Zao Onsen
蔵王温泉スキー場38°10′ N 140°24′ E881 m vertical26 runs39.3 kmNight ridingSeasonal
Zao Onsen suits anyone who wants to ski through the snow monsters and soak in a sulphur onsen town at the end of the day, and the snow monsters bring sightseers onto the same summit ropeway.
Photo by pen_ash on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner29.8 km
- Intermediate7.1 km
- Advanced2.4 km
OpenStreetMap maps 20 named runs and 35 lifts at Zao Onsen, and the guide measures each one against the elevation model.
Open the 3D map ↓Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Ride every run at Zao Onsenコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 859 m | 295 m | 21.9° | 7.8° | NW | ||
| 太平コース | 1,932 m | 285 m | 22.8° | 8.3° | W | ||
| 黒姫スーパージャイアントコースNotes | 1,193 m | 249 m | 22.1° | 11.8° | W | ||
| パラダイス迂回コース | 818 m | 167 m | 15.6° | 11.5° | NW | ||
| 大森ジャイアントコースNotes | 776 m | 158 m | 23.1° | 11.5° | W | ||
| 黒姫コネクションコース | 764 m | 141 m | 17.7° | 10.5° | SW | ||
| 連絡コース | 975 m | 115 m | 19.4° | 6.7° | NW | ||
| ザンゲ坂・樹氷原コース | 987 m | 108 m | 12.2° | 6.2° | W | ||
| ハーネンカムCコースNotes | 257 m | 65 m | 23.7° | 14.2° | W | ||
| チューブスライダー | 349 m | 58 m | 13.9° | 9.4° | SW | ||
| 見返りコース | 253 m | 31 m | 12.1° | 6° | NW | ||
| 竜山ゲレンデ | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| ダイヤモンド | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 菖蒲沼ゲレンデ | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 黒姫スーパージャイアントコースNotes | 434 m | 149 m | 25.7° | 18.9° | NW | ||
| ザンゲ坂・樹氷原コース | 550 m | 128 m | 19.6° | 13.1° | W | ||
| 高鳥コースNotes | 698 m | 106 m | 15.3° | 8.6° | W | ||
| * | 1,018 m | 250 m | 24.8° | 13.8° | NW | ||
| Sailor Courseセーラーコース | 470 m | 167 m | 26.1° | 19.5° | NW | ||
| 横倉の壁38° | 232 m | 102 m | 32.8° | 23.9° | N |
Lengths, vertical, pitch and aspect are measured from OpenStreetMap run lines and the elevation model. Steepest is the hardest 60 m pitch. Read them as a guide and follow the signs on the hill.
More named runs from the trail map
Juhyogen樹氷原コース
Zao's signature run leaves Jizo Sancho Station through the snow-monster field and carries on past Utopia and Hyakumannin toward the village. The upper section is the steepest part.
Good for snow monsters, longest run
Zangezakaザンゲ坂コース
The first pitch off the summit station, listed with the Juhyogen course on Zao's status board.
Good for views, first run from the top
Hanenkamm A and BハーネンカムA・Bコース
The FIS-certified expert courses drop to Uwanodai from a 38° wall at the top. Competitions run here through the season.
Good for race terrain, steep wall
Uwanodai上の台ゲレンデ
Zao's first slope, gentle and close to the onsen streets, open until 21:00 on night-riding evenings.
Good for lessons, night riding
Yokokura横倉ゲレンデ
The Yokokura Wall opens at 38° and stays steep for a long pitch. A longer route avoids it, and the lower slope is gentle.
Good for steep wall, families lower down
Ohira大平コース
A narrow connecting course from Paradise and Shobunuma down to Uwanodai and Sunrise, mostly moderate with a few steep drops.
Good for long cruising
Know the zones before you goエリア
Snow monster and summit area樹氷・山頂エリア
zoneIntermediate
The upper Zao Ropeway reaches Jizo Sancho Station at 1,661 m. The Zangezaka and Juhyogen courses start here among the rime-covered firs.
Good for snow monsters, long descents
Paradiseパラダイスエリア
zoneIntermediate
Paradise sits between the snow monsters and the frosted forest. Its main slope has a 25° pitch with a gentler way round, and the Shobunuma slope lies just below.
