Niseko resides about two hours outside of the 1972 Winter Olympic host city of Sapporo, on Hokkaido, a northern island that sits on the confluence of two volcanic belts. With an average of 500 inches of snow annually, it’s one of the snowiest places on the globe, with light, fluffy powder that exceeds expectations.

The Niseko area itself is dominated by a total of five ski resorts, but the best bang for the yen (literally and figuratively) can be found at the small village of Hirafu, which sits at the bottom of three ski resorts that share the snow-choked slopes of 4,295-foot Mount Annapuri. Better still, they’re all accessible with the same lift ticket.

Working from the west, Niseko Annapuri features the largest swath of beginner terrain and some wide-open runs separated by small patches of trees. The resort boasts one gondola and a number of quad lifts, and has a somewhat dated, mom-and-pop vibe that echoes the earlier heyday of Japan’s ski obsession in the mid-1980s.

Niseko Higashiyama (now known as Niseko Village), the middle resort, grows out from the Prince Hotel, a property that carries a distinct, all-inclusive cruise ship vibe that’ll likely change in the coming years (Hilton recently acquired the property and plans extensive renovation). The resort’s high-speed gondola launches from the back door of the hotel, accessing runs for all skill sets.

The easternmost resort, Grand Hirafu is arguably the most western in appearance and terrain, with a lively village base, easy access to the streets of Hirafu, a gondola, several high-speed mid-mountain lifts, a terrain park, spectacular out-of-bounds tree

Niseko resides about two hours outside of the 1972 Winter Olympic host city of Sapporo, on Hokkaido, a northern island that sits on the confluence of two volcanic belts. With an average of 500 inches of snow annually, it’s one of the snowiest places on the globe, with light, fluffy powder that exceeds expectations.

The Niseko area itself is dominated by a total of five ski resorts, but the best bang for the yen (literally and figuratively) can be found at the small village of Hirafu, which sits at the bottom of three ski resorts that share the snow-choked slopes of 4,295-foot Mount Annapuri. Better still, they’re all accessible with the same lift ticket.

Working from the west, Niseko Annapuri features the largest swath of beginner terrain and some wide-open runs separated by small patches of trees. The resort boasts one gondola and a number of quad lifts, and has a somewhat dated, mom-and-pop vibe that echoes the earlier heyday of Japan’s ski obsession in the mid-1980s.

Niseko Higashiyama (now known as Niseko Village), the middle resort, grows out from the Prince Hotel, a property that carries a distinct, all-inclusive cruise ship vibe that’ll likely change in the coming years (Hilton recently acquired the property and plans extensive renovation). The resort’s high-speed gondola launches from the back door of the hotel, accessing runs for all skill sets.

The easternmost resort, Grand Hirafu is arguably the most western in appearance and terrain, with a lively village base, easy access to the streets of Hirafu, a gondola, several high-speed mid-mountain lifts, a terrain park, spectacular out-of-bounds tree skiing, and a wide variety of runs, including the double-black Super, a knee-biting strip of moguls.

Overall the three resorts feel to be about the size of Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort—but the scenery is decidedly Asian. Bone-white birch and wooly pine stand out stark against a bluebird ski, while the Sea of Japan glitters a brilliant cobalt in the distance. Opposite the mountain, snow-capped Mount Yotie volcano rises from its pancake-flat surroundings.

Off-piste options abound at Hirafu, from a relatively easy, 20-minute slog up the ridgeline of Mount Annapuri (where you can easily ski back in-bounds) to longer excursions off the north side of the mountain, where skilled guides can likely lead you to waist-deep powder (even long after the last snowfall) throughout 381-square-mile Shikotsu-Toya National Park.

Accommodations are plentiful, both within the town of Hirafu, at the Prince Hotel (which boasts four restaurants, including one of the island’s best seafood-rich dinner buffets), and the base of Niseko Annapuri. Busses run frequently between all three resorts (free access with a lift ticket; otherwise it’s a nominal fee), and the après scene is alive and well—thanks, in no small part, to the influx of Aussie ex-pats each season. Japan’s famed onsens (traditional bathhouses fed by all-natural hot springs) and izakayas (a Japanese on a tapas bar) are also easy to locate