Zao Now: Thursday 27th April 2017
- Apr 27, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 5, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 520cm
Posted on Thursday 27th April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.
Good morning from Zao.
The resort is still doing it's best to remain open and for now the courses available are the top Zangezaka Juhyogen, Chuo and Utopia courses.
Snow is getting thinner on the ground in even the remaining open areas now - and has all but disappeared from most base areas.
Skiing and snowboarding on the current full-on spring snow conditions is perhaps an acquired taste and not for everyone. But I say it's most definitely better than being stuck in an office! And a good workout for the knees and thighs to boot.
Golden Week is almost with us - starting from Saturday - and so we enter that final stretch of the season. It looks like there's a mix of weather conditions forecast - do keep your eye on the forecast page.
Zao Onsen plans to be open daily until Sunday 7th May.
Official snow depths (as published by the resort):
Summit - 65cm
Paradise - 60cm
Chuo - 60cm
Utopia - 75cm
Uwanodai - 15cm
Yokokura - 0cm
Planned closing dates for lifts at Zao Onsen - subject to change due to snow conditions:
Operating until Sunday 7th May:
- Chuo Number 1 pair AB
- Chuo Number 2 pair AB (** only on holidays **)
- Utopia Number 2 pair
Open all year (* for sightseeing):
- Sky Cable
- Chuo Ropeway
- Zao Ropeway
All other ski lifts at Zao Onsen are now closed for the season.
Zao Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Thursday 27th April 2017 Total snowfall at base 520cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 65 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 39cm (on 16th January) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 98cm observed on 16 days January 2017 snowfall 241cm observed on 16 days February 2017 snowfall 105cm observed on 14 days March 2017 snowfall 65cm observed on 13 days April 2017 snowfall 0cm |
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.