Suhara is a ski area located in the northwestern region of Uonuma City in Niigata Prefecture.
This ski area has four ski lifts but currently only two are open - a 1,400m quad lift and one 600m pair lift.
The remaining two pair lifts were not operating during the 2023-2024 season. Both remain on the official course map, but are not labelled. Even with those two lifts closed, however, the available terrain available remains unaffected.
There is currently no daily night skiing at Suhara. In recent years it was possible to have private use of the lower lift and floodlights, but that information no longer seems to not be available in the run up to the 2025-2026 season.
The official mascot character of the ski area is Suha-ratto, which looks like a rat standing up like a human.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
551
Vertical (m)
346
Bottom/base (m)
205
Beginner runs (%)
20
Intermediate runs (%)
50
Advanced runs (%)
30
Longest course (m)
2000
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
9
Ski lifts
2
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
1
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
1
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Suhara usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until mid-March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Suhara is normally open from 9:00am until 4:15pm. The quad lift is open until 4:15pm. The pair lift operates until 3:45pm.
Night skiing
There is no scheduled public night skiing operations at Suhara.
Park & off-piste
There is a Mini Park in the upper area of Suhara and several 'self-responsibility' areas across the mountain.
Families & children
There is a Recreation area by the base for beginners.
A small Kids Room is available on the 2nd Floor of the base Centre House.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Suhara.
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: 3,000 yen
Senior: 4,000 yen
5 hours
Adult: 3,800 yen
Child: 2,300 yen
Senior: 3,400 yen
2 days
Adult: 8,400 yen
Child: 5,400 yen
Senior: 7,200 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 3,800 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Senior: 500 yen
12 lift coupons
Adult: 5,000 yen
Child: 5,000 yen
Senior: 5,000 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 48,000 yen
Child: 20,000 yen
Senior: 39,000 yen
Children younger than elementary school age can ride the lifts for free.
A season ticket that is valid at Suhara, Koide and Yakushi ski areas in Uonuma City is available for 66,000 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: 29th December - 15th March (77 days)
2024-2025 season: 25th December - 16th March (82 days)
2023-2024 season: 24th December - 17th March (85 days)
2022-2023 season: 24th December - 21st March (88 days)
2021-2022 season: 29th December - 21st March (83 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 365cm on 2nd and 3rd February
2024-2025 season: 410cm on 24th February
2023-2024 season: 145cm on 28th January
2022-2023 season: 315cm on 29th January
2021-2022 season: 340cm on 23rd-24th February
2020-2021 season: 345cm on 19th February
2019-2020 season: 65cm on 11th February
2018-2019 season: 185cm on 2nd February
2017-2018 season: 350cm on 14th February
2016-2017 season: 235cm on 9th March
2015-2016 season: 180cm on 2nd-3rd March
2014-2015 season: 360cm 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 and Minamiuonuma City in the Chuetsu region and Myoko City in the Joetsu region.
Uonuma City is north of Minamiuonuma City, and, like its neighbour, it usually enjoys heavy snowfall every winter.
Suhara is one of 4 ski areas currently operating in Uonuma 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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