When to Ski in Hokkaido

The different parts of the Hokkaido ski season have their pros and cons, depending on your priorities for a Hokkaido ski or snowboard trip.

Hokkaido Ski Season

Even though Hokkaido has a very northerly position and is brutally cold in the peak of winter, the Hokkaido ski season is not as long as one might think. A handful of the Hokkaido ski resorts open up in mid to late November whilst most don’t open until December. Many of the ski resorts close up shop in March, whilst some of the larger and/or higher ski areas stay open until April or early May. See the Japan ski resort stats for an indication of the typical season for the major resorts.

If you're looking to go skiing in Hokkaido in December, see the bottom of this page for information on where to ski in Hokkaido in the early season.

When Is the Best Snow in Hokkaido?

There are at least three elements when considering the best time for snow in Hokkaido.

The first is the timing of the quantity and quality of the snow that falls. Late November to the end of February is best for powder, with Japanuary (ie January) and early February being the absolute ideal times for lots of quality resets.

The second consideration is the depth of the snowpack. This may be an issue on-piste early in the Hokkaido ski season, especially on the advanced slopes where some of the Hokkaido ski resorts will not open a black run if it has even one stick poking through! The snowpack depth is mostly a consideration for when to ski in Hokkaido for off-piste skiers and riders. In early season, creeks may be open which can impede egress from the off-piste or sidecountry (e.g. Kiroro, Sapporo Kokusai), but the main issue is the abundant shrubbery and bamboo (sasa grass) that grows very thickly on the forest floor in Hokkaido. Often the snow gods adequately bless the Hokkaido ski areas early season, resulting in off-piste riding being a possibility, but commonly it’s not until early to mid January that the sasa grass is covered up. The SW Hokkaido coastal ski resorts such as Niseko, Kiroro, Kokusai and Teine are renowned for plentiful early season snow, and Rusutsu also does pretty well, but then more snow is required because in Niseko in particular, the sasa grows abundantly and high and the sidecountry gates may not open for a while. Central Hokkaido ski resorts typically receive a little less early season snow. Tomamu and Sahoro in particular tend to be slow off the mark. It’s also worth noting that the upper reaches of Asahidake don’t have a lot of bamboo and can be a great choice for early season pow riding, and at Furano the sasa doesn’t seem to grow as high or as thick as it does in Niseko.

The third element for consideration of when to ski in Hokkaido for the best snow is how well the snow is retained. This mostly comes into play towards the end of February when the lower elevation resorts and those with unfavourable aspects tend to have sloppy snow and melt-freeze cycles (see the Hokkaido snow statistics for ski resort elevation and aspect). An example of a resort prone to poor snow retention in March is Moiwa, which has a predominantly southerly aspect and a modest top elevation of 800 metres, so it’s no great surprise that the ski area tends to close at the end of March. Tomamu is another example of a resort with a mainly sunny aspect (in-bounds), but at least it has decent elevation on its side. Once March hits in Hokkaido, the snow can disappear very quickly. If you’re thinking of skiing in Hokkaido at Easter, don’t expect good snow conditions.

So if you’re chasing powder, the peak time overall for snow in Hokkaido is mid January to mid February. Not surprisingly, this is the prime time for Hokkaido ski tours and is the time when the most powder hounds are sniffing out the stashes, so if you want untouched slopes without putting much work in, don’t visit during this peak powder period.

Weather

Whilst December and January snowstorms can bring mega snowfalls and cold blower powder, the peak of winter is also when it blows the most and the strong winds can result in upper lift closures. The ropeway at Asahidake is sometimes closed due to foul weather and it’s not very often during mid-winter that there’s adequate visibility to go backcountry touring. If you’re looking at backcountry touring around Central Hokkaido, Niseko or Rishiri Island, late February to early March is your prime time.

It’s the frequent foul weather that is probably also the reason that the Kurodake Ropeway and/or lift is closed during the middle of winter, despite them claiming it’s for maintenance.

Crowds at the Hokkaido Ski Resorts

The popularity of particular times of the Hokkaido ski season are worth bearing in mind if you want to avoid the crowds, get more fresh lines, and not pay peak prices for lodging. Of course, it’s all relative because the “crowds” at the ski resorts in Hokkaido are really nothing like those seen in many parts of USA or Europe.

As to be expected, the Xmas to New Year holiday period is the absolute peak time and accommodation tariffs are at an all-time high.

After New Year’s, many Australians on school holidays arrive at the high profile destination resorts, particularly those resorts that are very family friendly. The Australian school holidays continue all of January, although early January is usually the busiest time because it’s also a common time for work breaks.

Chinese New Year /Lunar New Year can be really crazy busy so it’s best to check the timing of this before planning when to ski in Hokkaido. The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February and the holiday can extend a fair way either side of the actual new year. Those that celebrate Chinese New Year tend to visit the high profile large resorts and also have a tendency to be piste skiers, so the impact on intrepid powder hounds finding fresh powder is often minimal.

Other Considerations

Early February is the best time to visit Hokkaido if you want to see the Sapporo Snow Festival.

The Snow Light Path Festival in Otaru is held in mid February.  

Where to Ski in Hokkaido in December?

Many people choose to snowboard or ski in Hokkaido during December before Xmas in an effort to beat the crowds and score lower accommodation prices. Whilst Hokkaido is renowned for getting more reliable early season snow compared to Honshu, there is still some risk that there may be inadequate snow, although this depends on your desired pursuits. If you're a beginner or intermediate looking to ski groomed runs then there should be some good options, whilst if you're looking for deep powder you may need to fossick about.

Piste Skiing/Riding

For those who like to remain on-piste, early to mid December can be a lovely time to avoid the crowds. Ski areas near the western coast of Hokkaido tend to get the most early season snowfall. If you're looking for a destination resort, good picks would be Niseko, Rusutsu, or Kiroro if you have the budget for it. If you're happy to drive or catch buses, then any of the Otaru ski resorts would be a reliable choice. Ski areas that are further to the east such as Tomamu and Sahoro tend not to do as well in the snow stakes in early season.

Powder Hounds

If you're a powder hound chasing deep powder during the early season, it can be a big gamble especially at the lower altitudes, but if it pays off then the dividends can be huge considering that the crowds have not yet arrived in Hokkaido. Or you may find yourself cursing whoever introduced sasa bamboo to Japan. This is mostly covered off above under snow base, but here are a few factors worth considering.

• Chair lifts to access usual powder zones may not be operating yet so you may need to skin to get the goods.
• Teine and Kokusai usually get lots of early season snow and can be good picks if you get a rental car and commute from Sapporo or Otaru.
• Kiroro gets lots of early season snow but keep in mind that the sidecountry has some creek issues.
• Rusutsu can be a good pick because the sasa grass isn't enormous and the off-piste can be ridden without the need to cross open creeks. 
• Furano has plenty of high elevation zones and can be a good pick.
• Asahidake doesn't have lots of bamboo but it still has shrubbery. Pending good weather, the upper reaches can be good pick for early season.
• Niseko can be bliss considering it often scores well in the early season snow stakes, but detractors are the height of the bamboo and that backcountry gates are often not open.