Ikon Pass Expands in Asia With Nine New International Ski Resorts

With only two major ski resort groups in the country, owned by Alterra Mountain Company and Vail Resorts, competition to sell season passes can be fierce. Recently, Alterra announced an expansion that may give some skiers a reason to opt for the Ikon Pass this year: a host of new partner resorts in Asia.

It’s one of the biggest international expansions of the Ikon Pass since it was launched in 2018. It includes nine new ski resorts spanning Japan, China, and South Korea, and could reflect the growing trend toward international ski trips in light of rising US ski resort costs. The new additions include Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort, Furano Ski Resort, Myoko Suginohara, APPI Resort, NEKOMA Mountain, Zao Onsen Ski Resort, and Mt. T (formerly known as Tenjindaira) in Japan, plus Yunding Snow Park in China and Mona Yongpyong in South Korea.

For many skiers, the resorts in Japan will be most compelling, thanks to the country’s reputation for fluffy, consistent powder throughout winter. Shiga Kogen, in the “Japanese Alps” north of Tokyo, is the largest connected ski area in Japan, with 1,483 skiable acres and a vertical drop of about 3,210 feet. That makes it smaller than resorts like Mammoth Mountain in California (3,500 skiable acres) or Park City in Utah (7,300 skiable acres), but still quite large by Japanese resort standards. It also has more than 50 lifts, making it easy to spread skiers out on busy days.

Myoko Suginohara, one of the closest resorts to Tokyo, has Japan’s longest groomed run, at 5.3 miles long. Furano, in central Hokkaido, is known for its light and dry powder, as well as its mix of in-bounds and off-piste trails — something that can be more difficult to find in Japan, where many resorts ban off-piste skiing. This makes it popular with international skiers, especially given its more stable weather when compared to resorts closer to the coast, like Niseko United.

APPI Resort and NEKOMA Mountain are both in the northern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. This region generally sees fewer tourists than the ski resorts in Hokkaido or closer to Nagano, making them ideal options for skiers who want to explore Japan’s slopes without waiting in line. APPI Resort is known for having more luxurious lodging options, as well as access to plenty of hot springs (onsens), while NEKOMA has excellent views from the summit of picturesque Lake Inawashiro.

Mt.T in the Japanese Alps has the highest average snowfall of all the resorts at about 49 feet, or 588 inches, per year. That’s more than almost every resort in the continental US, including Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Sugar Bowl near Lake Tahoe. Zao Onsen is smaller, with only about 30 runs, but it has a historic hot springs village at the base, making for excellent après-ski. It’s also renowned for what are called “snow monsters” — trees that get absolutely covered in snow and ice throughout the season, turning them into enormous, bulbous towers.

Outside of Japan, Ikon Pass holders can now ski in China at Yunding Snow Park, built for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, or South Korea’s Mona Yongpyong. With 28 runs and 14 lifts, it may seem small by US ski resort standards, but it’s the largest in South Korea. Skiing aside, the resort also has a sledding area, an indoor water park, restaurants, and cultural activities, like karaoke rooms and traditional Korean bathhouses, called jjimjilbang.

How many days skiers will get at each resort depends on whether they hold an Ikon Pass or the more affordable Ikon Base Pass. Full Ikon Pass holders will get seven days of skiing or riding at each new resort, while Base Pass holders can still enjoy five days per resort, all with no blackout dates. Prior to this announcement, Niseko United and Arai Mountain Resort were the only two resorts in Asia included in the Ikon Pass. Like the Ikon Pass, the Epic Pass from Vail also offers access to 11 Asian ski resorts, all in Japan, with access varying based on pass level.