7km from the Minakami IC exit of the Kanetsu Expressway.
At the Minakami IC exit traffic lights, turn left onto Route 291. After 1.3km turn left at the first traffic lights to continue on Route 291 towards central Minakami. After another 3km, at the Tanigawa Onsen Iriguchi traffic lights, take a sharp turn left onto Prefecture Road 252. Follow this road for about 2.5km to reach White Valley.
Updates to 2021-2022 season information on these individual ski areas listing pages are ongoing. All information will be manually checked and updated. Some official information from ski areas becomes available earlier than others, so not all our data can be updated simultaneously. The ongoing process will continue through December 2021.
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Ropeways
Gondolas
Quad lifts
Triple lifts
Pair lifts
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