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.
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 →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Snow | 2 | −4 to 0 | 9 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Partly cloudy | 0 | −5 to 3 | 8 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Clear | 0 | 0 to 8 | 10 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 0 to 11 | 10 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 3 to 12 | 9 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 5 to 14 | 10 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Fog | 0 | 1 to 9 | 9 |
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
A gondola carries skiers to the upper slopes. The White Horse and forest runs have designated tree-run zones, which open up skiing among the trees after heavy snow. Beside the quad chairlift, the Speed Challenge area measures how fast you are going. Sources: whitebirch.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.
Only 25% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is west (66%).
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.
Shirakaba and Kurumayama webcams & snow report — all 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirakaba 2 in 1 | 4.0 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
| Shirakabako Royal Hill | 5.0 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
| Pilatus Tateshina Snow Resort | 6.6 km | 143 cm | 1761 |
| Tateshina Tokyu Ski Area | 6.7 km | 136 cm | 1860 |
| Kurumayama Kogen SKYPARK | 7.1 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
Compare side by side with Shirakaba 2 in 1 and Shirakabako Royal Hill →
The most snow falls in March. March brings as much as January, or more. In amount, March brings 50 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 140 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 95 cm; the biggest was 2023/24 with 186 cm (2.0 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
1 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 61.6 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type | Analysed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 白樺湖ビーナス温泉 | 4.5 km | 61.6℃ hot | 6.6 neutral | chloride, sulphate | 1992 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Megami女神湖 | Nature | 1.4 km |
| Mount Tateshina蓼科山 | Mountain | 3 km |
| Mount Kitayoko北横岳 | Mountain | 5.8 km |
| Mount Kirigamine霧ヶ峰 | Mountain | 10.5 km |
| Southern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group八ヶ岳 | Nature | 19.2 km |
| Lake Suwa諏訪湖 | Nature | 19.5 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 (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.
31 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 12 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| アルペン シャトー | ¥16,300 | 5.00／5 39 reviews | 0.6 km | 佐久平駅よりお車にて約45分、東白樺湖バス停より車で約10分 |
| 白樺高原ホテル | ¥6,930 | 4.01／5 799 reviews | 0.7 km | 中央自動車道「諏訪IC」から60分 中央線「茅野駅」からバスで60分(予約制の無料送迎バスで45分) |
| B&Bsora | ¥6,000 | 3.86／5 31 reviews | 0.8 km | 茅野駅よりお車にて約45分 |
| 四季の森ホテル | ¥15,400 | 4.00／5 168 reviews | 0.8 km | 中央自動車道諏訪インター 南諏訪インター下車40分・関越自動車道藤岡JCTより上信越自動車道に入り佐久インター下車40分 |
| ブルーベルコテージ | ¥16,170 | 5.00／5 72 reviews | 0.8 km | 高速/諏訪・諏訪南・佐久・佐久南各IC45~50分 JR/佐久平・茅野車45分 バス/たてしなスマイル交通女神湖停歩2分 |
| オテル・ド・ミロワール | ¥19,500 | 4.94／5 215 reviews | 0.8 km | 上信越自動車・佐久IC、又は中央自動車道・諏訪ICより約40分。JR中央本線・茅野駅よりバス利用 |
| 蓼科メドウズ・スポーツドミトリー | ¥3,500 | 4.78／5 58 reviews | 0.9 km | 中央道諏訪インターまたは上信越道佐久インター 白樺湖方面へお車で50分 |
| ペンション ミルフィーユ<長野県北佐久郡> | ¥8,000 | 4.50／5 38 reviews | 0.9 km | 中央道諏訪IC 白樺湖方面/上信越道佐久IC 白樺湖方面/JR中央線茅野駅 |
| B&Bペンション じゅあん | ¥8,250 | 5.00／5 22 reviews | 0.9 km | JR中央線茅野駅よりバスにて65分/中央道諏訪ICより約40分/上信越道佐久ICより約40分 |
| esola(エソラ) | ¥11,800 | 5.00／5 189 reviews | 0.9 km | 【中央道】諏訪ICから約40分【上信越道】佐久ICから約50分【高速バス】新宿~蓼科牧場バス停より徒歩 |
| Tabist ホテル コロシアム・イン・蓼科 | ¥14,400 | 4.61／5 93 reviews | 0.9 km | 【上信越自動車道】佐久ICより約50分【中部横断自動車道】佐久南ICより約45分【中央自動車道】諏訪南ICより約45分 |
| Picnicbase&Hostel | ¥3,250 | 4.67／5 8 reviews | 1.0 km | 茅野駅よりお車にて約45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)
4 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: 0.9 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 · 1 Oct 2026
How Japan's Early-Bird Lift Tickets Work: At Hakuba Happo-One, Eight of the Nine Need a Japanese ID CardHakuba Happo-One opened early-bird sales at 10:00 on 1 October. A day costs ¥6,400 against ¥9,800 at the window, 35% off. But every ticket on the list except one needs a My Number Card and a Japanese phone app. A visitor from abroad can buy exactly one of them, at 15% off.
Planning a trip · 28 Sep 2026
El Niño and Japan's Snow in 2026/27Planning a trip · 15 Sep 2026
Japan Lift Ticket Prices for 2026/27