Travel to Sugadaira Kogen with ski insurance from Essential Travel

Sugadaira Kogen ski resort is located in eastern Nagano prefecture and is a popular local resort with long, wide slopes that are suitable for learner snowboarders. Sugadaira comes with a healthy number of pistes, the bulk of which are suitable for intermediate skiers, and the off-piste on the backside of the mountain is awesome.

The resort town of Sugadaira is not the most comprehensive in Nagano, but there are a number of shops as well as reasonably priced ski equipment rentals featuring skis, boots and poles. The atmosphere here is laid back and the resort is not as busy as some of its better known neighbours.

There are 36 slopes at Sugadaira Kogen ski resort, the highest reaching 5,415 feet and an overall vertical drop of 1,313 feet. Twenty-six chairlifts feed the slopes and provide access across the 289 acres of terrain at a rate of thousands of people per hour, while the terrain park with a half-pipe is a big draw for snowboarders.

Sugadaira Kogen ski resort has a number of traditional pensions, or lodges, and Japanese-style hotels, many of which are located right near the slopes to offer ski-in, ski-out accessibility. There is an on-slope restaurant here, several quality restaurants at the pensions and one or two notable bars in the village.

For alternative skiing and snowboarding, Karuizawa ski resort is situated nearby but unfortunately it doesn’t offer fabulous sliding and is in fact a hangout for people who like to be seen. A little farther afield are the popular resorts of Happo One, Hakuba Iwatake and Hakuba 47 (the 47 meaning open four seasons, seven days a week).

Sugadaira Kogen ski resort’s ski season runs from early December to early April and has its best snow conditions in February; children receive discounts. The easiest way to get to Sugadaira from Tokyo is to take the limited express rail service on the Shinetsu line to Ueda, from where buses run to the resort.

Skiing in Sugadaira Kogen

Situated in eastern Nagano, Sugadaira Kogen is a huge ski resort spread over two mountains, featuring three dozen runs mainly aimed at intermediate sliders. Learner snowboarders will enjoy the easy, lower slopes and the terrain park, while there is also some quality off-piste for experts.

The 36 pistes at Sugadaira Kogen ski resort are spread across 289 acres of terrain and are divided into 20 per cent for beginners, 60 per cent for intermediates and 20 per cent for experts. Sugadaira Kogen also boasts a terrain park, half-pipe and 26 chairlifts do the lifting.

There are a few other winter-related activities that skiers and non-skiers alike can take part in, such as hiking, snowshoeing and heli-skiing. Spa facilities are available at some of the top pensions and après-ski can be enjoyed at the on-slope restaurant and several restaurants and bars in the village.

Sugadaira Kogen village is relaxed and informal and comes with all the usual ski-related facilities, such as ski rental equipment. Accommodation is in pensions and hotels, some of which offer ski-in, ski-out accessibility and spa facilities.

February sees the best snow during the December to April ski season at Sugadaira Kogen ski resort and children receive ski lift discounts. The most practical way to get to Sugadaira Kogen is to take the Shinetsu line direct to the town of Ueda in Nagano prefecture. Buses then run from Ueda to the resort in under an hour.

Transportation to Sugadaira Kogen

Sugadaira Kogen ski resort is located about 120 miles northwest of Tokyo in eastern Nagano prefecture and is readily accessible from the capital city. Driving is made easy by the proximity of the Joshinetsu expressway, while the preferred method is to take the train as far as Ueda, from where buses run to the resort.

If you are driving, the Joshinetsu expressway runs past Fukjioka and Somoro on its way to Ueda. Sugadaira Kogen ski resort is a 30-minute drive after leaving the expressway at the Ueda-Sugadaira interchange. From Osaka, take the Chuo and Nagano expressways as far as Matsumoto, from where route 143 goes northeast to Ueda and then onto the resort.

By rail from Tokyo, take the Ueda-bound limited express service along the Shinetsu line, with a journey time of 2 hours, 30 minutes; buses meet each train. It then takes a further 50 minutes or so to reach Sugadaira Kogen ski resort. Bullet trains run from Osaka to Matsumoto on the way to Nagano, from where buses run to the resort.

Tokyo’s Narita International Airport is the closest to Sugadaira Kogen ski resort and also the most convenient. Hundreds of flights arrive and depart from Narita to destinations around the world throughout the day and connections with Tokyo via the Narita Express train or buses and taxis are excellent.

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