【スキー場レポ】１年ぶりの山形蔵王温泉スキー場でやられました。リアルにヤバイ！視界不良の山頂を舐めたらアカン！ドカ雪パウダーを堪能！
By: 自由人704チャンネル · 10 Feb
Japan · Yamagata
Zao Onsen
蔵王温泉スキー場
24 / 100 Powder Score
No Snow Weather Partly cloudy Official site Lift tickets (official) 2026/27 adult day ticket ¥9,000 peak (26 Dec – 3 Jan, 30 Jan – 28 Feb) (checked 19 Oct)
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.
Base depth
0cm
Snow 48h
2cm
Next 72h
0cm
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 →
- Snow 24h
- 0 cm
- Next 24h
- 0 cm
- Temperature
- −2°C
- Max wind
- 12 km/h
- Elevation
- 792–1,661 m
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 6 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
7-day outlook
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −4 to 0 | 12 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Partly cloudy | 0 | −4 to 2 | 13 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 0 to 9 | 13 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 5 to 11 | 15 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 4 to 13 | 7 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | 6 to 11 | 13 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −5 to 8 | 19 |
Score breakdown
Fresh (48h) 5/40
Forecast (24h) 0/25
Snow quality 11/20
Wind 8/10
Base 0/5
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
Near the summit, the winter monsoon coats the Maries' firs in snow and ice until they turn into juhyo, the so-called snow monsters. The Juhyogen course, reached by the upper section of the Zao Ropeway, threads its way down between them. The village at the foot of the slopes sits on a strongly acidic sulphur spring, with public bathhouses at Kamiyu, Shimoyu and Kawarayu. Sources: zaoropeway.co.jp, yamagatakanko.com, zaomountainresort.com (sources read 12 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
Runs and lifts
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.
Marked runs
91
Run length
39km
Lifts
35
Vertical
869m
Top 1,661 m · base 792 m
Run map
NoviceEasyIntermediateAdvanced Lift
Slope shape, difficulty and lift types
The shape of the mountain
Longest run on the map1.8 km
Steepest pitch32°measured over at least 30 m
Average gradient of the runs10.9°
Which way the slopes face
North 29%
East 6%
South 8%
West 57%
Only 35% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is west (57%).
By difficulty
Novice 24 · 16.1 km
Easy 44 · 13.7 km
Intermediate 17 · 7.1 km
Advanced 6 · 2.4 km
Lift types
- Chairlift31
- Gondola2
- Cable car2
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.
Live cameras
The live stream is paused (checked 9 Nov). Check the official page for when it returns.
On the mountain蔵王温泉スキー場 ↗On the mountainChuo slopes ↗Operated by: 蔵王索道協会Roads nearby国道13号 ↗From the resort: 15 kmOperated by: 東北地方整備局 山形河川国道事務所Roads nearby中央ロープウェイ第一駐車場 ↗Operated by: 蔵王索道協会Roads nearby大森駐車場 ↗Operated by: 蔵王索道協会Roads nearby蔵王ロープウェイ駐車場 ↗Operated by: 蔵王索道協会
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Zao webcams & snow report — all 7 ski areas →
Videos
Videos remain the copyright of whoever filmed them. JAPANSNOWLINE stores no video and plays everything through the standard YouTube player.
How much snow it gets
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Seasonal snowfall
258cm
per season
Worst of 12 winters
129cm
The middle winter of the 12: 260 cm. The best: 357 cm.
World rank
673
of 3,069 worldwide
Rank in country
177
of 397 in Japan
Elevation rank
77
Highest to lowest, of 397 in Japan. The centre point sits at 1,200 m, 434 m above the national median.
Quality rank
82
of 397 in Japan
Temp when snowing
−6.2°C
Japanese median: −3.6°C
Rain days
13%
Japanese median: 16%
Days over 5 cm
17%
Japanese median: 15%
Wind when snowing
21km/h
Average daily peak, 10 m above ground across a model grid cell; not the wind on ridges or lift tops
Dryness 58
Frequency 48
Freedom from rain 66
Calm when snowing (model grid) 94
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).
Compared with what is nearby
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zao Liza World | 4.2 km | 254 cm | 701 |
| Zao Sarukura | 4.5 km | 253 cm | 704 |
| Miyagi Zao Sumikawasu Snow Park | 7.7 km | 258 cmsame grid cell | 673 |
| Miyagi Zao Eboshi Resort | 10.0 km | 254 cm | 701 |
| Miyagi Zao Shiroishi Ski Resort | 14.0 km | 190 cm | 1240 |
When it falls, and how winters differ
Month by month
The most snow falls in January. March brings 58% of January’s snowfall.
67cmDec
88cmJan
53cmFeb
51cmMar
Winter by winter
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 258 cm, and 6 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 129 cm; the biggest was 2024/25 with 357 cm (2.8 times as much).
183
129
283
305
264
253
256
280
252
292
357
243
14/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/2525/26
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Hot springs nearby, as analysed
2 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 64.6 °C).
