Overview
Located at the Northern end of the Hakuba Valley, Cortina is not the largest resort but does have some impressive terrain and boast the most snowfall and the most progressive off piste policy in the Valley.
As such Cortina is popular with powder hounds seeking off piste skiing, and can either be deserted or relatively busy (by Japan standards) depending on the previous night’s snowall and day of the week.
Snow & Weather
By virtue of its location at the Northern end of the Hakuba Valley, closest to the Sea of Japan, Cortina gets the most snow of any resort in the Valley. With the top of Cortina being 1,440m and the bottom at 940m, the snow quality is excellent.
During the peak months of January and February, powder days are plentiful and are days to remember!
Cortina Trail Map
Norikura / Cortina Trail Map
Lifts
Cortina has just 7x lifts – 6x Double chairs and 1x Quad chair from the Hotel Green Plaza to the mid station.
Cortina is linked to neighbouring Norikura and can be accessed via a combined lift pass.
Cortina is a popular destination for off piste skiers and snowboarders staying throughout the Hakuba Valley. On a powder day and at weekends, lift lines are longer than normal.
When a powder day falls on the weekend, you can expect to queue for up to 20 minutes at the beginning of the day with the queues disappearing by lunchtime.
Terrain
Cortina has appealing terrain for advanced skiers and boarders, some excellent tree skiing at a decent pitch, easily accessed sidecountry, and some fun, relatively steep piste runs.
The official Cortina ski area is relatively small and is mainly enclosed within one bowl with the Hotel Green Plaza at the base and a small section of the bowl joining Cortina with neighbouring Norikura that links back to the main bowl via the No.6 Pair Lift.
Pistes run along the top of the ridge line and from the ridge line of the central piste the runs from mid station to the hotel. In between the piste runs are some great off piste tree skiing, labelled as “Self Responsibility Areas” on the map. Off the back of the ridge lines are Cortina’s sidecountry and backcountry terrain.
There is enough terrain here to keep those on piste happy for 3-4 days and those off piste to come back time after time on powder days.
On Piste
The super wide beginner Ikenota run that runs down the centre of the bowl from mid station to the hotel is very well groomed and maintained and is perfect for beginners.
There are also some good intermediate options and a few steep fun black runs.
Terrain Park
Cortina has no terrain park to speak of.
Off Piste Sidecountry
The tree skiing and off piste terrain both within the resort boundary and out of the resort through the three access gates is what sets Cortina apart from the rest. The Ski Patrol’s relaxed laissez faire policy allows skiers and snowboarders to access this terrain freely but at their own risk.
The tree skiing is great fun and is a steeper pitch than elsewhere in the Hakuba Valley. The first place to head to on a powder day is the trees to the skiers right of the No.4 Pair Lift.
The terrain accessed from the backcountry gates is also excellent and be sure to hire a guide to get the most out of this terrain, especially if you are only at Cortina for a day or two.
Private Guiding availability is in short supply, especially during peak season and should be booked a long time in advance.
For more information on booking guiding with Evergreen Outdoor Centre, please click here.
Access
Cortina has limited accommodation options but is well connected to the other villages in the Hakuba Valley via a number of shuttle bus services.
Cortina is 16km from Happo One Village and the drive takes 20 to 30 minutes. Minami Otari Train Station located in Otari town is the clostest train station and is located 6km away. Bus times are available from the Happo Information Centre, your accommodation or at the bus stops themselves.
You might also like
Cortina / Norikura Village
There are no developed villages at the base of either ski resort, rather a handful of smaller accommodations and one family friendly ski in / ski out destination resort hotel at the base of each resort.
Cortina / Norikura Accommodation
There are no developed villages at the base of either ski resort, rather a handful of smaller accommodations and the ski in / ski out destination resort hotels of Hotel Green Plaza on the Cortina side and Hakuba Alps Hotel on the Norikura side providing the facilities & amenities.
Norikura Ski Resort Map
All information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing.