We met a few Hakuba locals that were disappointed we were reviewing Kashimayari Ski Resort because we would let the cat out of the bag about this little gem of a ski area. However like too many other “little gems” in Japan, it seemed that Kashimayari is in desperate need of a big cash injection before it limps to a grinding halt like its old neighbour Aokiko. The locals won’t have their “secret” ski resort then.

The two black runs needed some summer grooming (lots of shrubbery was poking through despite a 1m+ base) and it appeared that a couple of open areas used to be official courses and were no longer. There were some reports that the famous night skiing has diminished. Also some of the lifts are dinosaurs, and the top lift barely ever runs. It wasn’t open when we visited and we hadn’t packed our skins, so we could only drool over the lovely tree lines that the lift serviced.

Putting the resort’s financial ailments aside, Kashimayari has a few things going for it and it’s worth including a day trip to Kashi whilst in Hakuba. Not that many powder hounds visit Kashimayari, so even though the allowed tree areas are small, you might score freshies. And if the top lift is open and you venture into other off-piste areas, the world might be your oyster. We visited at a very peak period (when the top lift wasn’t open), so possibly no great surprise that there wasn’t an abundance of fresh lines.

You can see more on our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Kashimayari overview page and see how we rate Kashi against other ski areas via the Japanese ski resorts ratings.
See our video here