Niseko HANAZONO Resort
ニセコHANAZONOリゾート42°53′ N 140°42′ ENiseko United
Hanazono runs fast heated lifts out of a polished base beside the Park Hyatt, and its trees and parks keep people busy on the days the peak above stays shut.
Photo MIKI Yoshihito · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner4.9 km
- Intermediate4.7 km
- Advanced0.6 km
- Expert1.8 km
Hanazono takes up the northeast shoulder of Niseko Annupuri, about ten minutes' drive from Kutchan Station. A lot of money has gone into it. Hana 1 is a heated six-seat chair with a bubble that climbs 1,615 m in about six minutes, and the Symphony Gondola has carried riders in leather seats since the 2021/22 season. The base building is called Hanazono 308 after its height above the sea.
On a storm day a good share of Niseko ends up here. The trees beside Hana 1 and the gondola give you shapes to read when the light goes flat, and the lifts sit lower and more sheltered than King #4 across the hill. Riders reach the gladed zone everyone calls Strawberry Fields from Hanazono #2. It does not appear on the official map, so ask patrol whether it is open before you drop in. Legend of Shinya is the one run Hanazono never grooms, and after a storm it is the first place to look.
How it rides
- Powder
- 4 out of 5
- Trees
- 4 out of 5
- Steeps
- 2 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 4 out of 5
- Park
- 4 out of 5
- Beginners
- 4 out of 5
- Family
- 5 out of 5
- Quiet
- 2 out of 5
- Value
- 3 out of 5
- Après
- 2 out of 5
A clear morning sends people up Hanazono #3 to the top of the resort at about 1,030 m. G5 is right behind the lift. It drops into lower Fujiwara-no-sawa and brings you back to the bottom of the same chair, so you can lap it for as long as patrol keeps it open. Keep riding up King #4 at Hirafu if you want G3 and the summit.
Families base here because the easy terrain is laid out well. Juicy Fruit starts at the gondola mid-station and stays lit for the night session. A kid who outgrows the mini park on Mango Salad can move on to Gondola Park and then the bigger kickers on Stomping Ground. Evenings are quieter than in Hirafu, and the free shuttle runs to the Hirafu Welcome Center about every 20 minutes until 19:28 when you want dinner in the village.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Niseko HANAZONOコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver DreamシルバードリームNotes | 2,841 m | 423 m | 19.6° | 8.1° | NE | ||
| Juicy FruitジューシーフルーツNotes | 821 m | 91 m | 10.4° | 6.3° | E | ||
| Mango SaladマンゴーサラダNotes | 562 m | 49 m | 7.1° | 5° | NE | ||
| Renraku連絡コースNotes | 435 m | 25 m | 6.4° | 2.8° | E | ||
| Youtei Sunset羊蹄サンセットNotes | 1,146 m | 323 m | 29.1° | 15.7° | NE | ||
| Stairway to Heavenステアウェイ・トゥ・ヘブンNotes | 811 m | 221 m | 27.2° | 15.3° | NE | ||
| Hanazono ParkHANAZONOパークNotes | 733 m | 179 m | 26.2° | 13.7° | E | ||
| Colly's FollyコリーズフォリーNotes | 580 m | 126 m | 22.6° | 12.3° | NE | ||
| Crystal GardenクリステルガーデンNotes | 815 m | 105 m | 17.9° | 7.4° | NE | ||
| Setsuzoku接続Notes | 344 m | 70 m | 24.4° | 11.5° | NE | ||
| Legend of Shinyaレジェンド・オブ・シンヤNotes | 584 m | 161 m | 27.7° | 15.3° | NE | ||
| Strawberry FieldsTrees | 1,170 m | 305 m | 29.3° | 14.6° | NE | ||
| Blueberry FieldsTrees | 650 m | 206 m | 33.4° | 17.6° | NE |
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.
More named runs from the trail map
Parallelパラレルコース575 m
Parallel links Hanazono and Hirafu near the top of the mountain. Use it to cross over without dropping all the way to either base.
Good for Hirafu link
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
Hana 1HANAZONO第1リフト
lift
The heated, hooded six-seater climbs 1,615 m and moves about 3,000 riders an hour. Stairway to Heaven and the main park both come off it, and the trees beside the lift line are the usual refuge in a storm.
Good for storm-day trees, fast laps, park access
HANAZONO Symphony GondolaHANAZONO シンフォニーゴンドラ
lift
The ten-seat gondola runs 1,297 m with a mid-station for beginners. It runs until 19:00 for the night session, and Colly's Folly and Juicy Fruit below it carry Gondola Park.
Good for beginners, night riding
Strawberry Fields
zoneAdvanced
Riders reach this gladed zone from Hanazono #2, and OpenStreetMap shows it as an expert run near Hana 1. It is missing from the official map, so check with patrol each day before riding it.
Good for tree riding, powder mornings
G5 Hanazono Gate花園ゲート
gateExpert
G5 sits at 1,050 m behind the top of Hanazono #3 and drops into lower Fujiwara-no-sawa. Runs come back out at the bottom of the same chair, and patrol warns of unstable cornices on the way in.
