Heading back to Niseko this January I was last there in 2012 / 2013 season. Back then we bought lift passes from the ticket office at Hirafu, the passes purchased were for lift riding hours (e.g. 100 hours) which we topped up and I think got a refund on the unused hours.This seemed like a good deal at that the time, allowed for some flexibility. Is this still the way to go, or are there better offers out there ?
You can get a 30hr Hirafu Pass Or a 50hr All Mountain Pass in person. Or you can buy a pass online for All Mountain with 10, 20 or 30 hrs (I think) that can be topped up online.
http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/lift/web-liftpass/ - 10 hours/¥15,000 — 20 hours/¥27,000 — 30 hours/¥39,000 yeah can be topped up online but NO refund for unspent hours, unless you (illegally) sell the pass before you leave. if you're at Niseko for enough time to use 10 to 20 hours then I still think they're the best passes available. reminder that 10 hours is probably enough for 2-3 days of skiing. but please don't be that guy who wont do "just one more run" because "it'll cost you 1500 yen". fly 5000 km, take two trains, a bus and a taxi to get there, buy $10 overprised coffees, but become a tight ass penny pincher trying to save on your lift ticket instead of having a good time with your friends.
you take a lift at 8:30am, 1st hour starts ...unlimited ski lift rides ... you happen to take a lift at 9:29am, still on 1st hour. you take a lift at 9:35am, 2nd hour starts. ... unlimited ski ... you take a lift at 10:41am, 3rd hour starts. ... unlimited ski ... you take a lift at 11:45am, 4th hour starts. ... unlimited ski, plus a 1 hour lazy lunch ... you take a lift at 13:45, 5th hour starts. ... unlimited ski ... you go home at 14:45 today you skied for 6.25 hours, but it only cost you 5 hours on ticket. 6,500yen (39,000/6) vs 7,400yen for a 1 day ticket. but it loses its economy if you ski like 9 hours a day tho lol. also note those little 5 mins you gain here and there are usually more like 10-15 mins each time, but you get the idea.
