No snow on the ground or falling right now. Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear once snow is on the ground or forecast.
Typical snowfall
488cm
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 →
Elevation
240–380 m
Across
0.9 km
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 2 cm. The average for these dates is under 10 cm, so we do not give a percentage yet. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
The expert run is called Tengu, and the intermediate runs Yamabushi and Kotengu. The hill is beside the Kyukamura Shonai-Haguro lodge, on the road up towards the summit of Mount Haguro, and after skiing the lodge's hot spring, Hatsuki no Yu, is about a minute's walk away. Sources: qkamura.or.jp, city.tsuruoka.lg.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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
488cm
per season
Worst of 12 winters
245cm
The middle winter of the 12: 501 cm. The best: 662 cm.
World rank
86
of 3,069 worldwide
Rank in country
44
of 397 in Japan
Elevation rank
302
Highest to lowest, of 397 in Japan. The centre point sits at 345 m, 421 m below the national median.
Quality rank
269
of 397 in Japan
Temp when snowing
−0.6°C
Japanese median: −3.6°C
Rain days
36%
Japanese median: 16%
Days over 5 cm
35%
Japanese median: 15%
Wind when snowing
24km/h
Average daily peak, 10 m above ground across a model grid cell; not the wind on ridges or lift tops
Dryness19
Frequency100
Freedom from rain35
Calm when snowing (model grid)89
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.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 32% 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 56 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
143cmDec
176cmJan
112cmFeb
56cmMar
Average snowfall by month, last 12 winters
Winter by winter
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 488 cm, and 4 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 245 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 662 cm (2.7 times as much).
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What was actually measured nearby
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 狩川 weather station — 11.7 km from this ski area, 294 m below its mid-slope.
Three-season average
249 cm
2023/24
159 cm
2024/25
288 cm
2025/26
300 cm
The figure calculated on this page is 511 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
Hot springs nearby, as analysed
6 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 34.5 °C).
Show the sources
Source
Distance
Temperature
pH
Type
月山
0.8 km
8.5℃ cold
5.4 mildly acidic
—
羽黒山菊田旅館
1.2 km
13℃ cold
5.6 mildly acidic
simple
筍沢
2.3 km
12℃ cold
7.1 neutral
simple
木の沢局跡第1号
2.9 km
10.3℃ cold
6.3 neutral
simple
羽黒宮田坊
3.3 km
34.5℃ warm
6.6 neutral
—
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.
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.
Map
The weather map, and where it sits among nearby ski areas.
Tsuruoka Station (JR): about 50 minutes by bus bound for Mt Haguro summit; get off at Kyukamura Shonai Haguro-mae, then about 1 minute on foot
By car
from Shonai-Asahi IC take the Kobaecha Line farm road towards Mt Haguro, turn right at the Otorii junction and follow Prefectural Road 47 for about 6 km
Source: qkamura.or.jp · checked 1 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
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
16 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.
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%.