Hakuba Goryu Snow Resort

Date visited: Dec 18 2025 Condition: Rainy at the bottom and very foggy on top if you take the gondola 🚠 up (only one is open for the date visited) Crowd: 🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍 very very crowded Background: been to Cortina, Tsugauke and Goryu during 6 day trip in Hakuba. My level is just learnt how to turn on a snowboard and need a place to get better at it. This is the beginning of snow season here at Hakuba and some of the ski resort haven’t opened yet. The ones that open have limited number of lifts open. Please make sure you check the website before you go. You can get a lot cheaper price for lift tickets for a lot of these ski resorts by going to a nearby rental shop. They have season passes that they can lend you for multiple day use. I’m not too sure if this is legit but they said they are. Goryu is by far the busiest resort out of the three I’ve visited for my trip. Not as powdery at the bottom and all other lanes eventually merge to one at the bottom and unfortunately this is where the green beginner lane is. You’ll get all the traffic from high up and definitely not a good place to start from my point of view as a beginner. For rental you get the burton shop they only have step on snowboard gear which is good quality but I’m not sure if I’ll like it personally. Price is fair ¥6200 per day for a fairly new burton step on set (check my photo). Way cheaper than shops like Rhythm.

Good for intermediate skier who prefers a quieter and smaller scale resort. It feels personal and cozy. For beginners, you will end up at Hakuba 47 and must take the bus back to Goryu if your base is there. Alps-Daira lifts are always busy but they are worth the wait. The powder was fresh, crunchy and super soft on a late December day.

Great day on the mountain. My wife and I (she, green and red slopes; me, red and black) had a great long day with still some snow left in early March. The best slopes we had in our Japan trip! Much better than Happo (better snow)

Spent a wonderful 3 days here. Everything can be paid by card, and the staff was extremely helpful and kind of my situation, as I accidentally double scanned my ski pass. They were willing to help change my ticket, which I really appreciate. The powder is great, especially on my last day! As a beginner, I managed to improve tremendously there. Will be back in the future!

Really cute resort for either families with kids (wide green runs+ night sking) or people who can ski on the good level. Their "red" runs are steep and good to learn on, but could be slightly intimidating, which is good for learning. Mogul run is pretty long and will burn your legs. Food is not bad 1300-1700 yen. 7-11 is 20 min walking from the resort. Bars are pretty expensive: expect a beer around 1000 yen and a shot of whiskey around 1400-1500. The nature around places to stay is gorgeous.

This was our first time in Hakuba, and we were lucky to find this ski school. Alekandra and Merry were excellent instructors. Goryu was the first ski slope we encountered upon arriving in this town, and it's perfect for practicing on a wide area.

Great little spot to get your beginner legs back. Limited food and terrain options but steep enough for those transitioning from pizza to parallel. Lifts felt safe but slow and base is central and well stocked. Overnight ski lockers are limited so be sure to grab them early. Leaving (any resort) is pure chaos so be ready to wait if you’re after an uber. They have phones to connect directly to local taxi dispatchers and they mostly speak English. The shuttle does come but it’s a scramble to get on as the lines build. The hill was mostly closed by 4PM and the exodus started about 3PM (so be ready to wait, but nothing crazy).

A very small resort. The area around the main ski lift has 4 restaurants. The centre in which the ski lift, ticket office and information centre is located does have a couple of coffee shops, a large modern canteen and and various snack shops clothing shops and ski hire centre.

Had such a great time on this course. Also enjoyed the night ski time. Just wish there was a late open Onsen after the night ski.

Although this resort is on the smaller side it does connect with Hakuba 47 and it's nice to ski at two resorts in the same day. There are great views from the top so definitely take the gondola up just for that alone. The runs are great for beginner and intermediate skiers or snowboarders. If you're more advanced or looking for more challenging runs then I'd recommend going to Happo One. What's nice is the shuttle service in the valley lets you hop from one resort to another and it's super easy to use. The only downside is the shuttle service will drop you off in the morning and doesn't start picking people up until after lunch time. Vail Resorts Epic season pass gives you 5 days in Hakuba Valley and that was the main incentive to visit here. I had a great time and will definitely come back in the future.