Hakuba Kashimayari
The Kashimayari Ski Resort (or Kashi for short) is the second southernmost ski area in the collection of Hakuba Valley ski resorts. Kashimayari Snow Resort used to be overlooked by the crowds that descend upon
Hakuba Japan, because it’s a little further afield and it’s not particularly big. Now it’s ignored by powder hounds (unless you go ski touring/splitboarding) because all its drawcards have been closed down and the resort has shrunk substantially. As far as lift-serviced terrain for powder hounds goes, Kashimayari has gone to the dogs.
When we visited in 2018
our review outlined that “Kashimayari is in desperate need of a big cash injection before it limps to a grinding halt like its old neighbour Aokiko”. It seems like the financial ailments have turned into a major illness.
Pros and Cons of Hakuba Kashimayari
Pros
- The ski resort offers lovely views on fine days across the lake and surrounding mountains, and Mt Kashimayari is particularly picturesque.
- The main day lodge has an onsen that offers superb views. (You used to be able to watch the skiers on the moguls, but alas those slopes are closed now. The good news is you no longer need a modesty towel!).
- The crowds at Kashimayari are low.
- Very few gaijin visit so it feels rather authentically Japanese.
- It has the best tubing in Hakuba.
Cons
- Hakuba Kashimayari is a small ski resort and it’s shrunk in recent years. The top lift with its great terrain no longer runs, and the tree skiing and black run areas have closed as well.
- It’s no longer inter-connected with the ski resorts of Sun Alpina Aokiko and Sanosaka because Aokiko is closed, so it’s diminished the amount of overall terrain and Kashimayari lift-accessed sidecountry.
- The ski resort is not set up for English speaking ski school.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- Kashimayari Sports Village has a ski-in ski-out hostel, but if you choose to stay there you’ll be confined to the hostel at night. Despite being called a “sports village” there is no village mid-mountain.
- Very little English is spoken. There is a small amount of engrish which must be why the ski resort posts pics on Instaglam!
Kashimayari Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Kashimayari Ski Resort is reasonably small with 8 courses, 4 lifts, and a vertical of 505 metres (830-1,335).
The ski resort has an even spread of beginner and intermediate trails. The lifts that serviced the black runs and permitted tree skiing no longer operate. And the former jewel in the crowds of Kashimayari was the tree skiing off the top lift (elevation of 1,550m), which is now only for those with skins.
Kashimayari Snow
The statistic for the average Kashimayari snowfall per season is 9.5 metres, which is less than the more northern Hakuba Valley ski resorts, but still very respectable on a world scale.
As a generalisation, the snow quality is very good without being exceptional and the top elevation isn’t particularly high. As to be expected, the Kashimayari snow quality varies significantly depending on the elevation and also the aspect, of which there are many at Kashimayari. The best snow is usually found on West Mountain.
Where is Kashimayari Snow Resort?
Kashimayari is considered part of
Hakuba Valley, even though it’s officially located in Omachi City. The actual city of Omachi is 14km south of the mid mountain base at Kashimayari Ski Resort, whilst Happo (the central hub of Hakuba) and the Hakuba train station are 14km to the north of the Nakatsuna base area of Kashimayari (the drive takes about 25 minutes).
For day trippers, there are free shuttle buses from the Happo bus terminal (via
Echoland) to Kashimayari (Omachi Line), although there are only a couple of schedules in the morning and the afternoon to return, and the morning buses get you there too late on a powder day.
There is free car parking at Kashimayari and the telephone number for easy GPS navigation is 0261-23-1231.
Kashimayari Accommodation
The Central Plaza 1130 at the
Kashimayari Sports Village houses a hostel (Alpen Inn or often referred to as Kashimayari Sports Village) with 8-bed dorm rooms and private twin and quad rooms. The rooms rely on communal bathrooms or you can bathe in the onsite onsen.
At the Nakatsuna base of Kashimayari is a small village comprised of houses and several basic pensions, but nothing else.
It is possible to use Kashimayari as a base to also explore other Hakuba ski resorts, but it’s rather isolated and the bus schedule to Happo is infrequent.
Most people stay in central
Hakuba accommodation and travel to Kashimayari for day trips.
Facilities
The Nakatsuna base area has a small number of ski and snowboard related amenities at Plaza 830. Most of the facilities and services are located up at the mid-mountain Central Plaza 1130. The building even has an escalator which is often indicative of how much money the resort has poured into the facilities (instead of the ski area). There are kids' day care programs (don’t expect the staff to speak English) and a ski/snowboard school, but no international snowsports school with English speaking instructors.
The forte of Kashimayari is the tubing, with multiple lanes that are serviced by a magic carpet. There is also playground equipment to round out the kids activities.
In addition to a massive cafeteria, you can also get a feed at the creperie or Baskin Robbins ice creamery (I’ve never quite understood why the Japanese love ice-cream in the height of winter?!).
The onsen is open to day trippers for a fee and is the perfect way to finish the day whilst you’re waiting for the bus back to Happo.