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Happo One resort snow
Lat Long: 36.70° N 137.84° E
Ski Japan - Nagano

Happo One Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Happo One at 1296m altitude

Issued: 2 am 21 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Happo One: 2.4cm on Mon 27th  (after 9 PM)

Visitor reviews for Happo One Ski Resort

Happo One Ratings

Overall: 3.8. Based on 41 votes and 27 reviews.

Snowsure: 4.2

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Happo One is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 3.9

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Happo One has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.5

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.6

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.6

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Happo One

Public Transport: 4.2

  • There are no buses or taxis to Happo One
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.5

  • No places to stay in/near Happo One
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 4.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.5

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Happo One

Ski in/Ski out: 4.0

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.6

  • There are no child care facilities at Happo One
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 3.6

  • Happo One relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.1

  • There are no snow groomers at Happo One
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Happo One are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.6

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Happo One is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 3.9

  • If snow conditions are poor at Happo One, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.1

  • Happo One usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 4.2

  • The staff at Happo One are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Happo One are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.9

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.2

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.3

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.8

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.4

  • No intermediate terrain at Happo One
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.9

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.1

  • Not even a kicker at Happo One
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.3

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Happo One
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 1.6

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Happo One has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.8

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.8

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.3

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 2.8

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.4

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.3

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.5

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 4.3

  • Overall, Happo One is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.5

  • Overall, Happo One is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

February 01, 2009
Nat
January 14th at Happo One was probably the best day of riding I have ever had. Fresh powder, bluebird skies, no crowds and a great crew from Gladerunner Lodge to ride with who showed me some sick tree runs. I will see you all in Hakuba in 2010.
January 24, 2009
Nick
Has been spot on for the whole trip. Thanks.
January 20, 2009
James
Had an awesome time at Happo last 3 weeks. Big thanks to the guys at The Lab for showing us around and making the stay so enjoyable. This place rocks, I am coming back for the season last year. Sakka Tree's yeaw.
November 23, 2008
TJ from Ski Japan - Nagano Japan - Nagano
After last weeks great snowfall, Happo is now open for the 08/09 season.
January 08, 2008
Dennis Blake
Just left Happo - under snow, heaviest on record. Awesome and well worth a visit. Had a fantastic 8 days and would recommend the area to anyone.
December 03, 2004
Dave from Ski Japan - Nagano Japan - Nagano
Well winter is just around the corner in the Japan Alps and Happo is going to be the place to be this season. With one of the highest snowfalls on a resort in the world it is one of the sweetest hills around. I liked it so much this will be my 10th season here. Hakuba is equal in conditions and terrain as my home ground Whistler but with out the Dysneyland atmosphere, just the goods, great people and a chill vibe. Like ski hills used to be like. See you in the Japan Alps this winter for some of the sickest pow you've had the pleasure to snorkle through. Peace thru Pow Catfish
February 05, 2004
drew from Ski USA - California USA - California
After spending 2 months living in Hakuba as part of the broadcast team for the Winter Olympics with CBS Sports,and 1 month exclusivly at Happo One I can say that this resort is the best. If you think the french alps are great, think again, I lived there during the olympics in Albertville found it very stuck up and not treated well by the people. Colorado, USA resorts are there for braging rights. (It's the in thing to be seen in Vail).But the people in Hakuba, and Happo One are the friendliest around, and I forgot, the trails are great! I've spent 6 years kicking myself for not moving to japan, and hakuba. And I put my name on it ...DREW B.