Madarao Ski Resort

Madarao Kogen Ski Resort has good ingredients as a Japan powder skiing destination. The area is renowned for average snowfalls in the realm of 10 to 13 metres per season, there is some very good tree skiing and reasonably steep bowls, and off-piste skiing is permitted. Madapow disease is very contagious, so it’s no surprise that Madarao is no longer an undiscovered treasure.

Madarao Mountain Resort (formerly Madarao Kogen ie Madarao Highlands) is located between Myoko Kogen and Nozawa Onsen, so it’s easy to ski at Madarao as a day trip from either of these ski areas. Alternatively base yourself at Madarao Mountain Resort and you have the option to explore other Nagano ski resorts plus Myoko from there.

Pros and Cons of Madarao Japan

Pros

•  Madarao Ski Resort have gladed many of the trees and cleared out some of the shrubbery, and advanced riders can revel without ski patrol chasing you.
• Madarao is a reasonably small ski resort but it’s inter-connected with Tangram to add more terrain variety.
• Madarao is located in the middle of a ring of ski resorts, so if you have a car or are at a lodge that provides transport, Madarao makes a great base to explore the region.
• Madarao is an easy choice for families.
• On fine days there are impressive views of Mt Myoko and surrounds.
• The cute town of Iiyama is close by, where you can explore little temples, go for dinner, and generally enjoy some non-touristy Japanese culture.
• Restaurant and bar choices are slowly growing and now there is reasonable variety.
• Madarao is easily accessible from the airports or Tokyo via the bullet train to nearby Iiyama.

Cons

• Like many Japanese ski resorts, the lift infrastructure is very dated.

Pro Or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• Madarao gets big dumps of snow and it has a good aspect, but the top elevation is not high enough when the weather is fickle and temps are marginal.
• Madarao has become very westerner friendly with snowsports lessons in English and some nightlife. Many lodges cater very well to international visitors, and there are not many lodgings left that provide a nice Japanese experience and are hosted and staffed by locals.

Madarao Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Relative to other Japan ski resorts, Madarao would be considered mid-sized. The Madarao Ski Resort is below the treeline and has 30 courses, 9 lifts, and a vertical drop of 440 metres (910 – 1,350m).

The top of the Madarao ski resort is interconnected with Tangram which you can access with a combined Madarao Tangram lift pass. Tangram adds another 5 lifts and 21 courses which includes some official tree courses plus some “naughty trees”.

For Madarao itself, the trail statistics are 30% beginner, 35% intermediate and 35% advanced. The Madarao ski resort is well suited to beginner skiers and snowboarders and is OK for intermediates. There are also some ungroomed black runs that commonly provide egg-carton shaped moguls, and a small terrain park.

Advanced riders can play in the trees, many of which are very widely spaced due to glading. There is a liberal approach to off-piste riding in the official tree zones, which are reasonably steep but there aren’t any gnarly slopes that will scare the pants off experts. Madarao Kogen also has some good sidecountry and backcountry terrain.

See the Madarao Mountain Resort terrain page for more information.

Madarao Snow

Madarao Ski Resort has a reputation for offering some really good powder known as Madapow (as coined by us!), and its northerly aspect is an obvious advantage for the quality of the snow. The top elevation is lower than some of the other high profile Nagano ski resorts, but the modest vertical is a bonus for the quality of the snow at the base area.

Where is Madarao Kogen?

Madarao Kogen is located 38km northeast of the city of Nagano in the north eastern part of the Nagano Prefecture, although officially, Madarao straddles both the Nagano and Niigata prefectures.

The town of Iiyama is 11km east of Madarao whilst the Myoko Kogen ski resorts are to the west. Madarao is also close to Nozawa Onsen and various other Nagano ski resorts, which is why it makes such a great base to sample multiple ski areas.

To get to Madarao from either of the Tokyo airports, you can catch trains to Iiyama, and then a bus or taxi to the resort. Or from Haneda or Narita Airports you can get a Chuo Taxi or Nagano Snow Shuttle to Madarao Kogen. See our Madarao travel page for more transport information.

Village - Madarao Accommodation

The Madarao Kogen village is somewhat spread out, but it’s not so big that you can’t walk around. There are various Madarao accommodation options that are slopeside, and others that are up to 15 minutes walk from the slopes whereby the lodging provides shuttles.

There are a handful of Madarao hotels, with the main one being the Madarao Kogen Hotel, a ski-in ski-out hotel that sits perched up on one of the main beginner slopes. The Madarao Kogen Hotel has western and Japanese style rooms, and the hotel has various facilities including restaurants, child care, ski rentals and hot springs (indoor and outdoor onsen).

There are lots of Madarao lodges that have been bought by westerners in recent years, and these are a great option if you want the support of English speaking hosts. Some lodges (such as Japan Snowsports) even provide transport to other nearby ski resorts. Other Madarao accommodation includes a handful of self-contained apartments/houses.

There are also Japanese pensions that are very affordable and provide more of a Japanese experience.

You can search for Madarao accommodation here and book on-line.

Facilities

Madarao Mountain Resort has various ski resort facilities including daytime cafeterias, a ski shop, and equipment rentals. Small children are well catered for with a snow park with a magic carpet, tubing and sledding, and inexpensive child care. There are a couple of Madarao ski schools with instructors that speak English, and the option of group or private lessons.

The number of Madarao restaurants and bars is growing as more westerners come into town. It’s also worth heading down to Iiyama at least one night to gain additional restaurant choices and experience some Japanese culture.