Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
ニセコ東急 グラン・ヒラフ42°52′ N 140°42′ ENiseko United
Niseko's biggest lift network climbs from a village full of bars and ramen counters to the G3 gate under Annupuri's summit, and the lower mountain stays lit until seven most of the winter.
Photo by Jonny McNee on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner16.3 km
- Intermediate6 km
- Advanced7.6 km
Most people meet Niseko at Hirafu, and the mountain carries that load every morning. Two gondolas pull out of the village at 8:30. Up top, King Single #4 is the old one-seater locals call the pizza box, and it is the only way to the peak gates, so on a clear morning after snow half the town queues for the same 526 metres of cable.
Storms usually keep the peak gates shut, and the wind often holds King #4 as well. The middle and lower mountain ski well regardless. Super runs straight down the fall line under the Ace Gondola at up to 35 degrees and refills along its ridge between laps, and Kokutai beside the King Gondola gives a long sustained pitch when the upper lifts are on hold. You will be glad of the Ace Gondola's heated ten-seat cabins on a dumping minus-twelve morning. It replaced the old Center Four quad in December 2024 and moves about 2,800 people an hour, and King #3 became a hooded, heated six-seater for 2025/26.
How it rides
- Powder
- 4 out of 5
- Trees
- 3 out of 5
- Steeps
- 3 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 5 out of 5
- Park
- 4 out of 5
- Beginners
- 4 out of 5
- Family
- 4 out of 5
- Quiet
- 1 out of 5
- Value
- 3 out of 5
- Après
- 5 out of 5
A bluebird morning after a refresh belongs to the peak. Ride King #3 and then King #4 to G3 at 1,180 m and you are 20 to 50 minutes of bootpacking from the 1,308 m summit of Niseko Annupuri. Yotei fills the whole view to the east. The Higashi-One ridge heads off from the gate toward Hanazono, and the north face and the Back Bowl at Kozan-no-sawa sit over the summit. G4 opens an hour after G3 and drops into Fujiwara-no-sawa. That valley comes out at the bottom of Hanazono #3, and from there two chairs take you back to the gate.
The village climbs the hill from the Hirafu junction to the gondola bases and holds the nightlife the rest of Niseko goes looking for. Night riding runs 16:00–19:00 from mid-December to late March and the day ticket carries straight into it. When snow keeps falling after dark the lit lower half of Super can ride better at six than it did at two, and on Fridays fireworks go up over the slope. NEST813 at the top of the Ace Gondola and the Powderhood brewpub in the village were both new for 2025/26.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafuコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HolidayホリデーコースNotes | 3,493 m | 521 m | 19.6° | 8.5° | E | ||
| Familyファミリーコース | 1,945 m | 401 m | 16.3° | 8.4° | S | ||
| Greenグリーンコース | 1,681 m | 321 m | 18.6° | 10.9° | SE | ||
| Shirakaba白樺コースNotes | 1,089 m | 168 m | 18.4° | 9.1° | E | ||
| Boyo望羊コース | 835 m | 136 m | 14.7° | 9.5° | SE | ||
| Sennoki | 946 m | 121 m | 17.2° | 7.2° | SE | ||
| Kogen高原コースNotes | 850 m | 85 m | 15.6° | 9° | E | ||
| Free Ride ParkPark | 441 m | 70 m | 14.3° | 9.5° | SE | ||
| Beginners access初級者迂回路 | 450 m | 67 m | 17.3° | 8.3° | N | ||
| King Area Access Passキングエリア連絡通路 | 402 m | 57 m | 13.8° | 8.4° | SE | ||
| LargeラージコースNotes | 328 m | 49 m | 10.2° | 8.4° | E | ||
| SuperスーパーコースNotes | 263 m | 38 m | 10.6° | 8.2° | E | ||
| Alpenアルペンコース | 92 m | 7 m | 5.2° | 4.3° | S | ||
| Furikoフリココース | 645 m | 228 m | 23.8° | 19.5° | SE | ||
| Rinkan林間コースTrees | 618 m | 184 m | 24.8° | 16.6° | E | ||
| CenterセンターコースNotes | 945 m | 171 m | 24.8° | 10° | E | ||
| Kokutai国体コースNotes | 582 m | 170 m | 21.3° | 16.3° | SE | ||
| JumboジャンボコースNotes | 713 m | 169 m | 24.2° | 13.3° | E | ||
| Parallelパラレルコース | 707 m | 151 m | 18° | 12.5° | NE | ||
| Alpenアルペンコース | 435 m | 114 m | 19° | 14.7° | SE | ||
| SuperスーパーコースNotes | 1,303 m | 443 m | 29.3° | 18.8° | SE | ||
| Miharashi見晴コースTreesNotes | 1,073 m | 335 m | 28.8° | 17.3° | E | ||
| Konayuki粉雪コースTreesNotes | 677 m | 223 m | 29.8° | 18.2° | E | ||
| Ni-kabe第2の壁Notes | 532 m | 189 m | 28° | 19.5° | E | ||
| LargeラージコースTreesNotes | 383 m | 163 m | 32.7° | 22.8° | E | ||
| DynamicダイナミックコースNotes | 522 m | 155 m | 27.5° | 16.5° | E | ||
| Onsenzawa温泉沢コースTreesNotes | 295 m | 106 m | 23.7° | 19.7° | E | ||
| Kokutai国体コースNotes | 82 m | 35 m | 26.9° | 23.1° | E |
Lengths, vertical, pitch and aspect are computed from OpenStreetMap run lines and 30 m elevation data. Steepest is the hardest 60 m pitch. Treat them as a guide and trust the signs on the hill.
