Yakebitaiyama is a ski area located in Yamanouchi Town in the northestern region of Nagano Prefecture. It is one of a group of ski areas collectively known as Shiga Kogen.
Yakebitaiyama is located in the northern section of Shiga Kogen. Affectionately known as Yakebi, the slopes of Yakebitaiyama were host to alpine skiing (slalom) and snowboarding (giant slalom) events at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. It has two gondolas (1925m and 2121m), two quad lifts (992m and 1031m) and a 956m pair lift.
Yakebitaiyama is connected with Okushiga Kogen at the top and Ichinose Yamanokami on the other side.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1995
Vertical (m)
495
Bottom/base (m)
1500
Beginner runs (%)
15
Intermediate runs (%)
70
Advanced runs (%)
15
Longest course (m)
2800
Steepest slope (°)
39
Number of courses
16
Ski lifts
5
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
2
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
1
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Yakebitaiyama usually plans to be open from early December until early May. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 6:00pm until 8:00pm on the following dates:
Every Saturday between 3rd January 2025 and 21st March 2026
27th and 31st December 2025
11th January 2026
22nd February 2026
Lessons
A number of ski and snowboard schools operate around the Shiga Kogen ski areas.
Rental
A number of ski and snowboard equipment and wear rental facilities are available around Shiga Kogen.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
The below lift tickets are valid at all of the ski areas within Shiga Kogen during the main season.
4 hours
7,000 yen; 3,500 yen; 6,000 yen; 6,500 yen
1 day
9,000 yen; 4,100 yen; 6,700 yen; 6,900 yen
2 day
17,500 yen; 7,700 yen; 12,900 yen; 13,300 yen
3 day
26,000 yen; 11,300 yen; 19,100 yen; 19,700 yen
4 day
34,500 yen; 14,900 yen; 25,300 yen; 26,100 yen
5 day
43,000 yen; 18,500 yen; 31,500 yen; 32,500 yen
6 day
51,500 yen; 22,100 yen; 37,700 yen; 38,900 yen
7 day
60,000 yen; 25,700 yen; 43,900 yen; 45,300 yen
8 day
68,500 yen; 29,300 yen; 50,100 yen; 51,700 yen
9 day
77,000 yen; 32,900 yen; 56,300 yen; 58,100 yen
10 day
85,500 yen; 36,500 yen; 62,500 yen; 64,500 yen
The four charges above represent charges for: Adults, 0-12 years, 13-18 years, 60 years and over.
The multiple day tickets can be used on any day during the 2025-2026 season; they do not need to be consecutive.
Early Season is from Saturday 6th December 2025 until Friday 19th December 2025.
Spring Season is from Wednesday 1st April 2026 until Wednesday 6th May 2026.
Cheaper tickets are available during the Early and Spring season periods.
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 - 30th April (146 days)
2024-2025 season: 7th December - 6th May (151 days)
2023-2024 season: 2nd December - 6th May (157 days)
2022-2023 season: 9th December - 29th April (142 days)
2021-2022 season: 4th December - 8th May (156 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 140cm on 30th January - 27th February
2024-2025 season: 250cm on 20th-25th February
2023-2024 season: 235cm on 22nd-25th March
2022-2023 season: 200cm on 28th February
2021-2022 season: 320cm on 22nd-24th February
2020-2021 season: 200cm on 19th February - 25th March
2019-2020 season: 280cm on 12th February
2018-2019 season: 205cm on 1st-6th April, 10th-13th April
2017-2018 season: 270cm on 18th-27th February
2016-2017 season: 330cm on 12th February, 24th-29th March
2015-2016 season: 120cm on 15th-18th March
2014-2015 season: 250cm on 17th-22nd February
Resources
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [links open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
Hotel Khuls Shiga Kogen (Ichinose Family)
Okushiga Kogen Hotel (Okushiga Kogen)
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.
Shiga Kogen is a highland area in the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park in the northeastern region of Nagano Prefecture. Skiing in the region dates back to the early 1910s, and thanks to the high altitude and cold temperatures, the region often enjoys good snow quality.
Many people treat Shiga Kogen as one huge ski resort, but it is actually a group of 18 (mostly) interconnected and individually named ski areas, stretching over 12km from Okushiga Kogen in the north to Shibutoge in the south. A shared lift ticket covering the entire area is available for most of the season, and regular buses also connect the ski areas.
Shiga Kogen hosted some events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. The alpine skiing slalom and snowboarding giant slalom were at Yakebitaiyama, and the alpine skiing giant slalom was at Higashidateyama.
Shiga Kogen currently promotes itself as Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort, with five 'snow activity areas': Chuo (Central) Area (comprising 13 ski areas), Okushiga Kogen Area, Yakebitaiyama Area, Kumanoyu Area and Yokoteyama/Shibutoge Area.
The famous onsen-enjoying monkeys of the Jigokudani Yaen Koen Snow Monkey Park are less than 10km from Shiga Kogen.
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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