Next valley east of Niseko · Updated 10 Nov 2026
Rusutsu and Toya Snow Cams & Snow Report
Mount Yotei sits in the middle, with Rusutsu at its eastern foot and Grand Hirafu and Asahigaoka facing it from the Kutchan and Niseko side to the west. Rusutsu runs its own buses from Sapporo and New Chitose Airport, and in winter it can also be reached by bus from Niseko and Toyako Onsen. Southeast, in the hills behind Noboribetsu Onsen, two small ski areas sit at Karurusu Onsen and at the foot of the Orofure Pass. Sources: rusutsu.com, visit-hokkaido.jp, sanlaiva.com, orofure.web.fc2.com (sources read 2026-10-13; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
The most snow in the last 24 hours fell at Orofure Ski Area: 2 cm. 4 of the 4 ski areas have had snow in the last 48 hours.
Live cameras
3 of the 4 ski areas have official live cameras (3 in all). Each link opens the operator's own page or YouTube stream.
- Nakayama-toge Ski Resort
- Nakayama Pass ↗nakayama-ski.com
- Rusutsu Resort
- Official live camera ↗rusutsu.com
- Sanlaiva
- Official live camera ↗sanlaiva.com
No slope camera found yet: Orofure Ski Area
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it. Road cameras are listed on each resort’s page.
Today's snow
| Ski area | 24 h | 48 h | Base | Next 3 days | Temp | Powder Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nakayama-toge Ski Resort | 1 cm | 3 cm | 15 cm | 0 cm | −9°C | 36 |
| Rusutsu Resort | 1 cm | 1 cm | 16 cm | 0 cm | −9°C | 34 |
| Orofure Ski Area | 2 cm | 2 cm | 7 cm | 0 cm | −4°C | 31 |
| Sanlaiva | 1 cm | 1 cm | 7 cm | 0 cm | −3°C | 23 |
Snowfall and base are calculated from a weather model, not reported by the resorts. "Next 3 days" is Open-Meteo’s published forecast shown as-is; it is not a forecast made by JAPANSNOWLINE. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency and the resort before you travel.
The season at a glance
| Ski area | Typical winter | Worst–best of 12 | Snow quality (of 397) | Adult day ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nakayama-toge Ski Resort | 264 cm | 155–383 cm | 58 | — |
| Rusutsu Resort | 212 cm | 155–291 cm | 114 | ¥16,700 |
| Sanlaiva | 163 cm | 95–227 cm | 220 | — |
| Orofure Ski Area | 157 cm | 95–222 cm | 290 | — |
Typical winter is the December–March average over the last 12 winters (calculated). “Worst–best” is the leanest and the deepest of those 12 winters, which is the range a trip booked a year out has to live with. Ticket prices are checked on each resort’s own site; “—” means we have not checked one yet.
Compare Nakayama-toge Ski Resort, Rusutsu Resort, Sanlaiva →
When the snow falls
In Rusutsu and Toya, the most snow falls in January. March brings 84% of January's, or about 49 cm. The one that keeps snowing latest is Sanlaiva, where March still brings 92% of January's snowfall.
Monthly averages over the last 12 winters, averaged across the ski areas in this area. This is what falls in each month, not how deep the base is.
The mountains themselves
| Ski area | Base to top | Vertical | Spread of the runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusutsu Resort | 422–988 m | 566 m | — |
| Orofure Ski Area | 227–360 m | 133 m | 0.7 km |
| Sanlaiva | 356–720 m | 364 m | 1.4 km |
Elevations come from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan and OpenStreetMap. “Spread” is the width of the area the runs cover, not the total length of piste.
Questions people ask
How much snow does Rusutsu and Toya get in a typical winter?
From December to March, the most falls at Nakayama-toge Ski Resort: about 264 cm. The least in the same area is at Orofure Ski Area, about 157 cm. The figures come from weather-model grid cells about 30 km across, so neighbouring ski areas in different cells can differ widely. Calculated from the last 12 winters.
What happens in Rusutsu and Toya in a bad winter?
Over the last 12 winters, Nakayama-toge Ski Resort ranged from 155 cm in its leanest winter to 383 cm in its deepest, against a typical 264 cm, so a poor winter brought 59% of the usual amount.