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
King areaキングエリア
zone
The King Gondola climbs the eastern side of the mountain from the Mountain Center, and King Sixpack #3 and King Single #4 carry on above it to the 1,200 m top. Jumbo, Kokutai, Miharashi and Dynamic all come off this side, and the lower runs are lit at night.
Good for peak access, steep groomers, night riding
Ace area
zone
The Ace Gondola climbs from the .Base and Welcome Center side to 813 m. Ace #3 and Ace #4 run above it and the Ace Family Quad runs below. Super and Large are the steep runs here, and Center gives mixed groups a way down together.
Good for fall-line laps, storm-day riding
Holiday area
zoneBeginner
The King Holiday Pair and the 2.9 km Holiday run follow the eastern boundary of the resort down to the King base. Renraku joins it from Hanazono, so it is the easy way back to Hirafu at the end of the day.
Good for long greens, night riding, Hanazono link
G3 Hirafu Peak Gateヒラフ山頂ゲート
gateExpert
G3 sits at 1,180 m at the top of King Single #4 and is the main entrance to the Niseko Annupuri summit and the bowls around it. Patrol decides each morning whether it opens and closes it in poor visibility.
Good for summit bootpack, Higashi-One, Back Bowl
G4 Fujiwara Gate藤原の沢ゲート
gateExpert
G4 sits beside G3 at 1,180 m and opens an hour after it. It drops into the Fujiwara-no-sawa valley, and that valley runs out at the base of Hanazono #3.
Good for valley powder, second lap off the peak
Higashi-One東尾根
zoneExpert
The east ridge runs down from the peak gates toward Hanazono. Patrol asks riders to stay off the traverse toward it from G5 while G3 and G4 are shut.
Good for ridge riding, powder after storms
Back Bowl (Kozan-no-sawa)鉱山の沢
zoneExpert
The bowl on the far side of the summit is reached from G3 with a bootpack over the top. The Niseko avalanche team has photographed full-depth slides here, so ride it only with current information and a partner.
Good for big open bowl, bluebird days
Niseko Annupuri summitニセコアンヌプリ
peakExpert
The 1,308 m summit is a 20 to 50 minute bootpack from G3. Wind scours the top hard, so expect rime and ice under the new snow.
Good for views of Yotei, summit descents
Haru-no-taki春の滝
zone
This valley between Hirafu's Ace side and Niseko Village is marked strictly off limits on the trail map. Entering it breaks the Niseko Rules and can cost you your pass.
Free Ride Park
parkIntermediate
The park sits on the Kogen run in the lower King area with kickers set through the season. Kogen is one of the twelve runs lit for night riding.
Good for kickers, night sessions
Beyond the ropes · gates
Hirafu holds the two highest gates in Niseko. G3 at the top of King Single #4 opens onto the Higashi-One ridge, the summit of Niseko Annupuri and the bowls beyond it, and G4 drops into Fujiwara-no-sawa an hour after G3 opens.
