Ikenotaira Myoko Ski Resort

The Ikenotaira Myoko Ski Resort (aka Ike or the Alpen Blick Snow Resort) is reasonably small with 6 lifts and 10 courses, and a vertical drop of 740 metres (760 – 1,500m). The Ikenotaira ski area has two base areas. The main base has most of the resort amenities and is serviced by a hooded detachable double chair and a short slow double chair. The other base sits above the ski-in ski-out Hotel Alpen Blick, and this side of the resort is generally much quieter, probably because many beginners don’t have the patience for the incredibly slow lifts.

Ikenotaira has classic Japanese volcano ski terrain whereby it’s really mellow near the base where the green runs are, then it steepens a fraction towards the top of the ski resort where the red (intermediate) runs can be found. The juicy steep terrain starts in the backcountry above the ski area, with about 900 vertical metres of earn-your-turns terrain.

Lifts

Ikenotaira Myoko Ski Resort has 6 chair lifts comprising 1 hooded detachable quad chair, 1 hooded detachable double chair, and 4 other double chair lifts. Night skiing is not available at Ikenotaira.

Lift Tickets

As with the other Myoko ski resorts, your best bet is to purchase lift passes as you go. Ikenotaira lift passes are a little cheaper than at Akakura, and many of the local lodgings offer discounted lift ticket vouchers.

Ikenotaira Snow

Like the other Myoko ski resorts, Ikenotaira is renowned for getting absolutely dumped on with snow due to the orographic lift that Mount Myoko provides and its proximity to the coast. As Ikenotaira is reasonably mellow, deep powder days can be a bit challenging to maintain momentum, especially for snowboarders.

Snow quality maintenance is reasonable at Ikenotaira in the height of winter, and the top elevation is middle of the road for a Myoko ski resort. However, most of the slopes are southeast facing so when the sun comes out the powder can become very gluggy.

Terrain Parks

A major forte of Myoko Ikenotaira used to be the terrain parks and the half pipe, but in recent seasons the resort seems to have put very little effort into the terrain parks and they’ve only consisted of little jumps, a few boxes and rails.

Beginner Skiing Ikenotaira

Ikenotaira Myoko Ski Resort is a very good place to learn to ski or snowboard. The lower half of the ski area is predominantly made up of green runs, with a mix of tree lined trails and highway wide runs where there is plenty of room to spread out. Ikenotaira is not very busy, especially on weekdays, which makes it easier for beginners.

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Ikenotaira Skiing & Riding for the Intermediate

Ikenotaira is a good ski resort for beginners to progress to the intermediate stage. The groomed runs are only of moderate pitch, and the little black run has only a maximum gradient of 30 degrees, so there’s nothing too challenging. For strong intermediates that want to rip on steep groomers, this is a limiting factor of Ikenotaira. Overall, another detractor is that there isn’t a huge amount of variety with respect to intermediate terrain.

Advanced Skiing On-Piste

There is zippo at Ikenotaira on-piste for advanced riders. The trail statistics indicate that 15% of the trails are black, but this must be a misnomer. The one and a third black runs are very short and laughable to be classified as “advanced”.

Off Piste Skiing and Riding

Strong intermediates and early advanced riders have some good opportunities at Ikenotaira to learn to ski powder and revel in the trees. The resort provides some small designated tree runs where the trees are very wide, the pitch is easy, and a groomed trail is never very far away if you want to bail out.

Sidecountry and Backcountry

Ikenotaira has a small amount of sidecountry, depending on whether the creeks are covered. It’s also possible to access the backcountry above the ski resort and head up to Mt Akakura (2,141m) which offers some nice south and east facing slopes. There are also some very avalanche prone slopes with an east to northeast aspect.

Backcountry touring from Suginohara next door tends to be more popular, where the top lift is 350m higher and Mt Mitahara is a bit tastier.