Good for powder after snowfall, linking to Chuo
Chuo中央エリア
zoneBeginner
The Chuo Ropeway climbs from the village to this broad area, usually the first open in December and the last to close in May. Diamond Valley sits below it in a sheltered beech forest.
Good for early and late season, beginners
Utopiaユートピアエリア
zoneIntermediate
The Utopia slope opens in front of the ropeway's Juhyo Kogen Station, and the wide Hyakumannin slope spreads below it. The Kurohime lifts climb from here to the Kurohime Super Giant course.
Good for families, spring snow
Uwanodai上の台エリア
zoneBeginner
Zao's original slope sits at the top of the village, with the Jupeer base centre at the bottom. It's the night-riding slope, and the Hanenkamm and Sunrise courses finish here.
Good for lessons, night riding
Yokokura and Omori横倉・大森エリア
zoneAdvanced
The lower Zao Ropeway leaves from this side of the village. The Yokokura Wall starts at 38° and the Omori Wall at 30°, with a gentle kids' slope at the Omori base.
Good for steeps, kids at the base
35 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥9,000, about CAD 81 or USD 57 (October 2026 rates)
- Early and late season
- ¥4,800, about CAD 43 or USD 30 (October 2026 rates)
- Night
- ¥3,000, about CAD 27 or USD 19 (October 2026 rates)
- 2 days
- ¥17,900, about CAD 161 or USD 113 (October 2026 rates)
- 3 days
- ¥26,800, about CAD 241 or USD 169 (October 2026 rates)
Regular-season days (19 to 25 December, 4 to 29 January and 1 to 14 March) cost ¥8,000, and spring days from 15 to 31 March cost ¥7,000. Children up to junior high pay ¥4,500 at peak and ¥2,400 in the open and final seasons. Seniors from 60 and high-school students pay ¥8,100 at peak. A four-hour ticket costs ¥7,400 at peak. On the listed Kids' Ski Days a child's day ticket drops to ¥1,000. WAmazing and Asoview sell the one- to three-day tickets online, and you collect them from the machines at the ticket windows. Zao does not publish an online price.
These passes cover days here
- Ikon PassIkon Pass: 7 days at each of the ten Japanese mountains, no blackouts. Ikon Base Pass: 5 days at each. Ikon Session Pass: Niseko United only (2, 3 or 4 day options).
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Bus
- Yamako buses leave Yamagata Station about hourly from early morning to evening, with no booking.
- Train
- Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa from Tokyo to Yamagata, then the Yamako bus from Yamagata Station to the Zao Onsen bus terminal. Most buses take 37 minutes, and Yamako has charged ¥1,200 for the ride since 1 April 2024. The tourism association's English access page still shows the old ¥1,000 fare.
The nearest station is Yamagata. JR Yamagata Shinkansen and Ou Line. Yamako buses run from the station to the Zao Onsen bus terminal.
A shared taxi meets every flight at Yamagata Airport and drops at the Zao Onsen taxi stand and both ropeway stations for ¥3,000 one way. Book with Tendo Taxi by 17:00 the day before. NEKOMA Mountain plans a ski shuttle to Zao Onsen for 2026/27 with its timetable still to come.
Zao's 305 ha of slopes rise above the hot-spring village of Zao Onsen in the hills behind Yamagata city. The ski area's lowest point sits at 780 m down in the village, and the tourism association puts the village itself at about 900 m. Three ropeways, the Sky Cable gondola and 26 chairs link 14 open slopes with 12 connecting courses. The Zao Ropeway and the Chuo Ropeway both leave from the village itself.
The top of the mountain is the reason people come. The Zao Ropeway's upper line climbs to Jizo Sancho Station at 1,661 m, where the Aomori fir trees turn into juhyo, rime-crusted shapes everyone calls snow monsters. The Juhyogen course starts there and winds about 10 km back to the village. It's an intermediate run, and the tourism association says beginners can manage it if they take the upper section slowly in a snowplough.
Lower down the mountain changes character. Uwanodai was Zao's first slope, and it still runs lessons by day and night riding until 21:00. The Hanenkamm A and B courses above it are the FIS-certified expert runs, and their top is a 38° wall. Only the Yokokura Wall matches that pitch. The Chuo slope opens early and usually keeps its snow until May.
