I booked a ski coach to show me the tracks. It is called Nozawa ski school.

We were there last year from Xmas day for a week, great snow and quite no lines and great for kids

You can buy rail tickets at all the main stations. Tourist Information at all the major transport hubs are very helpful in Japan

Fastest & cheapest option is to buy a JR East Pass (Nagano & Niigata). You'll save 1000 yen if you book it online. The pass allows 5 days of unlimited JR East train travel within a 14 day window. The 5 days do not have to be contiguous. The pass is only for tourists. When you pick up the pass at a JR East ticket center, they will check the entry stamp in your passport to verify that you are a tourist. The pass covers the entire train journey from either NRT or HND airport to Tokyo Station, and then the shinkansen travel (1 hr 45 min) from Tokyo Station to Iiyama Station. At Iiyama station, there is a schedule-coordinated "Onsen Liner" bus (600 yen) that takes ~20 min to Nozawa Onsen. As there are 4 stops in the village, ask the hotel which Onsen Liner bus stop is closest to the hotel. The pass is also good for some routes within the Tokyo area. So you can really maximize the value of the pass if you plan your travel days well.

Since the trains work like clockwork, once you know which train you are on, I would get the Kawahiro to arrange for a big taxi to meet the 4 of you at Ilyama Station. The cost of the taxi is usually within ¥6000.

Great time for skiing. Went twice in past years around that time. It's great. They have skiing /sledding activities for kids, and otherwise it's easy to walk around and see the sights. Great city for all ages! I'm coming back this year again it's so fun!!!

Hey Melissa there is plenty of snow though softening during the warmer days. Nozowa Onsen is a unique town above the snow line. In Japan there is nothing quite like it. Yes I would go.