Hakuba Sanosaka Free Style Snow Resort (白馬さのさか)

Last winter, we were able to enjoy winter sports twice, both at Hakuba Sanosaka resort located at Hakuba town (白馬村) in Nagano prefecture (長野県). The drive to this ski resort town normally takes around 4-5 hours, but like we do every year, we got the tour packages departing from metropolitan Tokyo via Orion Tours (オリオンツアー) bus.

Our first trip, a morning bus same-day return (朝発バス日帰り) package, cost us 6,300円 each, while the second one, a night bus same-day return (夜発バス日帰り) package, was 8,400円/pax. These packages include a round trip bus ticket, 1-day lift ticket, snowboard/ski and snow wear (including gloves and goggles) rentals.

For the morning bus, we departed at 6:10 and arrived at the resort around 11:30. For the night bus, departure and arrival time were 21:50 on the day before and 6:10, respectively. The return trips departed at around 17:30, and we arrived at Tokyo/Yokohama area around 22:30.

Like Madarao Kogen Ski Resort, the main building houses the rental area and a restaurant. For the rentals, height, shoe size, skill level among other pieces of information are needed. Of course, there are locker rentals that require 100円 coins, so be sure to bring some. When we took the morning bus, it was already around lunch when we started, and that's the main reason we went back to this resort for a second time. When we took the night bus, we came very early that the rentals and the restaurant are still closed.

We were supposed to eat in a restaurant in the middle of the resort for lunch, but we didn't like the menu, so we went back to the main building. But before that, we made sure that we went up the the lake view point, where you can see the nearby Lake Aoki (青木湖).

After eating, we felt the fatigue, and after just 2 more rounds, we called it a day. That was for the second trip, because during our first trip, even if we still wanted to climb up, we ran out of time, so I think it's really better to take midnight buses when going to ski resorts just to maximize the whole day. Also, you can have more time to buy souvenirs and be able to relax and enjoy the sights.

Orion Ski and Snowboarding Tours
Hakuba Sanosaka official website

Madarao Kogen Ski Resort (斑尾高原スキー場)

Madarao Kogen Ski Resort is located in Iiyama city (飯山市), Nagano prefecture (長野県). It is a 6 to 7-hour drive from Tokyo, though this was based on the midnight bus that we took.

I think this is one of the more famous ski resorts. We had some difficulty with the reservations via Orion Tours (オリオンツアー), but eventually, it all panned out. We got a "lift and rental" plan (リフト券＋レンタル付) for 10,900円, but the price varies depending on the date. It could be as low as 7,300円 on some week days. Those included in that plan are:

■ Round trip bus ticket (Tokyo/Yokohama area)
■ 1-day lift ticket
■ Snowboard/Ski rental, including boots
■ Discount for Wear rentals (from 3,000円 down to 1,500円)

The lift plan (リフト券) was 1,000円 less.

The bus started to pick-up passengers from Yokohama at 10:30PM and finished it in the Tokyo area by 12:00AM. There were a couple of stop-overs along the way, and we arrived at Madarao Kogen Hotel (斑尾高原ホテル) at around 7:15AM.

We confirmed our lift+rental plan at the hotel's lobby, including free use of the hotel's onsen (温泉), but it was still too early. The rental shop opens at 8:00AM and the lift at 8:30AM, so we had time for a buffet breakfast at Piemonte (ピエモンテ), though it wasn't part of the package. The breakfast cost 1,500円/pax and I wasn't sure if it was worth it, but we were hungry and didn't bring our own breakfast anyway.

We finished eating at around 8:30AM and claimed our boots and snowboards. The wear rentals were also there, so we paid 1,500円/pax for a set of jacket and pants snow wear.

After claiming our lift tickets, it was time to have some fun. It was my wife's first snowboarding experience, so we started in the beginners' course. Fortunately, Madarao Kogen is a beginner-friendly resort, and she actually learned quickly.

When it was time for lunch, we ate at one of the restaurants in the middle of the resort - Restaurant Heidi. As expected, the food was more expensive than usual. Ramen (ラーメン) was between 1,000円-1,200円 and pork curry (カレー) was also 1,000円. What I had was fried chicken, rice and a cup of soft drinks for 850円.

After some rest, we were back in the snow.

We finished at around 3:30PM because the bus would pick us up at 4:35PM. We returned the rented items (boots, snowboard, jacket, pants) and freshened up. We didn't have time for the onsen, though we didn't really want go there. We looked for some omiyage (お土産) in the hotel's souvenir shop and looked around the arcade. We were all asleep on our way back, and arrived at the Tokyo/Yokohama area around 10:00PM.

The links:
Orion Ski and Snowboarding Tours
Madarao Kogen Ski Resort