No snow yet. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 19 Dec (the resort’s announcement; it moves with the snow). Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear once snow is on the ground or forecast.
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 →
GALA Yuzawa Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen connects directly to the Kawabanga ski centre. The resort grew out of a proposal by seven local JR East employees and opened in 1990. The Falcon run descends from the North Area to Kawabanga with views of the Tanigawa range and the snowy mountains of Minamiuonuma. Sources: gala.co.jp, recruit.jreast.co.jp, event.jreast.co.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort | 2.0 km | 618 cmsame grid cell | 36 |
| Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort | 2.4 km | 695 cm | 12 |
| Ippon Sugi Ski Resort | 2.5 km | 695 cm | 12 |
| NASPA Ski Garden | 3.4 km | 618 cmsame grid cell | 36 |
| Ishiuchi Hanaoka Ski Area | 4.6 km | 695 cm | 12 |
Compare side by side with Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort and Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort →
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.
81% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. Those slopes get the least sun, so the snow lasts longer.
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.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 39% 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. For skiing, though, the amount matters more than the share: March brings 85 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 618 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 328 cm; the biggest was 2016/17 with 774 cm (2.4 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
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.
Echigo-Yuzawa webcams & snow report — all 17 ski areas →
More than we show here.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 湯沢 weather station — 2.4 km from this ski area, 328 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 810 cm |
| 2023/24 | 619 cm |
| 2024/25 | 1080 cm |
| 2025/26 | 732 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 610 cm.
A weather station is not a ski slope. We picked one at a similar elevation, but it stands in a valley or a village. More snow falls on the mountain above it. We have not tried to guess how much more.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency historical records
4 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 61.5 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 湯沢第3配湯所 混湯 | 2.6 km | 61.5℃ hot | 8.3 mildly alkaline | simple |
| 石打丸山丸山3号 | 3.9 km | 25.8℃ lukewarm | 8.1 mildly alkaline | — |
| 清津峡薬師の湯(小出4号) | 4 km | 48℃ hot | 9.2 alkaline | alkaline simple |
| 上野鉱泉新泉1号 | 4.2 km | 24.3℃ cold | 8.1 mildly alkaline | simple |
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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Yuzawa Kōgen Ropeway湯沢高原ロープウェイ | Nature | 1.7 km |
| Echigo Yuzawa Onsen越後湯沢温泉 | Hot spring town | 2.5 km |
| Kiyotsu Gorge清津峡 | Nature | 3.5 km |
| Mount Naeba苗場山 | Mountain | 14.3 km |
| Mount Makihata巻機山 | Mountain | 16.3 km |
| Mount Tanigawa谷川岳 | Mountain | 18 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.
Getting there
Source: gala.co.jp, jreast.co.jp · checked 7 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Checked on the official site (19 Oct 2026) · Source. “Not checked” means we have not looked yet. Compare with other ski areas →
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
68 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 12 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 越後湯沢温泉 一望千里 御湯宿 中屋 | ¥11,550 | 4.49／5 437 reviews | 1.4 km | 越後湯沢駅西口よりお車で約3分・徒歩約20分/湯沢IC→国道17号線約10分 ★駅から送迎あり(要連絡20時迄) |
| 越後湯沢湯元 卵の湯 雪國の宿 高半 | ¥13,000 | 4.71／5 412 reviews | 1.4 km | 越後湯沢駅より車で5分/関越道湯沢ICより車で約10分 |
| ゆんぐアネックス | ¥6,580 | 4.44／5 26 reviews | 1.5 km | 越後湯沢駅より車で約5分 |
| THE HOTEL YUZAWA STARDUST/民泊 | ¥18,560 | — | 1.7 km | ガーラ湯沢駅より徒歩にて約2分 |
| こいずみや ^ | ¥48,720 | — | 1.8 km | ガーラ湯沢駅から徒歩で約2分 |
| 合宿に!スキーイン、スタジオ、業務用キッチン、薪ストーブ、ビリヤード、一頭貸温泉付ホテル ^ | ¥55,216 | — | 1.8 km | ガーラ湯沢駅から徒歩で約3分 |
| アルミュール | ¥6,000 | 4.60／5 117 reviews | 2.0 km | 車:関越道/湯沢ICから国道17号を新潟方面へ約5km熱気球の絵の看板を左折。電車:上越新幹線/越後湯沢駅タクシー約7分 |
| あざみ亭 | ¥4,300 | 4.53／5 187 reviews | 2.1 km | 越後湯沢駅より車で10分 関越道湯沢インターより車で10分 塩沢インターより車で10分 |
| ペンション オズ | ¥5,500 | 4.67／5 100 reviews | 2.1 km | JR越後湯沢駅より8分石打丸山運行の無料シャトルバス有/関越自動車道:湯沢ICより5キロ |
| YUZAWA Onsen Lodge House | ¥6,000 | — | 2.1 km | 越後湯沢駅から車で5分・ガーラ湯沢駅から車で3分又は関越自動車道 湯沢ICから7分 |
| 越後湯沢温泉 湯沢東映ホテル | ¥6,600 | 4.08／5 1591 reviews | 2.1 km | JR越後湯沢駅西口より徒歩8分。関越自動車道・越後湯沢ICより約5分。越後湯沢駅西口・高速バス乗り場の無料送迎有。 |
| 越後湯沢温泉 三徳屋(みのりや) | ¥7,150 | 4.31／5 269 reviews | 2.1 km | JR 越後湯沢駅より徒歩にて8分(スキーシーズンは駅西口からの無料シャトルバスで湯沢高原スキー場下車徒歩30秒) |
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)
2 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: 1.3 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.
Where the snow falls · 1 Nov 2026
Ski Resorts Near Tokyo 2026/27: The Nearest Get the Least SnowDay trips from Tokyo, compared: Karuizawa (an hour by Shinkansen) averages 9 cm of December snow on our model, GALA Yuzawa (75 minutes) 170 cm. Fifteen ski areas, with 2026/27 opening dates and day-ticket prices.
Planning a trip · 12 Oct 2026
A Record El Niño for Japan's 2026/27 Ski SeasonWhere the snow falls · 5 Sep 2026
Yuzawa Ski ResortsPlanning a trip · 11 Aug 2026
Ski Japan Without a Car