Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Snow Park is a ski area located on the eastern side of Shirakaba Lake in Chino City in the central-eastern region of Nagano Prefecture.
This ski area has two pair lifts and features various activities and attractions for families with young children.
They include Pota Snow Land, which features some live animals and a special ski and playing area for children. Shaun The Sheep is also due to make appearances.
This ski area is not to be confused with Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick in Myoko, Niigata.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1470
Vertical (m)
50
Bottom/base (m)
1420
Beginner runs (%)
50
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
550
Steepest slope (°)
20
Number of courses
3
Ski lifts
2
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
2
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Snow Park usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
The ski area is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at this ski area.
Families & children
Pota Snow Land is located by the base area and entry is 1,000 yen (including use of a plastic sledge). The area features numerous snow activities for young children as well as some live animals and sledging. Owls, ponies, rabbits and others! Open every day of the season, 8:30am until 4:30pm). There is also an area called Kota-kun no Hiraho yama with ski and snowboard activities for children.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Snow Park.
Rental
Rental equipment is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 4,000 yen
Child: 3,200 yen
Senior: 3,200 yen
4 hours
Adult: 3,500 yen
Child: 2,700 yen
Senior: 2,700 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Senior: 500 yen
The 4 Hour ticket is valid for four hours from the time of purchase.
Cheaper tickets are available for guests staying at the base hotel.
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: 20th December - 31st March (102 days)
2024-2025 season: 21st December - 30th March (100 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 31st March (100 days)
2022-2023 season: 28th December - 24th March (87 days)
2021-2022 season: 25th December - 31st March (97 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 85cm on 11th-22nd February
2024-2025 season: 85cm on 20th-24th March
2023-2024 season: 75cm on 6th-19th February and 13th-16th March
2022-2023 season: 85cm on 11th February - 2nd March
2021-2022 season: 130cm on 20th February - 13th March
2020-2021 season: 80cm on 25th January - 16th March
2019-2020 season: 60cm on 28th January - 2nd March and 5th-10th March
2018-2019 season: 100cm on 1st-19th February
2017-2018 season: 105cm on 12th February - 5th March
2016-2017 season: 90cm on 11th February - 20th March
2015-2016 season: 70cm on 10th-13th February
2014-2015 season: 130cm on 17th-23rd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: ski school listing in the region
Introduction to the region
Nagano Prefecture is located in the Chubu region of the main island of Honshu. It is one of only eight landlocked prefectures in Japan, bordered by Niigata, Gunma, Saitama, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, and Toyama.
Nagano Prefecture is sometimes referred to as 'the roof of Japan' because of the steep, rugged terrain of the many 2,000-3,000m mountains that comprise the Japan Alps. The Northern Alps are located along the northwestern region bordering Gifu and Toyama. The Central Alps are in the southwestern region, and the Southern Alps are along the southeastern border.
After Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture is home to the second-largest number of ski areas in Japan. It has multiple world-class winter sports resorts within its boundaries, and some were venues for the main events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. There are ski areas throughout the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, but the majority are in the northern and central regions.
There are a number of ski areas in the highland region near Lake Shirakaba, between Mt Kirigamine and Mt Tateshina, and within Chino City, Tateshina Town, Nagawa Town and Suwa City. The region usually enjoys a relatively large amount of clear weather conditions during the winter. As a result, it generally receives less snowfall than some other highland areas.
Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Snow Park is one of 5 ski areas currently operating in Chino City.
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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