FAQ

Our Family Base only offers Private lessons while our King Gondola Base (Hirafu Gondola Base) offers Private lessons, Adult and Children's Group lessons and Workshops. Both bases provide access to all levels of terrain, magic carpets, and mountain facilities. 

• A 20% deposit is required within 7 days of your reservation and the outstanding balance is due no later than 14 days prior to your lesson start date.
• Reservations made within 14 days of commencement of the lesson requires full payment at the time of booking.
• GoSnow reserves the right to cancel any lessons which have not be paid by the due dates.

• Cancellations made up to 7 days prior to commencement of the lesson will receive a full refund
• Cancellations made between 7 days and 48 hours prior to the commencement of the lesson will incur a 20% cancellation fee.
• Cancellations including requests to reschedule lessons made within 48 hours of the commencement of the lesson will incur a 100% cancellation fee

To avoid disappointment, it is best to book your lessons in advance.

Our pricing is for your lesson only.

Lift passes must be purchased for all lessons and can be arranged through the Grand Hirafu Website HERE

We recommend that you arrange your rental equipment through either YamaSport or Grand Hirafu.

• If you are participating in Group Lessons we recommend a Grand Hirafu lift pass
• If you are an intermediate or advanced skier or snowboarder in a Private lesson and would like the option to explore Niseko Village and Annupuri, we recommend an All Mountain lift pass
• Please note that weather, snow conditions and lift operations may affect where you can go in your lesson

Everyone participating in lessons is required to have a lift pass however for children who are 3 years of age the lift pass is free. All that is required is to pay a ¥1,000 deposit which you can get back once you return the lift pass. You must have your child with you when you get their pass.

Lift passes are required for all people using Grand Hirafu Resort including those who participate in lessons within the magic carpet learning area. Ticket queues can be long in the morning so we recommend purchasing your lift ticket the day before.

Lessons will commence if the mountain facilities are open and operating, and there is terrain available for your skill level. The instructor will adapt the lesson to suit your skill level and ensure that you are challenged.

Group lessons are a fun and social learning environment for children to learn in - this means multiple children with a variety of personalities, goals (including expectations from parents), energy levels, and abilities.

Each day, we take a good look at each Ninja Kid and place them in a group that makes the most sense with respect to the big picture for that specific day. That can mean mixed ages with matched abilities, some groups smaller than others due to skill set, and it will ALWAYS mean that there is some variation of skill level within a group.

If you have concerns about your child participating in lessons with a variation in ability levels, we encourage you to consider a Private Lesson. In this setting we can provide one-on-one attention and a lesson that moves at a pace customized to your child's ability.

Our Ninja Kids and Yama Riders lessons are specifically tailored for their age range, learning style and coordination. It is not possible to have a child participate in a lesson outside of their age range. If you have children in the different age groups a Private Lesson is a better option in this circumstance, provided they are the same ability level and the age gap isn't too large.

It is not possible to join the lesson after check in has closed and it is not possible to join a Full Day lesson for the afternoon portion only

We need to be able to communicate with all children for both safety purposes and to communicate their personal needs.  We require all children to be able to both understand and respond in English

Please ensure that your child is dressed adequately for their day on the mountain. Waterproof, warm outer layers, warm dry underclothes, gloves and goggles are required at a minimum. Please note, a helmet is required for all children participating in GoSnow lessons. Please ensure that you arrive for check in with children dressed, boots done up tight and ready to get out on the snow!

Children in Full Day lessons are provided with lunch and this is included in the lesson price. Limited allergy/dietary requirements can be accommodated - if your child has more complex dietary needs or allergies you will need to provide lunch for them

Snacks in their pockets are great for a big day of skiing. GoSnow is a nut free facility so please ensure that any snacks you provide are nut free

We can accommodate vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free dietary requirements. Please select this meal option at the time of booking so that these meals can be arranged. If your child has more complex dietary needs or allergies you will need to provide lunch for them

Please note; all GoSnow facilities are strictly nut-free – please ensure any snacks containing nuts are left at home

Depending on the circumstances, children will sometimes respond better when taking part in a Private Lesson and receiving one on one attention. Please discuss the requirements of your child with our Guest Services team at the time of booking

Due to the coordination and strength of younger children, we don’t offer group snowboarding lessons for children under the age of 7. We are able to accommodate younger children in a private snowboarding lesson as they will have the focused, one on one tuition that is best to see the child improve in their skills

Children in both Group and Private lessons are required to be fully toilet trained. Staff are unable to to changes children's nappies/diapers

It is a requirement that an emergency contact number or WhatsApp number is provided and that you are able to be contacted at all times during the lesson

If there is any problem, you will be contacted by our team as soon as possible to advise you of the situation

