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): 4 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
Elevation range is estimated by sampling points across the ski area.
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −6 to 0 | 18 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Partly cloudy | 0 | −7 to 4 | 13 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −2 to 9 | 16 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −1 to 11 | 20 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −1 to 10 | 21 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 0 to 6 | 11 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Snow showers | 4 | −4 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
This ski area lies on the national highway, close to the centre of Monbetsu. The slopes look out over the Sea of Okhotsk, and in the drift-ice season you ski with the floes on the sea below. There is also a snowboard park with a kicker, and a bobsleigh run for beginners. Sources: mombetsu.jp, tic.mombetsu.net (sources read 12 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
Counted from the marked runs and lifts on the map, within 2.5 km of the centre of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Difficulty uses the European grades, which do not map onto North American green / blue / black.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Takinouecho Sakuragaoka | 25.0 km | 204 cm | 1117 |
| Engaru Rock Valley | 39.0 km | 186 cm | 1270 |
Compare side by side with Takinouecho Sakuragaoka and Engaru Rock Valley →
The most snow falls in January. March brings 78% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 40 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 176 cm, and 8 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2018/19 with 144 cm; the biggest was 2014/15 with 249 cm (1.7 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.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 紋別小向 weather station — 7.5 km from this ski area, 163 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 378 cm |
| 2023/24 | 366 cm |
| 2024/25 | 378 cm |
| 2025/26 | 390 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 181 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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Okhotsk Tokkari Centerオホーツクとっかりセンター | Park | 3.7 km |
| Okhotsk Sea Ice Park北海道立オホーツク流氷公園 | Park | 6 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 (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.
7 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 7 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ホテルオホーツクパレス | ¥5,830 | 4.12／5 978 reviews | 1.8 km | JR石北線遠軽駅より車で45分/オホーツク紋別空港より車で10分/旭川紋別自動車道・浮島IC→国道273号線約80分 |
| 紋別プリンスホテル | ¥4,290 | 4.23／5 3074 reviews | 2.0 km | 紋別空港より車で10分。道道305号(紋別丸瀬布線)沿い |
| 紋別セントラルホテル | ¥6,600 | 4.45／5 1852 reviews | 2.1 km | オホーツク紋別空港から車で約10分。旭川紋別自動車道・丸瀬布(まるせっぷ)ICから約60分。 |
| ワークマンハウス紋別 | ¥8,000 | 4.00／5 11 reviews | 2.1 km | ハローワーク(バスターミナル)から車で約1分、徒歩約3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 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.
Planning a trip · 15 Sep 2026
Japan Lift Ticket Prices for 2026/27: What a Day Costs at Twelve Big Resorts, and the Weeks It Costs HalfWe checked the 2026/27 adult day ticket on each resort's own site. At the window it runs from ¥7,000 at Akakura Kanko to ¥16,700 at Rusutsu. Buying online saves up to ¥3,500, and the first and last weeks of the season cost up to half. For those cheap spring weeks, we add which way each resort's slopes face.
Planning a trip · 28 Sep 2026
El Niño and Japan's Snow in 2026/27Japan vs elsewhere · 5 Sep 2026
Which Famous Ski Resorts Get the Most Snow? 24 Names, Measured