Kiroro Ski Resort

Kiroro Resort in Hokkaido Japan is a destination resort with upscale facilities and infrastructure, and Puki Yuki blesses the Kiroro Ski Resort with a mighty lot of powder. The motto “Five Star by Nature” sums up Kiroro Resort well in that it costs a lot to stay there, yet the snow is also 5 star.

Kiroro Japan used to fly under the radar relative to some of the high profile Hokkaido ski resorts nearby, but now it has become much more popular, especially with advent of Club Med Kiroro, and it's a little more difficult for discerning powder hounds to find fresh tracks.

In addition to being a destination resort, Kiroro can also be visited as a day trip from Niseko, Otaru or Sapporo. 

Kiroro Japan: Pros and Cons

Pros

• As with many of the other Hokkaido ski resorts, the quality of the powder is fabulous, and the Kiroro snow quantity is ridiculous.
• Kiroro Ski Resort is a very good destination for powder hounds for a few days or as a day trip from Niseko or Otaru.
• If you’re willing to go ski touring/splitboarding, the Kiroro backcountry offers phenomenal powder rewards.
• Kiroro Resort has very good lift infrastructure.
• Kiroro Hokkaido is a good choice if you want to go skiing early in the season.
• Kiroro Resort is very family oriented with lots of kids’ activities, and there are kids’ group ski and snowboard lessons in English.

Cons

• Kiroro Ski Resort is medium sized (by Japanese standards) so there might not be adequate terrain for stays of more than 4-5 days.
• The nightlife is quiet (as with most Japanese ski resorts).

Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective

• The main on-mountain Kiroro accommodation offers fully-inclusive packages with Kiroro Club Med, which provides a fuss free holiday with a hefty price tag.
• Kiroro is a very well established resort with modern deluxe facilities, however expect to get fleeced at every corner. Kiroro caters to a very upscale market, and if that’s not you, it will hurt the hip pocket.
• There’s no proper village at Kiroro and there is very little Japanese culture on offer.
• The massive amounts of snow come from big storms off the nearby Sea of Japan which are often accompanied by wind. In recent years, Kiroro has had a propensity to close the gondola and top lifts, even with just moderate winds.
• Off-piste and sidecountry skiing and riding are permitted, with certain provisos. You no longer have the risk of having your pass pulled, but the cat is completely out of the bag regarding this former powder hound paradise, and fresh tracks disappear quickly in lift accessed areas. Thankfully a powder reset is never far away.

Kiroro Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Kiroro is a medium sized resort spread over two mountain peaks. The resort has 24 runs, with an equal spread of green, blue and black piste. Even though a third of the slopes are rated as black, the on-piste terrain is not particularly challenging and is mostly suited to beginners and intermediates. The exceptions are a couple of mogul courses where you can watch the locals having a whale of a time ruining their knees!

Skiers and snowboarders who love cruising will enjoy the Grand Line, whilst “L plate” powder hounds will adore a few ungroomed runs. Meanwhile the real powder skiing and riding can be found in the off-piste trees, the sidecountry (lift-accessed backcountry) and backcountry. See the Kiroro Hokkaido skiing page for more information.

Kiroro Snow and Lifts

Formerly known as “Kiroro Snow World”, the ski area was very aptly named. Kiroro Resort is blessed with lots of yuki and is up there as one of the Japan ski resorts (or world ski resorts) that receives the most snowfall. Kiroro Resort cites a statistic of 21 metres of snow per season, which was peculiarly only based on 3 years of data for snow and was recorded at the peak. Regardless of the marketing hype attached to the Kiroro snow volumes, it’s undeniable that this is the capital of Japow.

Hokkaido is often chilly which keeps the snow in pristine condition, yet you may not need to wear your thick thermals at Kiroro, unless you go night skiing. Thankfully the Kiroro lift infrastructure is well developed (but not necessarily well operated). Of the 9 lifts, one is a toasty gondola, one is a chondola, whilst five are detachable fast chairs with cosy hoods.

Where is Kiroro Snow World?

The Kiroro ski resort is located in Akaigawa which is 43km west of Sapporo Hokkaido, and 28km from the seaside town of Otaru. From the Sapporo New Chitose Airport, the Kiroro bus trip takes 2 hours. Alternatively it’s a 70 minute express train ride to Otaru, followed by a 30-50 minute trip by taxi or bus to Kiroro. Or if you’re staying at Club Med Kiroro Peak or Club Med Kiroro Grand, then airport transfers are included in your stay.

Kiroro is only 60 minutes from Niseko, so it’s pretty easy to take a day trip to Kiroro if you have some wheels or go on a guided tour.

Kiroro Hotels

Kiroro is a resort in the truest sense because there is no village or real town, but just a couple of resort complexes centred around the lodging.

There are two Kiroro Club Med hotels that provide a high standard of ski-in ski-out accommodation and a range of facilities. The Club Med Kiroro Peak is conveniently located at the base of the main ski area. Further down the hill is the larger Club Med Kiroro Grand, which is connected with the main ski area via a chondola (a cross between a gondola and a chair lift) and a mellow beginner trail. Adjacent to Kiroro Grand and also in a ski-in ski-out position is Yu Kiroro, which offers immaculate luxury condos.

You can book Kiroro accommodation here.

Facilities

The facilities and services at Kiroro Resort are well set up and include a ski/snowboard shop, ski and snowboard rentals, and ski school. Kiroro has a kids ski school that offers group lessons. For teens/adults, ski and snowboard lessons are only available in a private format, which are really expensive. Or group lessons are included for guests at Club Med.

The resort has a variety of sumptuous cuisine options for those staying at Kiroro, and as to be expected for a Japanese ski resort, the nightlife is incredibly sedate.

Kiroro Guiding

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