A cold inland plateau · Updated 10 Nov 2026
Sugadaira Snow Cams & Snow Report
This high plateau north of Ueda divides its slopes into three areas: Pine Beak, Taro and Davos. The plateau sits in a basin, and on clear mornings cold air drains down from the surrounding mountains, sometimes making it the coldest place on Honshu. Buses bound for Sugadaira Kogen run up from Ueda Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and lodging is in the pensions and minshuku scattered across the plateau. Sources: iko-yo.net, jtb.co.jp, ied.tsukuba.ac.jp, tenki.jp, pref.nagano.lg.jp, pinebeak.jp (sources read 2026-10-13; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
No new snow has fallen at Sugadaira's ski areas in the last 48 hours.
Pictured: Minenohara Kogen
Live cameras
1 of the 4 ski areas has an official live camera. Each link opens the operator's own page or YouTube stream.
- Minenohara Kogen
- Official live camera ↗rewild-ninja-snow-highland.com
No slope camera found yet: Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area, Sugadaira Taro Area, Sugadairakogen Pine Beak 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | −2°C | 19 |
| Minenohara Kogen | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | −2°C | 12 |
| Sugadaira Taro Area | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | −2°C | 12 |
| Sugadairakogen Pine Beak Ski Area | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | 0 cm | −1°C | 12 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minenohara Kogen | 198 cm | 159–245 cm | 110 | — |
| Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Areasame grid cell | 153 cm | 108–226 cm | 168 | — |
| Sugadaira Taro Areasame grid cell | 153 cm | 108–226 cm | 187 | — |
| Sugadairakogen Pine Beak Ski Areasame grid cell | 153 cm | 108–226 cm | 169 | — |
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 Minenohara Kogen, Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area, Sugadaira Taro Area →
When the snow falls
In Sugadaira, the most snow falls in January. March brings 90% of January's, or about 43 cm. The one that keeps snowing latest is Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area, where March still brings 93% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area | 1,325–1,598 m | 273 m | 3.1 km |
| Minenohara Kogen | 1,390–1,546 m | 156 m | 1.7 km |
| Sugadaira Taro Area | 1,267–1,444 m | 177 m | 1.8 km |
| Sugadairakogen Pine Beak Ski Area | 1,252–1,634 m | 382 m | 3.1 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 Sugadaira get in a typical winter?
From December to March, the most falls at Minenohara Kogen: about 198 cm. The least in the same area is at Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area, Sugadaira Taro Area and Sugadairakogen Pine Beak Ski Area, about 153 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 Sugadaira in a bad winter?
Over the last 12 winters, Minenohara Kogen ranged from 159 cm in its leanest winter to 245 cm in its deepest, against a typical 198 cm, so a poor winter brought 80% of the usual amount.