Tainai is a ski area located in Tainai City in the northern region of Niigata Prefecture.
This ski area has 8 pair lifts. The longest run is 3,000m, and the steepest slope is 35 degrees.
The ski area is within easy reach of the region's populated areas, including Shibata City, Niigata City, Agano City and Murakami City.
This region does not always get consistent heavy snowfall, so the season can be unpredictable. Unfortunately, Tainai could not open during the unseasonably warm 2019-2020 winter season due to a lack of snow. At one point, it looked like the Tainai would not be opening for 2020-2021. However, it did eventually open that season and Tainai has remained open since.
Tainai dates back to 1964, with the first ski lift opening in 1965.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
700
Vertical (m)
560
Bottom/base (m)
140
Beginner runs (%)
20
Intermediate runs (%)
70
Advanced runs (%)
10
Longest course (m)
3000
Steepest slope (°)
35
Number of courses
14
Ski lifts
8
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
8
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Planned season dates
Tainai usually plans to be open from late December until early March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Tainai is normally open from 9:00am until 5:00pm during the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 5:00pm until 9:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays; from 5:00pm until 7:00pm on Sundays and national holidays. There is normally no night skiing on other days.
Families & children
The Chibbiko Park area is located by the base. 150 yen to use the 81m snow escalator; 700 yen for the day.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Tainai.
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: 5,000 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 4,300 yen
4 hours
Adult: 4,000 yen
Child: 2,300 yen
Senior: 3,500 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 400 yen
11 lift coupons
Adult: 4,000 yen
22 lift coupons
Adult: 7,500 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 2,200 yen
Child: 1,500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 45,000 yen
Child: 20,000 yen
Senior: 38,000 yen
The 4 Hour ticket is valid for four hours from the time of purchase.
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: 2nd January - 8th March (66 days)
2024-2025 season: 30th December - 9th March (70 days)
2023-2024 season: 24th December - 13th February (52 days)
2022-2023 season: 24th December - 12th March (79 days)
2021-2022 season: 2nd January - 13th March (71 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2020-2021 season: 245cm on 12th-13th January
2019-2020 season: 34cm on 11th February
2018-2019 season: 175cm on 14th-15th February
2017-2018 season: 240cm on 14th February
2016-2017 season: 195cm on 25th-26th January
2015-2016 season: 200cm on 10th-12th February
2014-2015 season: 240cm on 11th 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 & Minamiuonuma City in the Chuetsu region and Myoko City in the Joetsu region.
Tainai City is located in the northern Kaetsu region of Niigata Prefecture.
Tainai is the only ski are currently operating in Tainai 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.
Learn more about how we research, check and update information on SnowJapan.