Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
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 →
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 31 cm, 229% 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
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Snow showers | 4 | −8 to 1 | 17 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Snow showers | 2 | −6 to 3 | 19 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Snow showers | 0 | 0 to 8 | 21 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 3 to 11 | 29 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Fog | 0 | 3 to 9 | 21 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 2 to 9 | 13 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Snow showers | 5 | −3 to 6 | 29 |
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
A 2022 overhaul gave the lift a new haul rope, communication cable and derailment detectors. From the slope you look straight down on central Obira and the Sea of Japan. Enquiries go to the Obira town board of education, which looks after the hill. Sources: town.obira.hokkaido.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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.
Only 6% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is south (93%).
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.
This ski area does not put a camera on its own slopes. The nearest live view is the road below.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
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).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mashike Choei Shokanbetsudake Ski Area | 27.0 km | 416 cm | 151 |
| Ashimoi Kanko Takaho Ski Area | 32.0 km | 225 cm | 913 |
| Haboro Chomin Skijo | 34.0 km | 247 cm | 757 |
| Kokusetsu Horotachi Ski Area | 37.0 km | 250 cm | 734 |
Compare side by side with Mashike Choei Shokanbetsudake Ski Area and Ashimoi Kanko Takaho Ski Area →
The most snow falls in December. March brings 44% of January’s snowfall. That is a steeper fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%): the snow here is concentrated early in the season. In amount, March brings 39 cm, less than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 290 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2016/17 with 186 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 415 cm (2.2 times as much). For 63% of the 397 ski areas in Japan the leanest winter was 2015/16; here it was a different one.
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Rumoi Umi no Furusato Museum留萌市海のふるさと館 | Museum | 9.7 km |
| 留萌テレビ中継局 | Landmark | 11.6 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.
The weather map, and where it sits among nearby ski areas.
We have not yet checked the family facilities (kids’ area, childcare, parking, rental) on the official site.
5 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: 0.9 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.
Planning a trip · 15 Sep 2026
Japan Lift Ticket Prices for 2026/27: What a Day Costs at Twelve Big Resorts, and the Weeks It Costs HalfWe checked the 2026/27 adult day ticket on each resort's own site. At the window it runs from ¥7,000 at Akakura Kanko to ¥16,700 at Rusutsu. Buying online saves up to ¥3,500, and the first and last weeks of the season cost up to half. For those cheap spring weeks, we add which way each resort's slopes face.
Planning a trip · 28 Sep 2026
El Niño and Japan's Snow in 2026/27Japan vs elsewhere · 5 Sep 2026
Which Famous Ski Resorts Get the Most Snow? 24 Names, Measured