Show the sources
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 蔵王上の川 | 1.3 km | 64.6℃ hot | 1.3 acidic | sulphur, iron, acidic |
| ニュー蔵王 | 4.1 km | 37℃ warm | 8.6 alkaline | 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
Worth seeing nearby
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
Show the list
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Zaō Ropeway蔵王ロープウェイ | Landmark | 1.1 km |
| Mount Zaō蔵王連峰 | Mountain | 3.9 km |
| Okama御釜 (蔵王連峰) | Nature | 4.6 km |
| Kaminoyama Castle上山城 | Historic site | 11.4 km |
| Yamagata Station山形駅 | Landmark | 12 km |
| Yama-dera Temple立石寺 | Temple | 17.1 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.
Coordinates: 38.1611, 140.4067
Getting there
- By train
- Yamagata Station (JR): about 45 minutes by local bus bound for Zao Onsen from Yamagata Station, getting off at Zao Onsen Bus Terminal
- By car
- about 35 minutes from Yamagata-Zao IC (Yamagata Expressway)
Source: zaoropeway.co.jp, yamagatakanko.com · checked 7 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Going with children
- Kids’ area
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
- Childcare
- Not checked
- Parking
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
- Rental
- Yes (details in Japanese on the official site)
Checked on the official site (12 Oct 2026) · Source. “Not checked” means we have not looked yet. Compare with other ski areas →
Places to stay nearbyPR
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 蔵王温泉 ホテル ラルジャン蔵王 | ¥7,700 | 4.26／5 179 reviews | 0.8 km | JR山形新幹線「山形駅」よりバスで40分 / 山形自動車道 山形蔵王ICより20分 |
| 蔵王温泉 堺屋森のホテルヴァルトベルク | ¥8,250 | 4.38／5 904 reviews | 0.9 km | 山形駅よりバスで蔵王温泉行終点まで約40分。下車徒歩15分/バスターミナル送迎有り(要予約) |
| 蔵王アストリアホテル | ¥8,800 | 4.26／5 149 reviews | 0.9 km | JR 山形駅より蔵王温泉行きバスにて45分 |
| 蔵王温泉 ル・ベール蔵王 | ¥11,000 | 4.16／5 210 reviews | 0.9 km | JR山形駅/山交バス「蔵王温泉」行乗車/終点下車 |
| 蔵王つららぎの宿 花ゆらん | ¥12,100 | 4.00／5 104 reviews | 0.9 km | 山形駅から蔵王温泉までタクシーで30分・バスで45分 / 蔵王ICから西蔵王高原ライン経由 蔵王温泉まで30分 |
| 蔵王温泉 蔵王国際ホテル | ¥13,860 | 4.76／5 1534 reviews | 0.9 km | ●蔵王温泉BT~無料送迎有※到着時要連絡/●山形駅~無料送迎有※詳細は公式HPをご確認ください(3日前までの予約制) |
| ZAO BASE | ¥3,800 | — | 1.0 km | 蔵王温泉のバス停から徒歩7分 蔵王中央ロープウエイと蔵王ロープウエイの中間にございます |
| 蔵王温泉 暖炉の宿 ロッヂスガノ | ¥5,000 | 4.56／5 24 reviews | 1.0 km | 山形駅よりお車にて50分 |
| 蔵王温泉 ホテル喜らく | ¥5,829 | 4.50／5 357 reviews | 1.0 km | JR山形駅よりバスにて40分/車:山形蔵王ICより西蔵王高原ラインを通り約30分 |
| 蔵王温泉 最上高湯 善七乃湯(旧:蔵王温泉 大平ホテル) | ¥11,000 | 4.46／5 624 reviews | 1.0 km | JR山形駅より定期バス45分/山形蔵王ICより車で25分/山形駅からの無料送迎(予約サイト・EGBY12月~3月) |
| お食事処・お泊り処・お湯処 ろばた | ¥6,600 | 4.22／5 176 reviews | 1.1 km | JR 山形駅よりバスで約40分/山形蔵王I.C.より車で約30分 |
| 蔵王温泉 名湯舎 創 -MEITOYA SO- | ¥7,150 | 4.16／5 864 reviews | 1.1 km | 山形駅よりお車にて約40分 |
Pick dates and guests to check rooms on Rakuten Travel
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)
Places to stay on the map
51 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: 1 km
Show the nearest places
Nearest first
- Lodge Christmas Rose Zao 1.0 km
- 和歌の宿 わかまつや 1.1 km
- Yoshidaya Ryokan 1.2 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.
Guides that cover Zao Onsen
Planning a trip · 28 Sep 2026
Japan for Beginners: Half Its Pisted Kilometres Are Graded Easy, Twice the US ShareHalf of Japan's pisted kilometres are graded easy or novice — against 25% in the United States and 28% in Canada. And 255 of Japan's 397 ski areas have a natural hot-spring source within 5 km. Here are the numbers, the caveat about grading, and the resorts where a first-timer gets the most of both.
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