The 2026-27 season at Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort (軽井沢プリンスホテルスキー場) opened on Saturday, October 31, 2026 (Prince Hotels press release dated September 25, 2026). At opening, two runs of about 400m each (B1 Kurinoki Course and D1 Prince Slope) were skiable, along with the “Ski Center Area Snowman Park” for sledding. All 14 runs are scheduled to open in stages by early January 2027. An adult 1-day lift ticket costs ¥8,000 during the early-season period and ¥10,000 during the regular season from December 19, and children up to elementary school age ride free (official website, checked November 8, 2026). At the adjacent Karuizawa Prince Hotel West (軽井沢プリンスホテル ウエスト), listed rates are ¥29,300 per room for two on Wednesdays from November to early December, while November Saturdays run ¥60,000–¥70,000+, a gap of more than 2x.

2026-27 Season Operating Period and Run Opening Schedule

Snowmaking began on Saturday, October 3, 2026, and from October 7 all eight snow machines ran 24 hours a day. The plan called for producing about 450 tonnes of snow per day — roughly 6,300 cubic meters over the 28 days to opening — which made the October 31 opening possible (press release dated September 25). Because the slopes are built with man-made snow, this resort can start the season more than a month earlier than resorts that wait for natural snowfall.

The operating schedule by area is as follows. During the early-season period through December 18, only the Ski Center side (East Area) operates; the West Area is scheduled to open on Saturday, December 19.

Source: Prince Hotels press releases (September 25 and October 2, 2026); Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website, “Lift Tickets” and “West Area Operations” pages (checked November 8, 2026). Operating periods and hours may change depending on snow conditions.

According to the October 2 press release, 8 of the 14 runs (about 57%) are for beginners. The beginner-only “Debut Park,” equipped with a snow escalator, is free to use with a lift ticket. It is a good spot for first-time skiers and snowboarders, and for families with children, to “try a first run.”

Lift Ticket Prices (official website, checked November 8, 2026)

Adult 1-day tickets come in five tiers depending on the date. Early season and spring skiing are the cheapest at ¥8,000, while the “High Top Season” covering the New Year holidays and February long weekends is ¥13,000. Buying online in advance or at the member price saves ¥500 on each.

Source: Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website, “Lift Tickets” page (checked November 8, 2026). Adult prices, tax included. Afternoon tickets are valid from 12:00 (on sale from 11:30). Lift tickets are sold until 30 minutes before closing.

The big point for families is that children up to elementary school age ride the lifts free all season. Free children’s lift tickets carry no fee when picked up at the on-site counter; buying them online in advance costs a ¥100 fee per child but lets you skip the counter line. Preschool children cannot ride the lifts alone and must ride with a parent or guardian.

Night skiing and hourly tickets are not covered in this article, because the official lift ticket page we checked did not list prices for them. Before deciding when to start and finish skiing, please check the latest operating hours on the official website.

Staying at the Adjacent Hotels: West and East Listed Rates Differ More Than 2x Between Weekdays and Saturdays

Two hotels sit right next to the slopes: Karuizawa Prince Hotel West (395 rooms) and Karuizawa Prince Hotel East (軽井沢プリンスホテル イースト, 159 rooms). OTA listed rates compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team as of November 8, 2026 (per room for two guests, tax included, the cheapest plan of the day regardless of meal conditions) were as follows.

Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (OTA listed rates, as of November 8, 2026). Per room for two guests, tax included. The cheapest plan listed for each stay date; meal conditions and plan contents vary by date. Listed rates change daily and may differ from the amount at the time of booking.

Karuizawa Prince Hotel West: lowest listed rate by stay date (per room for two, tax included, as of November 8, 2026; HotelBank Editorial Team research)

The pattern is simple. From November to early December, Wednesdays at the West consistently list ¥29,300, while November Saturdays run 2.1–2.6 times that (Saturday, December 5 is ¥43,700, about 1.5x). From the weekend of December 19, the West Area opening overlaps with winter school holidays, and even Wednesdays climb into the ¥70,000s. If you are skiing on the same ¥8,000 lift ticket, staying on a weekday during the early season is the combination that keeps your total spend lowest. Our Lift Ticket + Ski Lodging 2026-27 analysis, which lines up the “total cost of a ski day” (lift ticket plus one night’s lodging) across major ski resorts, is also a useful budgeting reference.

As for choosing between the two hotels: the East is closer to the Ski Center, giving shorter access to the slopes that operate during the early season. The West faces the West Area, which opens from December 19, and with more rooms its lowest weekday rates tend to come in lower. For families comparing the two hotels in detail, Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort with kids: from what age? Season and prices (kazokustay, in Japanese) covers co-sleeping, breakfast and Snowman Park conditions.

Guest reviews also frequently highlight comments such as “convenient for casual skiing…,” “the free hot spring bath is a big attraction…,” and “just a short walk from the outlet mall…” (HotelBank Editorial Team analysis of 2,123 guest reviews of Karuizawa Prince Hotel West, November 2024 – November 2026). Shopping/location had the highest mention rate at 22.9%, followed by hot springs at 14.3% and room size at 13.7% — guests choose it as a stay where skiing, shopping and hot springs are all in one place. In our nationwide ranking Top 30 Ski-Slope Hotels by Reviews, which compiles hotels praised in reviews for their slope access, fellow Prince property Naeba Prince Hotel ranked first by number of mentions.

