I know this is incredibly delayed post. I used the hotel to tell me which bus company to use. There is a company where you can pay for the 8-hour ski ticket + bus ticket for the price of a day ticket ($50). It is the best deal, all around. We also bought 8-hour tickets for the next day. The point system did not appeal to us, as you have to pay 3 points to get up the mountain, so for 12-point pass you will only get 4 total lifts; it is worth it to pay for the 8-hour or all day pass. We also got all mountain pass, to be able to come down to other sides of that mountain.

I would go back to ski here in a heartbeat. It did take us 24 hours from leaving the hotel, to catching the bus, to catching a plane, to changing planes in NRT, then making it to JFK, and finally driving home from JFK... probably worth it if you going there for a week or more.

Best,

PedroNY