Zao Now: Sunday 11th January 2026
- Jan 11
- 2 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 184cm
Posted on Sunday 11th January 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.
Yesterday turned into a bluebird day.
Last night we had a lot of snowfall starting around 11pm.
Today is cloudy with occasional strong wind gusts. Limited visibility on the mountain.
Wind might cause some problems for some lifts today but the official website seems to be showing the ski area largely opening as planned.
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Ski lifts:
All scheduled to be operating apart from Yokokura Number 2
Ski runs:
All of the main areas are open with just a few restrictions remaining
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
Yokokura area: 45cm
Uwanodai area: 50cm
Utopia area: 95cm
Chuo area: 70cm
Paradise area: 60cm
Summit area: 75cm
More information about the ski area: Zao Onsen
Zao Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Sunday 11th January 2026 Total snowfall at base 184cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 29 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 23cm (on 4th December) November 2025 snowfall 5cm observed on 2 days December 2025 snowfall 120cm observed on 18 days January 2026 snowfall 59cm observed on 9 days |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Zao Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report.