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): 12 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 →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Snow | 0 | −11 to 0 | 15 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Fog | 0 | −10 to 2 | 16 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 0 to 8 | 26 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 0 to 10 | 21 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −2 to 8 | 18 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −2 to 4 | 20 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Snow showers | 3 | −3 to 3 | 19 |
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
Once the drift ice reaches the Sea of Okhotsk in early February, skiers come down with the ice spread out over the sea below. The slope sits beside the bypass, about five minutes by car from the centre of Esashi. It is run by a non-profit sports club that grew out of the town's junior ski club. Sources: esashi-kankou.com, emsc.npo-emsc.net (sources read 11 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 7% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is south (88%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nakatonbestucho Eikotobuki | 23.0 km | 221 cm | 945 |
| Otoineppu Otoifuji | 33.0 km | 248 cm | 748 |
Compare side by side with Nakatonbestucho Eikotobuki and Otoineppu Otoifuji →
The most snow falls in January. March brings 68% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 44 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 211 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2016/17 with 163 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 265 cm (1.6 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Kitami Kamui北見神威岬 | Nature | 14.6 km |
| 中頓別鍾乳洞 | Nature | 18.8 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.
Checked on the official site (11 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.
1 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 1 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 枝幸温泉 ホテル ニュー幸林 | ¥7,450 | 4.10／5 522 reviews | 0.3 km | 稚内より国道238号線経由で2時間半/枝幸バスターミナルから徒歩約15分/JR宗谷本線「音威子府」駅より車で約60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)
We have no facility list for the 12 km around here yet — search the booking sites below.
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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