Peak tickets cost ¥9,000 a day in 2026/27, and early December and April days fall to ¥4,800. The summit ropeway carries sightseers as well as skiers, so ride up first thing and save the village slopes for the afternoon.
Worth knowing
- Ride the Zao Ropeway's upper line early. Sightseers ride it to the snow monsters too.
- The summit sits on an active volcano. Check JMA's Zaozan page before you go up.
- Buy one- to three-day tickets online through WAmazing or Asoview and scan the QR code at the machines by the ticket windows.
- A child's day ticket costs ¥1,000 on Kids' Ski Days, which fall on set weekends and holidays from January to March 2027.
- Bring warm layers for the summit. Zao Ropeway says the snow-monster area falls below minus 10 degrees at night.
Quick answers about Zao Onsenよくある質問
When are Zao's snow monsters at their best?
Zao Ropeway's guide says rime starts coating the fir trees in November and December and builds through January. The trees reach full size in February, then thin and collapse as March warms up. The 2026 Zao Juhyo Festival ran from 27 December 2025 to 23 February 2026, and the 2026/27 festival dates were not yet posted on the tourism association's site on 11 October 2026.
Can I see the snow monsters lit up at night?
Yes. Zao Ropeway lights the juhyo field after dark and runs a Night Cruiser snowcat tour through it. It posted its 2026/27 light-up notice on 4 October 2026. Skis and boards can't come up for the light-up.
Is the Zao volcano a risk for skiers?
Zaozan is an active volcano, and JMA rates it at Level 1, the level JMA labels as a reminder that it is an active volcano. JMA's criteria tie Level 2 to restrictions within about 1.2 km of the expected crater zone, the Umanose caldera around Okama. Level 3 calls for entry restrictions and covers eruptions affecting ground up to about 3.5 km from Okama. Check JMA's Zaozan page for the current level before you ride the summit ropeway.
How big is Zao Onsen?
Zao Onsen has 26 runs and 30 lifts over 881 m of vertical, from 780 m at the base to 1,661 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 39.3 km of piste there.
How much is a lift ticket at Zao Onsen?
An adult day ticket at Zao Onsen costs ¥9,000, about CAD 81 or USD 57 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season and ¥4,800, about CAD 43 or USD 30 (October 2026 rates) early or late in the season. Ikon Pass holders ride here too.
Does Zao Onsen have night riding?
Yes. Zao Onsen runs night lifts 17:00–21:00. Night riding runs on the Uwanodai slope every evening from 19 December 2026 to 28 February 2027, plus 6 and 7 March 2027. One- to three-day tickets work at night too.
How do you get to Zao Onsen from Tokyo Station?
By bus: Yamako buses leave Yamagata Station about hourly from early morning to evening, with no booking.
When is the season at Zao Onsen?
Zao Onsen usually opens 12 December 2026, the planned opening day (snow permitting) and closes 5 May 2027 at the latest. The deepest, most reliable snow comes 26 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, then 30 January to 28 February 2027 (peak ticket periods).
Within 25 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 30 km
Hot springs nearby温泉
Within 35 km
Towns and neighbourhoods nearby町
Within 80 km
Ski resorts nearby山
In the journal and guides
Read more about Zao Onsen特集
Snow feature · 11 min read
When should you ride Zao and Hakkoda for the snow monsters?
February is the month. Zao Ropeway puts its snow monsters at full size then, on a big ticketed mountain above a sulphur onsen village. Hakkoda gives one ropeway and two ungroomed courses through its own fir groves, with tour routes opening from early March.
Comparison · 10 min read
Which ski-hill onsen towns are best for a soak after the last lift?
Nozawa puts thirteen free public baths a short walk from the lifts. Kusatsu is the clearest answer for tattooed riders, and Shibu and Ginzan give their best baths to the people who stay the night.
Practical guide · 10 min read
How do backcountry gates and rescue costs work at Japan's ski resorts?
Japanese resorts let riders out only through designated gates once a climbing plan is filed, and every resort here that publishes a rescue rule bills the rider. Zao bans riding off its courses altogether.
Practical guide · 8 min read
How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?
One adult sharing a room spends about ¥90,000 on a budget week in Yuzawa and from about ¥178,000 for a mid-range week in Hakuba, before flights and rental. A ryokan-hotel week in Myoko runs to about ¥286,000.