安比にエールを！「Japan's Best Ski Resort 2025」投票締切：10月10日
OfficialBy: 安比高原 · 8 Oct
Japan · Iwate
Appi Kogen
安比高原スキー場
24 / 100 Powder Score
Poor Weather Clear Official site Lift tickets (official) 2026/27 adult day ticket ¥9,500 BLUE PASS 1-day, regular season (19 Dec – 28 Mar), at the window (checked 10 Nov)
The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 6 Dec (the resort’s announcement; it moves with the snow). The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
This season is planned to run until 6 May (the resort’s announcement).
Base depth
11cm
Snow 48h
2cm
Next 72h
0cm
A weather-model figure, worked out the same way for every ski area, and lower than what actually falls. Use it to compare ski areas, not against the resort’s own totals. How we measure →
- Snow 24h
- 1 cm
- Next 24h
- 0 cm
- Temperature
- −3°C
- Max wind
- 10 km/h
- Elevation
- 628–1,269 m
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 18 cm, 169% of the average for the same dates. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
7-day outlook
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −5 to −1 | 11 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Partly cloudy | 0 | −5 to 1 | 9 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −1 to 10 | 11 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 4 to 10 | 20 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 3 to 11 | 13 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 5 to 10 | 8 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −5 to 6 | 20 |
Score breakdown
Fresh (48h) 4/40
Forecast (24h) 0/25
Snow quality 11/20
Wind 8/10
Base 1/5
The five add up to the 100-point Powder Score: more fresh snow, more on the way and colder air all push it up. How we measure
The gondola rises to the summit of Mount Maemori, and from there the Yamabato run carries on all the way down to the Shirakaba slope, a long descent that beginners can manage. Stronger skiers have tree-run zones in the woods, which open once the gondola is running. Night skiing, mostly on weekends, is served by the Central Quad. Sources: appi.co.jp (sources read 13 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
Runs and lifts
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Marked runs
41
Run length
31km
Lifts
8
Vertical
641m
Top 1,269 m · base 628 m
Run map
EasyIntermediateAdvanced Lift
Slope shape, difficulty and lift types
The shape of the mountain
Longest run on the map4.1 km
Steepest pitch27°measured over at least 30 m
Average gradient of the runs12.1°
Which way the slopes face
North 56%
East 38%
South 2%
West 4%
94% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. Those slopes get the least sun, so the snow lasts longer.
By difficulty
Easy 22 · 16.7 km
Intermediate 12 · 10 km
Advanced 6 · 3.2 km
Other 1 · 0.7 km
Lift types
- Chairlift7
- Gondola1
See past trail maps on Skimap.org ↗
Source: OpenSkiMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Vertical is the difference between the highest and lowest points of the mapped runs and lifts.
Live cameras
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Appi and Hachimantai webcams & snow report — all 11 ski areas →
Videos
Videos remain the copyright of whoever filmed them. JAPANSNOWLINE stores no video and plays everything through the standard YouTube player.
Official YouTube channel
More than we show here.
How much snow it gets
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Seasonal snowfall
377cm
per season
Worst of 12 winters
167cm
The middle winter of the 12: 389 cm. The best: 504 cm.
World rank
211
of 3,069 worldwide
Rank in country
87
of 397 in Japan
Elevation rank
154
Highest to lowest, of 397 in Japan. The centre point sits at 900 m, 134 m above the national median.
Quality rank
27
of 397 in Japan
Temp when snowing
−5.9°C
Japanese median: −3.6°C
Rain days
10%
Japanese median: 16%
Days over 5 cm
25%
Japanese median: 15%
Wind when snowing
20km/h
Average daily peak, 10 m above ground across a model grid cell; not the wind on ridges or lift tops
Dryness 56
Frequency 71
Freedom from rain 74
Calm when snowing (model grid) 94
The tick marks the median across every Japanese ski area we measure. All four bars run the same way — longer is better.
The quality score leaves out how much snow falls (it uses temperature, frequency, rain and wind).
Compared with what is nearby
Within 50 km in a straight line. Ski areas in the same weather-model cell (about 30 km across) get the same figure.
| Ski area | Distance | Seasonal snowfall | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hachimantai Resort Shimokura Ski area | 8.9 km | 329 cm | 360 |
| Hachimantai Resort Panorama Ski Are | 11.0 km | 329 cm | 360 |
| Akita Hachimantai Ski Area | 12.0 km | 437 cm | 122 |
| Amihari Onsen Ski Resort | 17.0 km | 358 cm | 262 |
| Iwate Kogen Snow Park | 17.0 km | 332 cm | 345 |
When it falls, and how winters differ
Month by month
The most snow falls in December. March brings 65% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 72 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
111cmDec
111cmJan
83cmFeb
72cmMar
Winter by winter
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 377 cm, and 3 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 167 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 504 cm (3.0 times as much).
