Early bird tickets now on sale! Learn about the ski life with volleyball tickets! | WHY HAKUBA VALLEY? vol.1

Hakuba Valley is a vast area with 10 ski resorts spread across three cities and villages at the foot of the Hakuba Mountain Range in the Northern Alps, a chain of 3,000m-class mountains. The snow, slopes, and scenery are all world-class in Hakuba Valley, and the eyes of the world are now fixed on it

Have you heard of the all-mountain season pass, commonly known as the "Valley Pass," which allows you to enjoy Hakuba Valley to the fullest? It's a lift pass that allows you to freely ski at all ski resorts over the long season. We spoke to six skiers who thoroughly enjoyed the 2024-2025 season with this pass to find out what makes it so great and how to enjoy it

Skate a lot and get closer to your goal!

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

It's nice to have a volleyball ticket, knowing you'll always be able to ski at a ski resort no matter how strong the wind. For basic practice in preparation for the technical selection, I often went to Tsugaike, where the weather isn't too rough even in the afternoon. There are many courses that are easy to practice on, and it's nice that it's relatively empty. Before the competition, I went to Iwatake, Happo-one when I wanted to practice on rough terrain, and sometimes Sanosaka, Goryu, or 47 for a change of pace. Thanks to that, I feel like I got a little closer to my goal of skiing at the competition

I was also able to take a photo with Shun Okumura! After skiing, I often buy ice cream or crepes to eat. I recommend the "Super Super Special" from Momochan Crepe

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Skiing becomes more accessible

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

While I primarily aim for powder snow, I've also started visiting ski resorts more often even on days when it doesn't rain. On clear ski days, I'll go to a ski resort with a great location and enjoy some chill skiing while taking in the scenery. My favorite is the view of Mount Kashimayari and Mount Jiigatake that spreads out beyond the No. 6 Quad Lift at Kashimayari Ski Resort. To make my powder snowboarding dreams come true, I'd secretly practice snowboarding at Mount Jiigatake and often dine on the free curry that comes as a perk with my volleyball ticket. I'd ski-hop between ski resorts in the morning and afternoon, or grab a second powder dessert on the way home in the hopes of resetting my energy. It's all thanks to the volleyball ticket that I can now casually visit various ski resorts

My favorite spot is A-COOP in Hakuba, and I look forward to buying Hobby's Jersey milk from the local produce section and chanja (chicken stew) from Yakinikutei Omachi 

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I got injured in the middle of the season, but I'm very happy!

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

This season, I had a valley ticket, which allowed me to enjoy the best ski resort of the day and devote myself to skiing regardless of the weather. It's great to be able to choose the ski resort that best suits my goals: practice alpine skiing at Sanosaka in the morning, and jumping and freeriding at Hakuba Norikura, where the snow is soft and the terrain is varied, in the afternoon. The appeal of Hakuba Valley doesn't end at the ski resort; even after descending to the ground, you can spend time with friends through skiing. I don't think there's any other place where the community is as diverse as this one

My favorite routine was to browse for equipment at Rappy after skiing, or soak in Juro-no-yu with friends to relax before having hot pot

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I try to ski at least once every day before work!

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

Since I started using the valet ticket, I've been trying to get on the snow every day, even before a business trip, by going on a run first. Even on days when most ski resorts were closed due to strong winds, I was able to enjoy skiing at Jijigatake, as it was less affected by the wind. My best memory of this season was in February when I went on a ski hopping tour from Tsugaike to Iwatake to Happo with a guest who came from Sapporo to ski at Hakuba Valley for the first time, and enjoyed lunch at Happo Riesen Lodge

When I go to Iwatake, I relax by having a coffee at City Bakery before finishing my skiing. If you have time after coming down, I also recommend Coffee Senju. I usually work seriously after skiing (lol)

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After having a great time, work goes smoothly

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

This season, I tried powder skiing on fat skis, which I bought for the first time! Until now, I'd only done basic skiing, but my view of the world of skiing has expanded. With no restrictions on the number of days I could ski, I had much more time to ski, and I think this season I learned how to enjoy all kinds of snow conditions.
On sunny days, I could carve at Happo, and on snowy days, I could ski powder at Cortina. The best part of having a volleyball ticket is that you can enjoy the best way to enjoy each day, and you can move around agility in search of the best environment.

It was also a great experience to go skiing first thing in the morning and then work in the relaxed atmosphere of Norway Village

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I was busy visiting multiple ski resorts with my son!

How to enjoy volleyball tickets

This winter, I was able to take on some aggressive skiing during a shoot in a backcountry area in early January. Even though it was a backcountry area, I was a frequent visitor thanks to my valet pass, so I was able to take the plunge and try it because I was familiar with the lip and landing conditions

I'm at an age where my physical time to ski is limited, so I try to ski efficiently on fresh snow. If I can ski in good conditions first thing in the morning, I'll just go home. I don't pursue it too much. On the morning of the day, I carefully gather information to find ski resorts with good conditions, checking a lot of things like the weather forecast, SKIDAY live cameras, and powder searches!

I often have lunch at Kitaguni Lodge, located near the 6th lift at my home slope, Cortina Ski Resort. I love the fried chicken set meal, and I highly recommend the delicious side dishes made by my mother 

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10th Anniversary Hakuba Valley All-Mountain Season Pass on Sale from Tuesday, July 15th

The 2025-2026 season marks the 10th year since volleyball tickets were sold. A new "Domestic Resident Discount" for those living in Japan has been added to the Super Early Bird Discount. It is cheaper than the regular Super Early Bird Discount and is a great deal. Super Early Bird Discount tickets are available until August 28th. The deadline for the Repeat Customer Discount is a little earlier, on August 7th. Don't forget to take advantage of both!

Ticket type	Sale price Adult	Sales price for children (ages 6-12)	Sales period
Repeater discount	106,800 yen	56,500 yen	July 15th (Tue) - August 7th (Thu)
Super Early Bird	126,500 yen	66,700 yen	July 15th (Tue) - August 28th (Thu)
Super Early Bird Discount (Domestic Resident Discount)	118,500 yen	62,500 yen	July 15th (Tue) - August 28th (Thu)
Early Bird	154,000 yen	81,000 yen	August 29th (Friday) - October 30th (Thursday)
usually	184,000 yen	97,000 yen	10/31 (Friday) - 2/2 (Monday)

Text=Makiko Kishino

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