top of page

Zao Now: Monday 4th January 2021

  • Jan 4, 2021
  • 2 min read

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata


New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 174cm

Posted on Monday 4th January 2021 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here.


Not too different to yesterday except much quieter. Very moderate snow continues to fall but it seems that we can look forward to a blue-sky day on Wednesday and then back to snowfall.


There are ice-burn patches on the Mikaeri, Onari and Hahnenkamm slopes so watch your speed there.


Ryuzan is particularly pleasant to ride with some of the unwary coming a cropper in the thick patches.


All lifts scheduled to be operating apart from:


- Ryuzan pair

- Karamatsu pair

- Yokokura Number 2 pair

- Paradise Number 3 pair


All areas open apart from:


- Kotan

- Ryuzan


Official snow depths (as reported by the ski area):


- Summit area: 90cm

- Paradise area: 100cm

- Chuo area: 120cm

- Utopia area: 115cm

- Uwanodai area: 90cm

- Omori area: 90cm

- Kurohime: 115cm



Zao Now 2020-2021 season

Data as of Monday 4th January 2021 Total snowfall at base 174cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 19 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 22cm (on 17th December) November 2020 snowfall 0cm December 2020 snowfall 142cm observed on 15 days January 2021 snowfall 32cm observed on 4 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.


SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.



bottom of page