A Day Trip by Shinkansen Works Too: About 10 Minutes’ Walk from Karuizawa Station, Next to the Outlet Mall

Access is among the simplest of any ski resort in the Greater Tokyo area. The resort is about a 10-minute walk from the South Exit of Karuizawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and a free shuttle bus (no reservation required) runs between the South Exit and the resort (official website “Access” page, checked November 8, 2026). For those driving, parking for a standard car costs ¥1,000 on weekdays and ¥2,000 on weekends and holidays.

Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza spreads out between the station and the resort, so it is easy to shop in the morning and ski on an afternoon ticket (from 12:00), or ski in the morning and head to the outlets in the afternoon. Lifts run until 16:30 during the early season, so for a day trip, a return Shinkansen at 17:00 or later leaves comfortable margin.

The two Prince hotels are not the only places to stay within walking distance of the station. Looking at actual lodging rates across Karuizawa town, the estimated settled ADR on the hotel side (tax-excluded equivalent, 52 properties) rose from about ¥21,000 in November 2025 to about ¥24,000 in December — a step-up in December driven by ski resort openings and winter holidays that is common across the whole town. The relationship between opening dates and room rates is analyzed alongside Hakuba and Kutchan in our operator-focused article Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27 & Hotel ADR.

How Beginners and Families Should Plan: Three Decision Points

1. When to go. If you simply want to ski as early as possible, go on a weekday in November. The lift ticket is ¥8,000 and the West’s lowest listed rate is ¥29,300; runs are limited, but so are the crowds. If you want to ski every run, go from early January 2027, when all 14 runs are expected to be open — in that case, budget ¥10,000–¥13,000 for lift tickets and expect lodging at late-December levels even on weekdays.

2. Stay overnight or day trip. A day trip by Shinkansen from the Tokyo area skiing on an afternoon ticket costs just ¥7,000–¥9,000 for the lift ticket, excluding transportation (¥11,000–¥12,000 during top and high top seasons). If your child is making their ski debut, a one-night, two-day trip is more relaxed, letting you split a day for getting used to the snow at Snowman Park from a day of skiing.

3. Your children’s ages. Since lifts are free up to elementary school age, a family of two adults and two elementary schoolers pays for only two adult 1-day tickets. Preschoolers must ride with a parent or guardian, so a realistic plan is to combine Snowman Park (sledding and snow play) with Debut Park (free with a lift ticket). Please check the official website for ski school age requirements and prices.

Further Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When does the 2026-27 season at Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort start?

It opened on Saturday, October 31, 2026. At opening, two runs of about 400m and Snowman Park were available, and all 14 runs are scheduled to open in stages by early January 2027 (Prince Hotels press release dated September 25, 2026).

Q. How much are lift tickets?

An adult 1-day ticket (at the resort) is ¥8,000 during early season and spring skiing, ¥10,000 in the regular season, ¥12,000 in top season and ¥13,000 in high top season. Buying online in advance or at the member price saves ¥500 on each (official website, checked November 8, 2026).

Q. Do children need to pay for lift tickets?

Children up to elementary school age ride the lifts free all season. Free children’s lift tickets carry no fee when picked up at the on-site counter, while buying them online in advance costs a ¥100 fee per child. Preschool children cannot ride the lifts alone and must ride with a parent or guardian.

Q. How do I get from Karuizawa Station to the ski resort?

It is about a 10-minute walk from the South Exit of Karuizawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. A free shuttle bus (no reservation required) also runs between the South Exit and the resort (official website “Access” page, checked November 8, 2026).

Q. When are the adjacent hotels cheapest?

Based on OTA listed rates as of November 8, 2026 (per room for two, tax included), Karuizawa Prince Hotel West was cheapest on Wednesdays from November to early December at ¥29,296, while November Saturdays were ¥62,787–¥77,485. From December 19, rates overlap with winter holidays and reach the ¥70,000s even on Wednesdays.

Methodology and Sources

The ski resort’s opening date, runs and snowmaking plan are based on Prince Hotels press releases (dated September 25 and October 2, 2026); lift prices, operating hours, area operating periods and access are based on pages of the Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website checked on November 8, 2026. Night skiing, hourly tickets and ski school prices are not included because they were not listed on the official pages checked that day. Lodging rates are listed prices compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from public OTA data (per room for two guests, tax included, the cheapest plan for each stay date, as of November 8, 2026), covering two properties: Karuizawa Prince Hotel West and East. December 2 was excluded from the table because listing data could not be retrieved. The review analysis covers 2,123 guest reviews of Karuizawa Prince Hotel West (November 2024 – November 2026), with a mention rate calculated for each topic. The estimated settled ADR for Karuizawa town is a tax-excluded-equivalent estimate reflecting actual rates on the hotel side (52 properties, November and December 2025), and is defined differently from the listed prices that readers pay.

■ Primary Sources

• Prince Hotels press release (September 25, 2026): “Snowmaking to begin October 3 (Sat) toward the earliest opening in Nagano Prefecture again this season on October 31 (Sat)” (in Japanese)
• Prince Hotels press release (October 2, 2026): “Opening October 31, 2026 (Sat), first in Nagano Prefecture” (in Japanese)
• Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website: “Lift Tickets & Purchase” (in Japanese)
• Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website: “Access & Surrounding Area” (in Japanese)