228
167
354
504
383
430
388
443
390
414
384
442
14/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/2525/26
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Hot springs nearby, as analysed
4 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 92.4 °C).
Show the sources
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 御在所 | 3.4 km | 17℃ cold | 3 mildly acidic | simple |
| とぴや | 3.7 km | — | — | — |
| 八幡平八龍の湯 | 3.7 km | 92.4℃ hot | 7.6 mildly alkaline | sulphur |
| 安比 | 4.7 km | 42.5℃ hot | 4.4 mildly acidic | — |
These are analyses of hot spring sources, not a list of baths you can visit. They date from 1910 to 2005, many from decades ago, so today’s temperature and chemistry may differ. Names are as recorded in Japanese. Temperature and pH bands follow Japan’s standard for analysing hot springs.
Source: processed from the hot spring analysis data in the Geothermal Information Database (GRES-DB), Geological Survey of Japan, AIST
Worth seeing nearby
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
Show the list
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hachimantai八幡平 | Mountain | 8.7 km |
| 鏡沼 | Nature | 8.8 km |
| Matsukawa Geothermal Power Plant松川地熱発電所 | Landmark | 12 km |
| Mount Iwate岩手山 | Mountain | 14.4 km |
| Akita-Yakeyama秋田焼山 | Mountain | 16.8 km |
| Tamagawa Hot Spring玉川温泉 (秋田県) | Hot spring town | 19.1 km |
Chosen from the places most read about on Wikipedia, favouring those with an English article. Based on the Japanese Wikipedia lists of sights in each prefecture, as compiled in travel-log-data (CC BY-SA 4.0). English names from Wikidata (CC0). The content of this section is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Coordinates: 39.9767, 140.9531
Getting there
- By train
- Appi-Kogen Station (JR Hanawa Line): about 20 minutes by the area shuttle bus; about 1 hour from Morioka Station to Appi-Kogen Station on the JR Hanawa Line
- By car
- about 21 minutes (13.3 km) from Matsuo-Hachimantai IC (Tohoku Expressway); about 50 minutes by car from Morioka Station
- Winter roads
- A chartered bus between Morioka Station and Appi is planned from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, for hotel guests only and by booking (a confirmed hotel reservation is required; check fares and the booking deadline on the official site)
Source: appi.co.jp, hachimantai.or.jp · checked 7 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Going with children
- Kids’ area
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
- Childcare
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
- Parking
- Not checked
- Rental
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
Checked on the official site (13 Oct 2026) · Source. “Not checked” means we have not looked yet. Compare with other ski areas →
Places to stay nearbyPR
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
7 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 7 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANAインターコンチネンタル安比高原リゾート by IHG | ¥15,850 | 4.44／5 33 reviews | 3.0 km | 安比高原駅よりお車にて約5分 |
| ANAクラウンプラザリゾート安比高原 by IHG | ¥7,300 | 3.80／5 1449 reviews | 3.1 km | JR花輪線・安比高原駅/東北新幹線・盛岡駅より路線バス約60分/東北道・松尾八幡平IC〜R282経由15KM |
| リゾートイン・ミワ | ¥6,900 | 5.00／5 24 reviews | 3.3 km | JR花輪線 安比高原駅より車で7分/徒歩28分(送迎します) |
| 安比高原 ペンション サンダーパパ | ¥6,800 | 4.88／5 26 reviews | 3.6 km | 東北自動車道、松尾八幡平ICより11km。JR花輪線、安比高原駅より車で5分(送迎有り) |
Pick dates and guests to check rooms on Rakuten Travel
Prices are the lowest Rakuten Travel lists; a property name, or “Pick dates and guests” above, shows prices and rooms for your dates.
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese. · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)
Places to stay on the map
19 places within 12 km of the slopes, as mapped on OpenStreetMap, many of them small inns and pensions. Many are not on booking sites — open the name for the website or the map.
Nearest: 3 km
Show the nearest places
Nearest first
- Les Mille Feuiles 3.6 km
- Pension Mutti 3.7 km
- Pension Appi 3.7 km
- Los Amigos 3.9 km
- Season by Season 3.9 km
- Life is beautiful 3.9 km
Accommodation data: OpenStreetMap
Other booking sites: Booking.com ↗ · Agoda ↗ · Rakuten Travelad ↗
“ad” marks links that pay us a commission if you book. Links without it are not affiliated.
Guides that cover Appi Kogen
Planning a trip · 28 Sep 2026
El Niño and Japan's Snow in 2026/27: The Last Five El Niño Winters Averaged 88%NOAA expects a strong or very strong El Niño this winter. We measured every Japanese ski area across the last 12 winters: El Niño winters ran 88% of normal, and the strongest of the twelve left Japan at 63%. But Hakuba held 92% of its average that winter while Niseko fell to 57%.
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Snow and daily life · 19 Aug 2026
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