Madarao Mountain Resort is a ski area located on the northeastern slopes of Mt Madarao in Iiyama City, in the northern region of Nagano Prefecture.
This ski area is still traditionally known to many by the original Japanese name, Madarao Kogen.
Madarao has become increasingly popular with international visitors in recent years, probably due to its selection of ungroomed powder tree run courses. In addition, various activities are available, including snow rafting, backcountry tours and snowshoe tours.
While the ski area is officially in Nagano Prefecture, some of the slopes are geographically within Myoko City, which is in Niigata Prefecture. On a clear day from the top, there are spectacular views of Myoko to the northwest, Lake Nojiri to the west and Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen to the east and southeast.
The Madarao highland area is actually home to two operating ski areas. The other one is Tangram Ski Circus. The two ski areas are lift and course connected, and a joint shared Mountain Pass lift ticket is available during the main peak season.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1350
Vertical (m)
440
Bottom/base (m)
910
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
35
Advanced runs (%)
35
Longest course (m)
2500
Steepest slope (°)
36
Number of courses
30
Ski lifts
9
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
3
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
1
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Madarao Kogen usually plans to be open from mid-December until late March or early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Madarao is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm in the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing is planned for the following dates:
27th December 2025 until 3rd January 2026
10th and 11th January 2026
21st and 22nd February 2026
The Number 1 lift and Number 2 quad lift normally operate during night skiing, from 4:30pm until 9:00pm (last lift at 8:50pm). Courses open are Paradise, Beginners A and B, Utopia and the lower part of Giant.
Park & tree runs
The Free Ride Park is by the Super Quad Lift.
Madarao is known for a variety of ungroomed powder tree runs, claiming to be the most at any ski resort within Japan. Names of the runs include Powder Wave, Ninja, Crystal Bowl, River Line and Sawa.
Backcountry tours and other activities are also available at Madarao.
Families & children
The Kids Park is located near the Restaurant Shirakaba, close to the entrance. Entrance is 500 yen for the day. Sledge rental is available for 800 yen.
There are a few Family Adventure Course areas on the mountain including Rabbit, Kamoshika and Bear.
There is a free indoor kids room in the Madarao Kogen Hotel.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Madarao, including lessons in English. Backcountry tours are also available.
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 lift coupon
Adult: 700 yen
Child: 700 yen
Senior: 700 yen
PM 3 hours
Adult: 4,100 yen
Child: 2,900 yen
Senior: 3,800 yen
5 hours
Adult: 6,900 yen
Child: 4,200 yen
Senior: 6,300 yen
7 hours
Adult: 8,100 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 7,400 yen
14 hours
Adult: 14,700 yen
Child: 9,600 yen
Senior: 14,000 yen
24 hours
Adult: 25,200 yen
Child: 16,400 yen
Senior: 24,000 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 3,200 yen
Child: 2,100 yen
Senior: 2,700 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 73,500 yen
Child: 35,700 yen
Senior: 66,200 yen
Mountain Pass 1 day
Adult: 8,500 yen
Child: 5,500 yen
Senior: 8,000 yen
Mountain Pass 2 days
Adult: 16,000 yen
Child: 10,000 yen
Senior: 15,000 yen
Mountain Pass 3 days
Adult: 22,500 yen
Child: 13,500 yen
Senior: 21,000 yen
The 3 hour ticket is available from 12 noon.
The Mountain Pass ticket is valid at both Madarao and the connecting Tangram Ski Circus ski area. Valid in the main season. The other tickets are Madarao only. Night skiing is not included.
The season ticket is valid at both Madarao and Tangram (and includes night skiing when available at Madarao).
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: 13th December - 29th March (107 days)
2024-2025 season: 14th December - 30th March (107 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 31st March (100 days)
2022-2023 season: 18th December - 2nd April (106 days)
2021-2022 season: 19th December - 3rd April (106 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 280cm on 31st January
2024-2025 season: 370cm on 20th February
2023-2024 season: 240cm on 13th-14th and 21st-23rd March
2022-2023 season: 320cm on 21st February
2021-2022 season: 450cm on 7th February
2020-2021 season: 290cm on 10th February
2019-2020 season: 240cm on 11th-12th February
2018-2019 season: 350cm on 15th-16th February
2017-2018 season: 270cm on 18th-26th February
2016-2017 season: 320cm on 13th-14th February
2015-2016 season: 170cm on 10th-12th February
2014-2015 season: 330cm on 21st February
Resources
More information on Madarao Mountain Resort
Official website [link opens in new window]
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [links open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
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.
Madarao Mountain Resort is one of 2 ski areas currently operating in Iiyama City. The other is Togari Onsen.
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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