The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 12 Dec (the resort’s announcement; it moves with the snow). The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
This season is planned to run until 22 Mar (the resort’s announcement).
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): 5 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 | −6 to −2 | 8 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Partly cloudy | 0 | −3 to 1 | 7 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 0 to 10 | 11 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Fog | 0 | 2 to 10 | 23 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Fog | 0 | 1 to 10 | 11 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 1 to 6 | 7 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −4 to 3 | 21 |
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
Sanlaiva sits right next to Karurusu Onsen, the hot-spring village tucked in behind Noboribetsu Onsen. Mount Orofure and Mount Raiba rise around it, and the Forestry Agency lists it among the recreation forests it designates in national forest land. By bus from Noboribetsu Station, change at Noboribetsu Onsen. Sources: sanlaiva.com, rinya.maff.go.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.
94% 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.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Rusutsu and Toya webcams & snow report — all 4 ski areas →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orofure Ski Area | 10.0 km | 157 cm | 1578 |
| Muroran-shi Ski Area | 14.0 km | 135 cm | 1877 |
| Rusutsu Resort | 26.0 km | 212 cm | 1041 |
| Nakayama-toge Ski Resort | 37.0 km | 264 cm | 655 |
| Eniwa City Ski Area | 48.0 km | 148 cm | 1686 |
Compare side by side with Orofure Ski Area and Muroran-shi Ski Area →
The most snow falls in January. March brings 92% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 46 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 163 cm, and 6 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 95 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 227 cm (2.4 times as much).
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 登別 weather station — 7.2 km from this ski area, 329 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 375 cm |
| 2023/24 | 374 cm |
| 2024/25 | 431 cm |
| 2025/26 | 319 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 168 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
5 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 98.4 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| カルルス日野(新)2号井 | 0.9 km | 68.3℃ hot | 7.1 neutral |
| カルルスN63-NB-3 | 1.6 km | 80℃ hot | 8.1 mildly alkaline |
| 大湯沼大湯沼 | 4.6 km | 95.2℃ hot | 1.1 acidic |
| 登別登別温泉24号 | 4.8 km | 98.4℃ hot | 2.2 acidic |
| 登別第一滝本20号 | 5 km | 89℃ hot | 7.7 mildly alkaline |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| カルルス温泉 | Hot spring town | 2 km |
| Noboribetsu Onsen登別温泉 | Hot spring town | 4.8 km |
| Noboribetsu Bear Parkのぼりべつクマ牧場 | Museum | 6.2 km |
| Lake Kuttara倶多楽湖 | Nature | 7.5 km |
| Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe登別マリンパークニクス | Museum | 10.2 km |
| Shōwa-shinzan昭和新山 | Mountain | 19.2 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 (26 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.
2 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 2 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 森の湯 山静館 | ¥7,150 | 4.44／5 84 reviews | 0.9 km | 新千歳空港から道央自動車道、登別東IC下車。車で60分。JR登別駅から車で15分 |
| 登別カルルス温泉 湯元オロフレ荘 | ¥13,800 | 4.47／5 435 reviews | 0.9 km | JR登別駅車で20分 ・ 登別温泉から車で10分 無料送迎あり(前日までに要予約 対応時間14:00~17:00) |
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)
23 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: 0.8 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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