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): 20 cm, 162% 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 | 1 | −8 to −2 | 22 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Snow | 1 | −8 to 1 | 9 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −1 to 8 | 11 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 2 to 9 | 19 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 0 to 8 | 10 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Fog | 0 | 0 to 9 | 8 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −1 to 3 | 26 |
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
Snowcats carry guided groups up Mount Iwanai, where the skiing runs through glades, open bowls and the lines of retired runs. A chairlift serves beginner and intermediate runs, and every one of them looks out over the sea off Iwanai. Cat-skiing guests can take a morning shuttle from Kutchan, Hirafu, Hanazono and Niseko Village. Sources: iwanairesort.com, town.iwanai.hokkaido.jp, hokkaido-np.co.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.
96% 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort | 13.0 km | 289 cm | 526 |
| Niseko Grand Hirafu | 17.0 km | 289 cm | 526 |
| Asahigaoka Ski Resort | 18.0 km | 288 cm | 532 |
| Consadole Niki Ski Park | 27.0 km | 248 cm | 748 |
| Suttsu Town Ski Area | 29.0 km | 341 cm | 303 |
Compare side by side with Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort and Niseko Grand Hirafu →
The most snow falls in December. March brings 48% of January’s snowfall. That is in line with the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 54 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 373 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2019/20 with 234 cm; the biggest was 2024/25 with 475 cm (2.0 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.
4 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 66.5 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岩内岩内町3号井 | 1.2 km | 60.1℃ hot | 7.4 neutral |
| 岩内岩内町2号井 | 1.3 km | 66.5℃ hot | 8 mildly alkaline |
| 岩内岩内町5号井 | 1.3 km | 50℃ hot | 8.4 mildly alkaline |
| 岩内岩内町6号井 | 1.6 km | 59℃ hot | 7.3 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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Parkニセコ積丹小樽海岸国定公園 | Nature | 6.2 km |
| Shinsen-numa神仙沼 | Nature | 7.5 km |
| Kyowacho Local Museumかかし古里館 | Museum | 8.8 km |
| Shellfish Museum of Rankoshi蘭越町貝の館 | Museum | 13.4 km |
| Nisekoan Nupuriニセコアンヌプリ | Mountain | 13.8 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.
Getting there
Source: iwanairesort.com · checked 1 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Checked on the official site (12 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.
6 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 6 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 岩内温泉 いわない高原ホテル | ¥9,600 | 4.34／5 553 reviews | 1.2 km | 岩内バスターミナルより車で10分 |
| いわない温泉おかえりなさい | ¥7,000 | 4.29／5 488 reviews | 1.6 km | 小樽駅から車で約1時間30分 ニセコから車で約1時間 |
| 北海道岩内サウナ&ヴィラHIBIKA | ¥51,480 | — | 1.7 km | 小樽駅から車で一般国道で約90分、後志自動車道余市インターより約50分 |
| コテージアリスの里 | ¥4,000 | 4.33／5 53 reviews | 1.8 km | 小沢駅よりニセコバスにて25分、お車にて10分。車で札幌から1時間41分(Googl) |
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)
13 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 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.
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