No snow yet. 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.
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 →
Kazawa was once called Kazawa Highland. Its long season, from November to the Golden Week holidays in May, is its calling card, and it hosts alpine races in winter. Coming from the Nagano side, the resort directs drivers to the Tomi-Tsumagoi road because of winter conditions. Sources: kazawa.com, env.go.jp (sources read 13 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takamine Mountain Park Ski Area | 7.1 km | 145 cm | 1729 |
| Palcall Tsumagoi Resort Ski & Hotel | 10.0 km | 178 cm | 1335 |
| Sugadaira Kogen Davos Hill Ski Area | 11.0 km | 153 cm | 1621 |
| Sugadaira Taro Area | 11.0 km | 153 cm | 1621 |
| Sugadairakogen Pine Beak Ski Area | 12.0 km | 153 cm | 1621 |
Compare side by side with Takamine Mountain Park Ski Area and Palcall Tsumagoi Resort Ski & Hotel →
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.
99% 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 93% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). For skiing, though, the amount matters more than the share: March brings 38 cm, less than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 136 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2025/26 with 95 cm; the biggest was 2014/15 with 202 cm (2.1 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.
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.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 菅平 weather station — 11.8 km from this ski area, 303 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 379 cm |
| 2023/24 | 509 cm |
| 2024/25 | 345 cm |
| 2025/26 | 284 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 138 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
8 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 42 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type | Analysed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹿沢温泉雲井の湯 | 1.6 km | — | 6.6 neutral | bicarbonate | 1986 |
| 鹿沢温泉東雲の湯 | 1.6 km | — | 6.8 neutral | simple | 1989 |
| 鹿沢温泉東急泉 | 1.6 km | 27℃ lukewarm | 6.7 neutral | simple | 1982 |
| 鹿沢温泉竜宮の湯 | 1.6 km | 39.5℃ warm | 7 neutral | bicarbonate | 1982 |
| 鹿沢温泉竜宮の湯 | 1.7 km | — | 6.9 neutral | bicarbonate | 1989 |
| 渋沢温泉 | 4.9 km | 42℃ hot | 8.25 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Azumaya四阿山 | Mountain | 8.6 km |
| Mount Asama浅間山 | Mountain | 10.8 km |
| Kanbara Kannondō鎌原観音堂 | Temple | 12.2 km |
| Komoro Castle小諸城 | Historic site | 15.4 km |
| Ueda Castle上田城 | Historic site | 17.7 km |
| Karuizawa軽井沢町 | Old streets | 20 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.
Checked on the official site (13 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.
8 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 8 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 休暇村 嬬恋鹿沢(旧:休暇村 鹿沢高原) | ¥10,000 | 4.13／5 195 reviews | 1.3 km | 長野新幹線上田駅温泉口より送迎バス 11:10/15:00(要予約) |
| 鹿鳴館<群馬県> | ¥8,580 | 4.33／5 47 reviews | 1.5 km | 最寄高速道路 上信越道:上田・菅平ICから菅平・嬬恋方面へ 車で30分 東御嬬恋線沿いにございます |
| 鹿の湯 つちや | ¥5,500 | 3.48／5 112 reviews | 1.6 km | 上信越道 湯の丸IC下車 湯の丸経由40分。 |
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)
3 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: 2.3 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
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