Charmant Hiuchi is a ski area located in Itoigawa City in the western region of Niigata Prefecture.
The ski area is east of central Itoigawa, northwest of the ski areas in Myoko, and northeast of the ski areas in the Hakuba region of Nagano Prefecture. Surrounded by mountains, it usually receives heavy snowfall and enjoys a long season, but it can only be approached from the north.
Charmant Hiuchi is popular for its various off-piste ungroomed course areas (amounting to 65% of the total official courses), snow quantity and snow quality.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1009
Vertical (m)
508
Bottom/base (m)
501
Beginner runs (%)
20
Intermediate runs (%)
45
Advanced runs (%)
35
Longest course (m)
2700
Steepest slope (°)
37
Number of courses
16
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
1
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
0
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Normal opening times
Charmant Hiuchi is normally open from 8:30am until 4:15pm. The quad lift covers all the runs and is open every day (until 4:00pm). The pair lifts are rested on some weekdays in the season.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Charmant Hiuchi.
Off-piste & park
Charmant is known for ungroomed powder snow, with 65% of courses remaining ungroomed.
The Snow Park, usually open from March, is close to the base of the quad lift.
Families & children
There is a sledging area for children near the base of the ski area.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Charmant Hiuchi.
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: 4,800 yen
Child: 3,400 yen
Senior: 3,800 yen
Morning
Adult: 4,000 yen
Child: 2,800 yen
Senior: 3,300 yen
Afternoon
Adult: 3,400 yen
Child: 2,300 yen
Senior: 2,900 yen
1 quad lift ride
Adult: 600 yen
Child: 300 yen
1 pair lift ride
Adult: 300 yen
Child: 300 yen
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 - 30th April (133 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 6th May (137 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 29th April (130 days)
2022-2023 season: 16th December - 5th May (141 days)
2021-2022 season: 17th December - 8th May (143 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 530cm on 12th February
2024-2025 season: 690cm on 24th February
2023-2024 season: 420cm on 22nd March
2022-2023 season: 510cm on 27th February
2021-2022 season: 670cm on 24th February
2020-2021 season: 430cm on 13th January
2019-2020 season: 310cm on 9th and 11th February
2018-2019 season: 500cm on 14th, 15th and 17th February
2017-2018 season: 430cm on 22nd February
2016-2017 season: 490cm on 24th-29th March
2015-2016 season: 330cm on 25th-27th February
2014-2015 season: 600cm on 12th-15th March
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Niigata Prefecture is located in the Chubu region of the main island of Honshu, and it is commonly associated with the Hokuriku subregion. The long Niigata coastline faces the Sea of Japan, and the prefecture borders Yamagata Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, and Toyama Prefecture.
Niigata played a significant role in the history of skiing in Japan. After Hokkaido and Nagano Prefecture, it is currently home to the third-most ski areas in Japan.
The ski areas of Niigata are scattered across the mountainous regions of the prefecture, and there is even one on Sado Island. The majority can be found in Yuzawa Town and Minamiuonuma City in the Chuetsu region and Myoko City in the Joetsu region.
Charmant Hiuchi is one of 2 ski areas currently operating in Itoigawa 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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