Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain is located across several mountains in the Bandai region of Fukushima Prefecture.
Until the summer of 2023, Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain was known as two popular ski areas; the southerly-facing slopes of Hoshino Resorts Alts Bandai in Bandai Town and the northern-facing slopes of Hoshino Resorts Nekoma in Kitashiobara Village. They were physically close, operated by the same company and shared lift tickets were available. In recent years a 'walking course' was open between the top sections of the two ski areas, but there was no ski lift connection.
That changed for the 2023-2024 winter season with a new (pair) ski lift opening to physically connect the two at the top and a major re-branding. The combined ski areas, now known as Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain, have become one of the largest ski areas in the Tohoku region of northern Japan.
Three new official tree run zones named Frozen Tree A, B and C opened in the Frozen Area for the 2025-2026 season. Registration is not required.
The North Area (previously Nekoma) is sometimes able to remain open into May.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1337
Vertical (m)
637
Bottom/base (m)
700
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
30
Longest course (m)
3000
Steepest slope (°)
29
Number of courses
33
Ski lifts
13
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
3
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
10
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
This ski area usually plans to be open from early December until early to mid-May. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain plans to be open from 29th December 2025 until 6th May 2026.
North Area (formerly known as Nekoma): Saturday 29th November 2025 until Wednesday 6th May 2026.
South Area (formerly known as Alts Bandai): Saturday 13th December 2025 until Sunday 5th April 2026.
The ski area is normally open from 8:30am until 4:00pm in the daytime in the main season.
Night skiing
Night skiing in scheduled in the South Area is from 4:30pm until 8:00pm on the following dates:
10th and 11th January 2026
6th, 14th, 21st, 22nd and 28th February 2026
The Alts Express lift operates during night skiing.
Park
There are various snow park areas at Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain.
South Area
Step Up Park South (beginner to intermediate)
Global Park (professional)
Night Park (intermediate)
Flowing Park (beginners - anyone)
North Area
Step Up Park North (beginner to advanced)
Forest Mini Park (beginner)
Spring Banked Park (beginner)
A special area of the Bandai Area is used exclusively for CAT tours.
Families & children
There are official sledding areas at both base areas of Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain. There is a 55m snow escalator lift at the base of the North Area, suitable for beginners and families with young children. It is free to use.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 6,300 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 5,800 yen
Afternoon
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Senior: 5,300 yen
Night skiing:
Adult: 2,500 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Senior: 2,500 yen
Beginner 1 day
Adult: 2,500 yen
Seaso ticket
Adult: 86,000 yen
Cheaper lift tickets are available online.
A season ticket for the spring season (valid from 1st March 2025) is available for 30,000 yen (16,000 yen child).
Historical snow depth data
The following ski season and official snow depth data have been independently compiled by SnowJapan for publication on this website. Where available, the data is updated annually after each ski season.
First and last dates of recent seasons
2025-2026 season: 6th December - 19th April (135 days)
2024-2025 season: 8th December - 15th May (159 days)
2023-2024 season: 2nd December - 23rd April (144 days)
2022-2023 season: 23rd December - 26th March (94 days) [Alts]
2021-2022 season: 29th December - 27th March (89 days) [Alts]
2022-2023 season: 10th December - 23rd April (135 days) [Nekoma]
2022-2023 season: 3rd December - 8th May (157 days) [Nekoma]
Deepest recorded snow depth
2022-2023 season: 220cm on 3rd-4th February
2021-2022 season: 360cm on 8th March
2020-2021 season: 265cm on 12th February
2019-2020 season: 100cm on 11th-14th February
2018-2019 season: 200cm on 30th January - 4th February
2017-2018 season: 260cm on 19th-20th February
2016-2017 season: 270cm on 14th February
2015-2016 season: 170cm on 31st January
2014-2015 season: 280cm on 18th March
Resources
More information on Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain
Official website [link opens in new window]
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Fukushima Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture of the Tohoku region of northern Japan. Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture to the north, Niigata Prefecture to the west, Gunma Prefecture to the southwest, and Tochigi Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture to the south.
The majority of the ski areas in Fukushima Prefecture are in the northern region around Mt. Bandai and north of Lake Inawashiro (the fourth-largest lake in Japan), as well as in the western region of the prefecture.
The South Area base of Hoshino Resorts NEKOMA Mountain is in Bandai Town. The base of the North Area is in Kitashiobara Village.
About the information on this page
SnowJapan independently researches, checks and updates the information on this page at least once each year, in the lead-up to every ski season. We also update it whenever we become aware of other changes. The information published on SnowJapan is based on independent research using official Japanese-language sources and is not supplied by ski areas. If you are planning to visit a ski area, we recommend checking the official ski area website for the latest operational information. We take great care to keep the information on SnowJapan accurate and up to date. However, SnowJapan accepts no responsibility for decisions made based on information published on this website.
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