Norikura’s snow keeps always good condition. The base of the ski resort is 1500m high. It is top altitude for regular ski resorts. And the top is 1900m high. So Norikura is not a ski resort but a “mountain”. It causes strong wind though the wind keeps good snow here. BUT from last night, it rained until this morning. It turned to snow early in the morning though today’s condition was almost like in spring. Even though such a condition, it was better than other ski resorts in Nagano and we could have lots of guests.

A snowboard competition for kids, Indy Park Jam is being held at ALTS Bandai this weekend. Our staff, Seth is joining as an official photographer and Anthony is joining it as a competitor. We will post about it later. The photo for today is the one taken at Super Kids Session at Norikura Backcountry last spring. I hope they enjoy seeing them each other and the session in the comp.

Yesterday was so fun. I went up to the local ski hill and had a little shoot with my friend Daniel who is staff this year at NORTHSTAR. We were shooting on this little quarter pipe in the park. The feature is super fun and looks pretty good too.

Just last week I got to see a Kamoshika or Serow near Northstar.  Kamoshika are quite solitary animals and in this case it was a mom and baby.  As you travel through the Japan Alps you just might get to see one bounding up the mountain … it is insane to see them navigate through the terrain.  It is easy to forget that Japan still has the wilds but it takes a little effort to step aside, slow down, go for a walk.  ENJOY LIFE.  Dan

We’ve been working on our very own snow park here at NORTHSTAR.

The staff have been putting in a lot of time to get the park ready to session.

And we are having a bit of fun along the way.

We hope you will come and check out the park sometime this season!

We have some great new products in our shop.

We got to go riding in the backcountry a few days ago. We left the lodge at about 8:30 and we took the fist lifts up to about 2000m where we started our hike. The weather was actually not all that good when we left but by the time we got up mountain it was sunny and beautiful. The first thing we all did before leaving the ski area was activate our Avalanche Transceiver which in the event of an avalanche could help us locate a person who was buried in snow.

We took about 3hrs to hike up and then dug an avalanche pit to check the snow pack for safety before going above the timberline. Learning how to read a snowpack and seeing the layering and bonding between the different snow types is so interesting and important for safety when riding in the backcountry.

If you are interested in going into the backcountry please let us know or visit our backcountry page for more details on our tours starting in February. Also please check out our camps page for upcoming winter camps. 

All photos ©Seth McAllister www.sethmcallister.com

We got more items open in the Snow Park at Norikura Kogen-Onsen Ski Resort. This is the quarter pipe.

NORTHSTAR has been running the park with the help of many local volunteers. Thank you guys! This is another new item, a beginner kicker.

A few days ago our winter staff arrived, all 10 of them. Thats right 10 new instructors for our winter season. We had a great time riding together and if felt more like a “Staff Camp” than anything. There was 24 of us riding together including full time staff and family. To say the least, it was a crazy day.

Please check out our Staff page for more info about each staff member.

Last week the terrain park opened for the 09 season. The park is a little different than last year in that it will be run with the support of NORTHSTAR’s volunteer staff and other local volunteers from the area. We are really excited about working together with the ski resort to provide all the guests who ride here with a great park. It will be a bit scaled down but we are sure you will enjoy the rails and boxes. 

Kids Snowboard Camp

Does your ripper like trying spins, riding on rails, or hitting jumps … NORTHSTAR will support your child through this challenging camp.

Date: Jan. 10th (Sat.) to 12th (Sun.)　
Price: ￥33,000 (2 nights 6 meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners, 3 day lift pass and coaching programs)
Size: limited to the first 20 kids
Age: kids from 4th to 9th grade are welcome.  (Special inquiry is needed for 3rd grade and under)

Please use our online reservation from to register for this camp.