Snowball Chalet at Madarao Mountain

Perfect stay for families! Delicious breakfast and fun area to hang out after enjoying a day on the mountain. Dan was super helpful arranging lift tickets, dinner reservations, and transportation. Hope we can come back to stay again soon!

Our three night stay at Snowball Chalet was perfect. Comfortable beds, great showers, everything we needed supplied, delicious breakfasts and gyozas in the evenings! Extensive drinks/cocktails. Dan and the team (Brandon, Hannah, Libby + others) made our stay so enjoyable, going above and beyond to make sure we had a great time. The lounge area was a comfy home away from home to enjoy with the fire going. The team sorted our dinner reservations, hire gear, lift pass and snow monkey tour (a personalised afternoon with the hilarious Brandon!).

It was a great stay. I love the vibe and everything about the Snowball Chalet.

A really wonderful time in a special place and exactly what a ski vacation should be. It's a rare experience to find somewhere you could happily come back to again and again over the years because it feels so comfortable and warm and is so much like being home that you feel part of the family. The chalet is super well located, walking distance to the runs (maybe 3 min max), and is very well appointed combining traditional Japanese elements from local craftspeople seamlessly with western comforts. Dan and Andy clearly devoted huge amounts of thought and care to every nook and cranny of this place, it is a labour of love throughout and it shows. In the warm and inviting lounge you can relax in big comfy sofas, have really good coffee (proper espresso!) and excellent breakfast in the mornings (both Japanese and Western options). In the afternoons you can listen to the record collection by the fire, sampling the excellent bar with everything from fine Japanese whiskey to chilled Sake to local distilleries. Paradise! The whole team make you feel welcomed from the moment you enter and are just terrific hosts - truly a level above. They are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the area, a joy to spend time with and get to know. But professionally they are excellent. They co-ordinated our ski gear and lift passes with a local supplier and had them arrive at the chalet so we had minimal time off the slopes. They offered excursions to snow monkeys, onsens and organized wonderful local dinners without us having to think about it. One night it was incredible Kaisekei, another a kitschy local tavern, all terrific. Even beyond that, knowing it was a valentines trip with my wife they made a gorgeous and complicated origami display in our room for when we arrived. In general it's clearly a well organized group that loves the service they provide and the special place they have created. Ski-ing wise in Madarao, there is plenty to do - large beginner areas and wonderful powdery tree skiing for more experienced skiers. Super easy to get to from Tokyo with a bullet train to Iiyama every couple hours, which is only 20 minutes drive away. I don't know what more to say - a stellar experience and one to remember, leagues above your typical ski hotel / chalet. I consider myself lucky to have stumbled into this gem and like most guests will be staying even longer next year, and hopefully for many more to come.

Just WOW!! We recently completed a 10 day stay at Snowball Chalet, Madarao and couldn’t be more thrilled!! Dan, Andy, Rena and the entire Snowball Chalet team were incredibly hospitable from provision of pre-arrival information, snow equipment hire and tips, food / restaurant recommendation / bookings, and their overall care and consideration for every possible need during our stay as a family of four. Snowball Chalet is a charming 1980’s chalet that has been re-imagined from the footings up, whilst maintaining a traditional feel and ambience - the cosy lounge & fire-place, the stunning dining room with vista of the snow-capped trees and mountain range further enhances the appeal of the chalet - a place and experience we will surely come back to enjoy. The Snowball Chalet team made every breakfast and apres drinks session a joy, catering to all special dietary needs, with excellent coffee. The bar is so well stocked we sampled various gin, whiskey & beer - we would need many more weeks to sample the entire collection! The dedication of the team was further demonstrated when one of our children was injured in an unfortunate accident on the slopes requiring medical attention - all the team came together to support our family as we dealt with the incident in a foreign country ~ with some team members covering for each other on their day off - we are so humbled and grateful for the exceptional care and support we received (our son is 100% fine and recovered!!). We leave Snowball Chalet truly relaxed and refreshed and we well definitely be back. Dan & Andy have an infectious love of the Japanese culture, people, food and the Iiyama region - it is truly infectious and we look forward to a return visit. Thanks Snowball Chalet for a truly memorable experience! Paul & Kate - Australia