It is easy to get ski or snowboard lessons in English in Hakuba. You can get either private or group lessons. If there are just 1 or 2 of you group lessons will be the cheaper option and if you are beginners then a group lesson is probably the way to go-sometimes it helps to watch other beginners either doing the right thing or completely messing it up. For advanced riders, they will probably prefer private lessons but a group lesson is worth considering as often there will only be 2 or 3 in the group. Be careful; lessons do NOT include rental equipment or lift passes. • A group lesson ranges from ¥8,000 for a 2 hr lesson up to ¥14,000 or so for a 4 hour lesson. Normally a group size will be 3-8, but this will depend on the skill level. Lower skill levels usually have more students and advanced riders may find there are only 2 or 3 students in the group making this a viable alternative to paying for a private lesson. • Private lessons start from ¥25,000 for a 2 hr lesson and is generally about ¥60,000 yen for a whole day. No point in doing a private lesson if the members of your group are all different skill levels-do group lessons instead. • Kids are taught in separate groups to the adults -they will enjoy hanging out with the other kids. Kids lessons normally start from 5yrs for skiing and 7 or 8 for snowboarding.