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide refunds for this reason

If you wish to watch your child’s lesson we ask that you watch from a distance; it is harder for little ones to bond with their instructor and class if they can see you. If you wish to check in on your child then lunchtime is best. Lunch will be served from approximately 12:30pm to 1:30pm

GoSnow cannot guarantee that we will be able to have you join your lesson if you arrive late. Please ensure you allow adequate time to arrive 15 minutes prior to your lesson for check in

Ski and snowboard lessons are conducted separately and you cannot take part in the same group lesson

Lunch is designed to be taken at the group’s leisure for 1 hour. Lunch is not provided

Ideally this decision would come prior to your lesson starting or at the very start of your day. If we have availability and you are not too far through your lesson, we would be happy to upgrade you to a Private Lesson – you will just need to see our Guest Services team to make payment for the upgraded lesson

You can have up to 6 people within a Private Lesson. We recommend that participants are of a similar age and ability. The price will be the same for 1 person as it would be for 6 people

Private lessons are great for accelerated learning. If you want to learn something specific, are getting over fears / injuries or prefer one on one attention, private lessons are for you. If you have some specific goals you would like to work towards, please let us know at the time of booking and we can ensure that we allocate the best instructor to help you achieve these goals

Ski and snowboard lessons are conducted separately and you cannot take part in the same Private Lesson

We love to receive instructor requests and will accommodate this where possible. Sometimes instructors have other lessons allocated to them that cannot be moved or there is also a possibility that they are sick or injured on the day you request them. If we are unable to fulfil your request we will allocate an instructor who fits the profile and experience you require

This is not recommended. The instructor will always tailor the lesson to the guest of the lowest ability in the group so if you are split abilities then you will not see the best progression. In order to get the best results from your lesson we recommend guests to be of a similar ability level

You can have a look through our skills chart to see which ability level best suits where you were the last time you were on the snow. If you have any further questions, please contact our team on [email protected]

As long as your instructor is available we can extend your lesson with no trouble!

For children under the age of 3 lessons need to be conducted in a one on one setting

You can certainly request this and we will do our best to accommodate. GoSnow have a diverse range of instructors from different countries and backgrounds. Please let us know of your request at the time of booking and if we have an instructor who can speak your native language we will allocate them to your lesson if they are available

Children tend to have very different learning styles from adults and progress at a slower rate. If you are looking to make the most of your time with the instructor and see good progression within your lesson, we recommend that you book separate Private Lessons for yourself and your children

GoSnow do not offer any products that takes guests outside of the resort area boundary.  All lessons must stay within bounds - no gate access is possible

All GoSnow lessons must start and finish within Grand Hirafu. It is possible to make your way to other resorts in your lesson timeframe should weather and snow conditions as well as ability levels of the guests allow for this to happen

We will do our best to accommodate any instructor requests. Come and see us at Guest Services and we will see what we can do!

Temperatures during December to mid-March will generally range from 0 degrees to negative 10 degrees Celsius range. Please consider all of the items below for your time on the mountain.

• Thermal underwear (both top and bottom)
• Warm mid layer top (more layers if you feel the cold)
• Water proof pants and jacket
• Neck warmer/balaclava
• Waterproof gloves
• Goggles
• Helmet

When not skiing, warm waterproof boots with grip (ice/snow is very slippery to walk on) are highly recommended.

An All Mountain lift pass gives access to all four resorts on the Niseko-Annupuri mountain- Grand Hirafu, Annupuri, Niseko Village and Hanazono. A Grand Hirafu lift pass allows you to ski at Grand Hirafu and Hanazono. All lift passes are electronic and require a ¥1,000 deposit which can be collected from a deposit return machine at the resort after you have finished your last day of skiing.

• If you are first timer to novice level we recommend a Grand Hirafu lift pass
• If you are intermediate or advanced, we recommend an All Mountain lift pass
• The pass needs to be for as long as the lesson. Eg. 3-hour lesson = 5-hour pass; 6-hour lesson = 8-hour or all-day pass

Lift pass machines are located conveniently at both our King Gondola Base (Hirafu Gondola Base) (within the Mountain Center) and our Family Base (next to our Guest Services office) simply insert your card, follow the prompts, and collect your money!

All the resorts are connected via lifts at the top of the mountain for intermediate and advanced skiers. Depending on conditions, some traversing may be required. Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri are also linked via the Niseko United Shuttle bus which is free for All Mountain lift pass holders. Hanazono can also be accessed via the complimentary Hanazono Shuttle from Grand Hirafu.

Night skiing is available at no extra cost if you have a valid lift pass for 1 day or longer. Please see the Grand Hirafu website here for planned night skiing lift operation dates and times.