Iwakisan Hyakuzawa
Iwakisan Hyakuzawa is a small ski area in the Aomori Prefecture where you can get off the well-trodden path of international skiers and snowboarders that are chasing snow in northern Tohoku. Iwakisan Hyakuzawa is a good ski area to keep up your sleeve for brutal weather days when the gondola and lifts at Aomori Spring on the other side of Mount Iwaki are closed. You may sometimes see the ski area translated and referred to as Iwakiyama Momosawa.
Pros and Cons of Iwakisan Hyakuzawa
Pros
- Lift passes are incredibly cheap.
- Iwakisan Hyakuzawa (Iwakiyama Momosawa) is somewhat protected from the prevailing storms, unlike Aomori Spring Ski Resort that gets the full brunt of the NW storms that hit with ferocity.
- It can be used as a trailhead for backcountry excursions up Mount Iwaki, especially in the spring.
- It provides a nice locals’ ski-jo experience.
Cons
- It is a small ski area that doesn’t provide a lot of variety.
- Like a lot of Japanese ski areas, there is no steep on-piste terrain.
- The slopes have an aspect that’s not ideal for retaining snow quality if the sun has been out.
- On some weekdays there are swarms of school kids, although hopefully the teachers might let you have priority access for the lift.
Iwakisan Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Iwakisan Ski Resort is small and officially has 5 courses, although 3 courses may more aptly cover off the size of the ski area. The terrain has 428 metres of vertical (784 to 356m) and 3 double chair lifts and a surface lift.
Iwakisan is a rather mellow ski area. Novices can start on the surface lift near the base. The next progression is the 3rd pair lift and then the lower half of the 2nd pair lift, whilst the upper half of this slope is for intermediates. The top lift (2nd pair lift) services an “advanced” course which only maxes out at 30 degrees, and one half of it is groomed, so it’s ideal for intermediates.
There is no “off-piste” but you can go tree skiing either side of the advanced course. Don’t venture too far either side or you’ll get gullied out.
If your objective is to summit Mt Iwaki, it’s more vertical gain from this side compared to the access from Aomori Spring, although the weather and snow conditions can be more friendly on the Iwakisan Hyakuzawa side, with less need to use your crampons and ice axe. In mid-spring the switchbacking Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline road opens up so it’s easier to get near the top.
Iwakisan Snow
Snow volumes at Iwakisan Ski Resort are a little less compared to Aomori Spring and on average, the snow base sits at about 1.5 metres in the middle of winter. The slopes are southeast facing, so the snow is not well retained once temperatures rise and the ski season usually goes from late December to only mid March.
Where is Iwakisan Hyakuzawa?
The ski area sits in the western part of the Aomori Prefecture on the southeast flank of Mount Iwaki. It is 13.5km northwest of Hirosaki City, whilst Kuroishi is 28km to the east and Aomori City is 54km to the northeast (about an hour drive).
Nearby ski areas:
- Aomori Spring sits on the other side of Mount Iwaki and is 23km away by road
- Hakkoda is 59m to the east
- Owani Onsen is 32km to the southeast
- Soma Romantopia Ski Area is 10km to the south and it shares a common lift ticket with Iwakisan Hyakuzawa. Soma Romantopia (translates to Soma Romantic Pier) is really low elevation, has only 100 metres of vertical, and 2 courses either side of 1 lift.
If you’re not on a multi-resort tour, driving is the best way to get there. On some Sundays the resort runs a free shuttle from the Hirosaki train station to Iwakisan via Soma Romantopia.
Accommodation
The little View Lodge Shikisai is just down the road from the ski area and there are also a few other basic accommodations about 1.5km away. Considering Iwakisan is mostly a day trippers ski area, it’s more likely you’ll stay in Hirosaki, Kuroishi, Aomori Spring or Aomori City.
Facilities
The ski resort has amenities that are commensurate for the size of the ski area. It has a cafeteria with the usual suspects of katsu curry and noodles. There is a ski school and a snowboard school for Japanese speaking guests, basic ski and snowboard rental equipment, and a kids’ snow play area at the base.