Appi Kogen

Overview

A family friendly fully integrated ski in ski out resort located approx 500 km north of Tokyo near the top of the main island of Honshu where cold weather in winter guarantees dry powder conditions. Appi is easily accessed from Tokyo by Shinkansen and then a short trip on a local train from Morioka city. Appi is an all in one destination with a large hotel complex connected to the ski resort, the resort has all the facilities you would expect from a quality resort including onsens, indoor pool, karaoke, game arcade, gym, Cafes, bars and restaurants.

Accommodation option varies from the family friendly great value ANA Holiday Inn Resort  to the luxurious ANA Crowne Plaza. The Shirakaba-no-Mori sits in between these two without the hustle and bustle of the main building and provides large rooms with easy access to and from the slopes. The Appi resort was originally built as a luxurious destination all in one resort during the 80’s property bubble for wealthy Tokyo families, the resort and facilities were built to exceptional standards with a resort infrastructure that includes 2 gondolas and 16 lifts over two mountains and 805 metres of vertical, 21 runs, 45.1 km of trails all spread over 282 hectares of terrain that are well suited to beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers alike.

In recent years Appi has opened up some great tree skiing zones for the intermediate to advanced rider and there are also some side country and back country options with guides at fantastic prices making it some of the best value touring in Japan. Appi receives up to 8m of snow every winter and the powder is as a good as what you could expect from resorts on Hokkaido. They are open from December to early May, however best skiing is Late December through to early March.

Appi is located on the same latitude as world famous resorts such as USA’s Aspen resort but Appi has the added benefit of the lake affect as Siberian weather systems produce dry powder when they hit the mountains of Japan. Appi's snow quality is exceptional, with an abundance of light dry powder. Appi is a great choice if you are after a resort that can be easily access from Tokyo and you are after the ease of an all in one ski in ski out destination resort.