Hakuba Tsugaike Ski Resort
Tsugaike Mountain Resort (formerly Tsugaike Kogen) is one of the ski resorts of the
Hakuba Valley, and it takes the crown of the “Queen of Green” considering its massive beginner area. An international ski school offers private lessons in English, or it’s an ideal spot to teach the kids yourself on super wide mellow slopes without the fear of running into anyone else.
The associated Tsugaike Village is a great spot to stay if you’re looking for a peaceful ski holiday where you can become absorbed in a Japanese ski village, away from the westernised hub-bub of Happo and Echoland. Or if you want a holiday with vibrant nightlife and the ease of being able to speak English, stay in
Happo Village or
Echoland and just visit Hakuba Tsugaike for a day trip or two.
Pros and Cons of Tsugaike
Pros
- Tsugaike Mountain Resort has fantastic terrain for beginners.
- Tsugaike has excellent tree skiing in the off-piste and sidecountry areas, and above the resort is great backcountry.
- Hakuba Tsugaike has lots of ski in ski out accommodation, which makes it popular with families. Most of the accommodation is inexpensive.
- The resort has good lift infrastructure by Hakuba standards. Various lifts are high speed, so you can get plenty of vertical under your boards each day.
Cons
- There is negligible on-piste terrain to keep advanced riders entertained and donuts for experts (on-piste).
Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective
- Hakuba Tsugaike tends to attract fewer crowds than some of the higher profile Hakuba ski resorts, yet the advent of the Epic Pass in Hakuba has contributed to a higher number of powder chasers (but relative to Epic Pass resorts in the US, Tsugaike is quiet).
- Tsugaike is only moderately geared up for international visitors, but the advantage is that the village is more Japanese and traditional.
- Accommodation is generally at the simple end of the spectrum and there is more Japanese than western style lodging.
- Despite there being amazing beginner terrain, there are only private snowsports lessons in English.
- The number of restaurants and bars in the village is slowly growing, yet the nightlife is still very sedate.
Tsugaike Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Hakuba Tsugaike is a decent sized resort with 156 hectares of piste spread across 904 metres of vertical (800 – 1,704 metres) and 15 lifts. The lower part of the mountain consists of the gigantic beginners’ area that is serviced by multiple chair lifts and is ridiculously wide.
The official trail statistics are 50% beginners, 30% intermediate and 20% advanced, although this probably underestimates the amount of beginner terrain and overestimates the advanced on-piste terrain.
A highlight of Tsugaike Ski Resort is the lift accessed tree skiing, some of which has plenty of gnar. The terrain is gated and requires you to watch a video, sign in, and wear an armband, which is a small price to pay for such lovely tree skiing. The backcountry above the ski resort is also highly coveted.
See the
Tsugaike Kogen ski resort page for more information on the skiing and snowboarding.
Where is Tsugaike?
The base of the Hakuba Tsugaike Ski Resort is located about 8.5km north of the town of Hakuba. Otari is the closest town; 7km to the northeast. There is an extensive bus system that connects Tsugaike with the other Hakuba ski resorts and villages.
Tsugaike Accommodation
There is an abundance of Tsugaike accommodation that is ski-in ski-out because the base of the ski resort is about 2.4km wide and there is also a street filled with lodging that runs up along the side of the ski resort. Much of the accommodation consists of simple pensions and hotels with Japanese style rooms (with futons on the tatami flooring) and Japanese meals, and some Tsugaike hotels also have western rooms. In the main street of the little town of Tsugaike are restaurants, bars, and a handful of shops.
Tsugaike Hotel Listings
Facilities
In addition to a cafeteria near the top of the resort, many of the hotels and pensions that sit alongside the green slopes double as restaurants for lunch, so there are various choices for Japanese fare. Other daytime options include eateries with western food such as pizza or the obligatory crepes. Or if you feel you’ve absorbed enough Japanese culture, you can always sacrilegiously retreat to Burger King at the gondola mid-station.
For the kids there’s a snow park with tubing and play equipment. There is also a day care centre for ages 3+ if you need child minding, although there's no guarantee that the staff will speak English.
Ski & Snowboard Rentals
If you are looking for ski or snowboard rentals at Tsugaike, there are a few shops near the base of the gondola.
Alternatively see other
Hakuba ski & snowboard rental options here.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Hakuba" subcategory="Tsugaike Rentals"]
Ski & Snowboarding Lessons
Tsugaike is an excellent location to learn on its long mellow slopes. There are a couple of options for private lessons at Tsugaike including Evergreen International Ski School and the resort owned Tsugaike Ski School.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Hakuba" subcategory="Tsugaike Lessons"]
Other Activities
Tsugaike has an onsen near the base of the gondola as well as one a little down the road (Tsuga no mori); perfect for a therapeutic soak after a big day on the slopes. Or if you can cope with the supposed “onsen flowers” (that suspiciously just look like gunk!) you can bathe your tootsies in the foot onsen at the base of the gondola.
Other Tsugaike activities include snowshoeing and a little bit of cross country skiing. The Maeyama cross country ski course is free and is usually groomed and open from mid-January to mid-March. Nearby Uchikawa Sports has cross country ski sets available for rent.
Restaurants & Bars
The Tsugaike village has various Japanese eateries and there are a few western style bars popping up. Some hotels also offer the option of dinner for guests. As an example,
Matsunoki-tei offers amazing dinners and a chance to immerse yourself in some traditional Japanese culture.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Hakuba" subcategory="Tsugaike Restaurants Bars"]