No snow on the ground or falling right now. Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear once snow is on the ground or forecast.
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): 1 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 →
The Zao sulphur mine closed here in 1963, and a local company formed out of the mining firm later built the runs itself and opened the ski area. Snowboarding is banned on the whole slope. From the tatami room upstairs in the rest house, parents can see most of the slope and keep an eye on children as they ski. Sources: zao-sarukura.co.jp, yamagatakanko.com (sources read 12 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zao Liza World | 3.0 km | 254 cm | 701 |
| Zao Onsen | 4.5 km | 258 cm | 673 |
| Miyagi Zao Sumikawasu Snow Park | 9.4 km | 258 cm | 673 |
| Miyagi Zao Eboshi Resort | 12.0 km | 254 cm | 701 |
| Miyagi Zao Shiroishi Ski Resort | 13.0 km | 190 cm | 1240 |
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 39% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is west (61%).
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.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 51% of January’s snowfall.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 253 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 129 cm; the biggest was 2024/25 with 352 cm (2.7 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Zao webcams & snow report — all 7 ski areas →
2 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 64.6 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ニュー蔵王 | 0.4 km | 37℃ warm | 8.6 alkaline | alkaline simple |
| 蔵王上の川 | 5 km | 64.6℃ hot | 1.3 acidic | sulphur, iron, acidic |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Zaō Ropeway蔵王ロープウェイ | Landmark | 3.9 km |
| Mount Zaō蔵王連峰 | Mountain | 5.9 km |
| Okama御釜 (蔵王連峰) | Nature | 6.4 km |
| Zaō Quasi-National Park蔵王国定公園 | Nature | 6.8 km |
| Kaminoyama Castle上山城 | Historic site | 9.5 km |
| Yamagata Station山形駅 | Landmark | 14.2 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 (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.
11 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 11 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 蔵王エコー山荘 | ¥6,700 | 4.25／5 34 reviews | 0.3 km | かみのやま温泉駅から車で25分・蔵王スキー場10分・ライザスキー場8分・猿倉スキー場1分 |
| HANARE ^ | ¥16,704 | — | 0.5 km | 蔵王駅から車で13分 |
| ペンション ラビイハウス | ¥10,500 | 4.00／5 8 reviews | 1.1 km | 山形自動車道『山形蔵王IC』→R13→エコーライン→坊平高原/山形新幹線『かみのやま温泉駅』 |
| ナリサワペンション | ¥4,500 | 4.44／5 9 reviews | 1.4 km | JR山形新幹線 「かみのやま温泉駅」よりシャトルバスで約30分 |
| ペンション ノエル | ¥9,350 | 4.71／5 39 reviews | 1.4 km | 山形新幹線「かみのやま温泉駅」よりシャトルバス約30分、山形蔵王IC⇒R13号⇒蔵王エコーライン⇒ノエル |
| 野口ペンション | ¥9,600 | 5.00／5 17 reviews | 1.4 km | 山形新幹線かみのやま温泉より無料シャトルバス40分/山形自動車道山形蔵王ICより40分/東北中央道山形上山ICより30分 |
| 蔵王坊平高原 石井ペンション | ¥11,000 | 4.67／5 20 reviews | 1.4 km | 山形新幹線かみのやま温泉駅~無料シャトルバス有(通年1日3便共同運行)/東北中央道山形上山IC~蔵王エコーラインで30分 |
| 蔵王ライザ ウッディロッジ | ¥5,700 | 4.36／5 139 reviews | 2.1 km | JR山形新幹線かみのやま温泉駅からシャトルバス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)
28 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.
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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