- Leave the ski area only through an open gate, and never duck a rope
- Helmet and avalanche transceiver required beyond the gates; probe and shovel strongly recommended
- No backcountry riding when patrol has the gates closed
- Haru-no-taki and Yu-no-sawa are permanently off limits
- Elementary-school children may only go through a gate with an adult
- Search and rescue is billed from ¥100,000, and rule breakers can lose their lift pass
Check the daily avalanche report before you leave the resort. Carry a beacon, shovel and probe and know how to use them.
Worth knowing before you go
Read the Niseko Avalanche Information report at niseko.nadare.info before you ride. It is written from 6:00 observations, and the gate status boards at the lift bases have the final word.
G4 opens 60 minutes after G3. Spend the first hour at the peak on Higashi-One or the bowls and save Fujiwara-no-sawa for the second lap.
On a busy bluebird day the King #4 line can eat a lot of the morning. Some guides ride the trees near G5 at Hanazono first and come back to King #4 once the line has thinned.
Your day ticket already covers the 16:00–19:00 night session, so there is no need to buy the ¥6,000 night ticket on top.
Buy online for about 5% off and keep the IC card, since the first online purchase carries a ¥500 card fee.
The free Hanazono shuttle leaves the Welcome Center about every 20 minutes when you want the other side of the hill without riding over the top.
11 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From New Chitose Airport
- Drive
- About 2 hr (112 km via Route 276 and Bifue Pass)
- Bus
- Hokkaido Resort Liner to the Hirafu Welcome Center, about 3.5 hr, ¥6,000 one way in 2025/26; Chuo Bus and White Liner also run winter ski buses
- Train
- JR via Sapporo and Otaru to Kutchan, about 3–3.5 hr, ¥2,880, then 15 min by taxi or 20 min by bus
From Sapporo
- Drive
- About 1 hr 45 min via the Shiribeshi Expressway and Niki IC (105 km), or about 2 hr over Nakayama Pass on Route 230 (94 km)
- Bus
- Chuo Bus ski bus, about 3 hr, ¥6,000 one way or ¥10,000 return, reservation required (13 Dec 2025 – 22 Mar 2026)
- Train
- JR to Kutchan via Otaru, then 15 min by taxi
The free Niseko United Shuttle links Hirafu with Niseko Village and Annupuri for All Mountain pass holders (29 Nov 2025 – 5 Apr 2026). The free Hanazono shuttle leaves the Welcome Center about every 20 minutes. Parking at Hirafu #1 (Ace Gondola), the Gondola lot and Lot A by the Mountain Center; 2025/26 parking fees were not confirmed.
Paid links
Line up the trip around Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Some of these links pay us a commission. It costs you nothing and keeps the guide independent. How the links work
Where to stay nearby宿
Soak after温泉
Touring close by山スキー
Towns to base in町
Ride these on the same trip近くの山
Photographs
More from Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu写真
Quick answers about Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafuよくある質問
How big is Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu?
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu has 22 runs and 9 lifts over 940 m of vertical, from 260 m at the base to 1,200 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 29.9 km of piste there.
How steep is Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu?
The steepest mapped pitch at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu is about 32.7° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 7.6 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu?
Hirafu holds the two highest gates in Niseko. G3 at the top of King Single #4 opens onto the Higashi-One ridge, the summit of Niseko Annupuri and the bowls beyond it, and G4 drops into Fujiwara-no-sawa an hour after G3 opens.
How much is a lift ticket at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu?
An adult day ticket at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu costs ¥11,000 in the 2025/26 main season and ¥7,700 early or late in the season. Ikon and Mountain Collective holders ride here too.
Does Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu have night riding?
Yes. Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu runs night lifts 16:00–19:00. Nightly from 13 Dec 2025 to 22 Mar 2026 on the Ace and King gondolas. Twelve runs are lit, including the lower Super, Kokutai, Furiko, Kogen and Holiday. Day tickets stay valid into the night session. Fireworks most Fridays from late December to March. Some third-party listings give the start as 16:30.
How do you get to Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu from New Chitose Airport?
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu is about 2 hr (112 km via Route 276 and Bifue Pass) by car from New Chitose Airport. By bus: Hokkaido Resort Liner to the Hirafu Welcome Center, about 3.5 hr, ¥6,000 one way in 2025/26; Chuo Bus and White Liner also run winter ski buses.
When is the season at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu?
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu usually opens late November (planned 29 Nov 2025; a slow start pushed opening to 4 Dec) and closes early May (6 May 2026). The deepest, most reliable snow comes late December to late February.