Budoh Snow Resort is a ski area located in the Budoh neighbourhood of Murakami City in the northern region of Niigata Prefecture.
This ski area originally opened in 1988 and has two pairs of lifts: 703m and 817m. The top Panorama Course and the winding Grape Road course offer the longest 2,700m downhill run back to base. The snow in an area near the top by the Number 2 pair lift is left ungroomed.
Until 2025, this ski area was known simply as Budoh, the name of the local neighbourhood, and operated by the city. It is the most northerly ski area in Niigata Prefecture and close to the border with Yamagata Prefecture.
Budoh has had a somewhat dramatic recent history. It could not open during the 2019-2020 winter season due to a lack of snowfall, and it also did not open for the 2020-2021 season (due to the pandemic). It did open for the following three seasons but struggled with snowfall, especially during the 2023-2024 season.
In June 2024, it was announced that Budoh would permanently close at the end of the 2024-2025 winter season. The ski lifts and facilities were scheduled to be removed.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
650
Vertical (m)
500
Bottom/base (m)
150
Beginner runs (%)
10
Intermediate runs (%)
70
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
2700
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
5
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
Budoh usually plans to be open from late December until early to mid-March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening hours
Budoh is normally open from 8:30am until 4:00pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Budoh.
Ungroomed run
An area is left ungroomed in the top part of the ski area.
Rental
Ski & snowboard 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: 4,000 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 3,500 yen
Half day
Adult: 3,500 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Senior: 3,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Senior: 500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 35,000 yen
Child: 22,000 yen
Senior: 30,000 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: 1st January - 15th March (74 days)
2024-2025 season: 30th December - 9th March (70 days)
2023-2024 season: 24th December - 15th February (54 days)
2022-2023 season: 25th December - 5th March (71 days)
2021-2022 season: 30th December - 6th March (67 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2024-2025 season: 275cm on 22nd February
2023-2024 season: 74cm on 27th January
2022-2023 season: 241cm on 30th January
2021-2022 season: 289cm on 25th February
2019-2020 season: 60cm on 11th February
2018-2019 season: 215cm on 2nd February
2017-2018 season: 349cm on 14th February
2016-2017 season: 172cm on 15th February
2015-2016 season: 188cm on 10th February
2014-2015 season: 201cm on 15th February
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.
Murakami City is the most northerly city or town in Niigata Prefecture. The ski area is close to the border with Yamagata Prefecture.
Budoh Snow Resort is the only ski area operating in Murakami 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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