Good for gate laps, valley powder
G9 Waterfall Gateウォーターフォールゲート
gateExpert
G9 sits at 730 m a short walk to the left off Hanazono #2. It opens into a gully with a waterfall at the bottom and comes out on Hirafu's Holiday run once the falls are buried.
Good for short gully run, mid-winter powder
Fujiwara-no-sawa藤原の沢
zoneExpert
This valley runs down from the peak between Hirafu and Hanazono. G4 enters its upper reaches from Hirafu and G5 enters the lower part from Hanazono.
Good for valley powder, gate laps
Hanazono ParkHANAZONOパーク
parkIntermediate
The main park sits on the Stomping Ground run straight off Hana 1. The crew builds 8–12 m kickers from mid-season.
Good for big kickers, park laps
Gondola Park
parkIntermediate
This park on Colly's Folly and Juicy Fruit runs 3–8 m kickers. It stays open in the night session until 19:00.
Good for progression, night sessions
Beyond the ropes · gates
G5 sits behind the top of Hanazono #3 and drops into lower Fujiwara-no-sawa, and G9 near Hanazono #2 opens a gully once snow has buried the waterfall at its foot. The peak gates G3 and G4 are a ride up Hanazono #3 and King #4 away.
- Niseko Rules apply: gates only, helmet and transceiver required, no entry when gates are closed
- Patrol warns of unstable cornices around G5
- Do not traverse from G5 to Higashi-One while G3 and G4 are closed
- G9 stays shut until the waterfall at the bottom of the gully is buried
- Search and rescue is billed from ¥100,000
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
The Black Pass loads from 07:30 with priority lanes. On a powder morning that hour puts you in the G5 trees before the general public reaches the top of Hanazono #3.
Expect G9 Waterfall to stay closed until enough snow buries the waterfall at the bottom of the gully.
The base has around 200 free parking spaces. Car navigation MAPCODE 398 504 798*71 finds the lot.
Hanazono also runs Weiss cat skiing next door, and you check in for it at Hanazono 308.
The Hokkaido Resort Liner and the Niseko Direct Shuttle both drop at Hanazono's hotels from the airport for ¥6,000.
4 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From New Chitose Airport
- Drive
- About 2 hr 10 min via Route 276 and Bifue Pass
- Bus
- Hokkaido Resort Liner to Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono and Nikko Style, about 3.5 hr, ¥6,000; Niseko Direct Shuttle nonstop to Nikko Style, about 2.5 hr, ¥6,000 (2025/26)
- Train
- JR via Sapporo and Otaru to Kutchan, about 3–3.5 hr, ¥2,880, then about 10 min by taxi
From Sapporo
- Drive
- About 2 hr via the Shiribeshi Expressway or Nakayama Pass
- Bus
- Chuo Bus ski bus to Hirafu (¥6,000 one way), then the free Hanazono shuttle
- Train
- JR to Kutchan via Otaru, then about 10 min by taxi
The free Hanazono shuttle runs from the Hirafu Welcome Center to Hanazono 308 about every 20 minutes, 08:00–19:28 (4 Dec 2025 – 12 Apr 2026). Park Hyatt guests have their own shuttles to Kutchan and Hirafu. About 200 free parking spaces at the base.
Paid links
Line up the trip around Niseko HANAZONO Resort
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
Quick answers about Niseko HANAZONO Resortよくある質問
How big is Niseko HANAZONO?
Niseko HANAZONO has 12 runs and 4 lifts over 724 m of vertical, from 308 m at the base to 1,032 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 12 km of piste there.
How steep is Niseko HANAZONO?
The steepest mapped pitch at Niseko HANAZONO is about 33.4° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 2.4 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Niseko HANAZONO?
At Niseko HANAZONO: G5 sits behind the top of Hanazono #3 and drops into lower Fujiwara-no-sawa, and G9 near Hanazono #2 opens a gully once snow has buried the waterfall at its foot. The peak gates G3 and G4 are a ride up Hanazono #3 and King #4 away.
How much is a lift ticket at Niseko HANAZONO?
An adult day ticket at Niseko HANAZONO 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 HANAZONO have night riding?
Yes. Niseko HANAZONO runs night lifts 16:00–19:00. 13 Dec 2025 to 22 Mar 2026 on the Symphony Gondola, covering Colly's Folly, Juicy Fruit and Gondola Park. For 2026/27 the night session runs to 20:00.
How do you get to Niseko HANAZONO from New Chitose Airport?
Niseko HANAZONO is about 2 hr 10 min via Route 276 and Bifue Pass by car from New Chitose Airport. By bus: Hokkaido Resort Liner to Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono and Nikko Style, about 3.5 hr, ¥6,000; Niseko Direct Shuttle nonstop to Nikko Style, about 2.5 hr, ¥6,000 (2025/26).
When is the season at Niseko HANAZONO?
Niseko HANAZONO usually opens late November (planned 29 Nov 2025; low snow delayed opening to 5 Dec) and closes mid April (12 Apr 2026). The deepest, most reliable snow comes late December to late February.