Urabandai is a ski area located on the northern slopes of Mt Bandai in the southern region of Kitashiobara Village in the northern region of Fukushima Prefecture.
This ski area has three pair lifts. The Number 1 and 2 lifts allow rides back down to the base, and a ticket to the top using those two lifts is available.
There is an official snowshoe trekking area beyond the top of those lifts. The course includes views of the Yellow Wall ('thawed water exudes sulfur and iron in the ground and freezes in layers'). It is about 10m high and 8m wide and best from early to mid-February.
Urabandai is normally closed to the general public on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1200
Vertical (m)
300
Bottom/base (m)
900
Beginner runs (%)
50
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
1400
Steepest slope (°)
35
Number of courses
3
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Urabandai usually plans to be open from mid-December until mid- to late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening hours
Urabandai is normally open from 8:30am until 4:00pm. This ski area normally only opens on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays as well as over the New Year (26th December 2025 through 5th January 2026). It is also open on 11th February 2026. It is normally closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Urabandai.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing trekking is popular at Urabandai and there are a few official courses.
Families & children
There is a sledging course by the Number 1 lift. An indoor room for young children (1-6 years) is also available. Free to use.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Urabandai.
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: 4,500 yen
Child: 3,500 yen
4 hours
Adult: 4,000 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 600 yen
Top return
Adult: 2,000 yen
This ski area is normally closed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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: 19th December - 22nd March (94 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 23rd March (94 days)
2023-2024 season: 20nd December - 24th March (94 days)
2022-2023 season: 23rd December - 21st March (89 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 27th March (100 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2015-2016 season: 195cm on 11th-13th February
2014-2015 season: 250cm on 14th-15th March
Resources
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.
Urabandai is one 2 ski areas currently operating 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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