Iwate Kogen Snow Park is a ski area in Shizukuishi Town, on the southern slopes of Mt Iwate in the northern-western region of Iwate Prefecture.
This ski area opened in 1971 as Iwate Kogen. At one time, it was closed for seven years, originally due to nearby volcanic activity, before re-opening under the new name in 2004.
There are two official areas at Iwate Kogen Snow Park, West (with course names W1-W4) and East (with course names E1-E5). There is only one main base, and it is at the bottom of the East area.
The ten official ski runs are serviced by a base-to-summit 1,952m gondola and six pair lifts (625m, 625m, 777m, 764m, 768m, 1183m). The lower two ski lifts run in parallel.
The steepest slope, E1, in the upper area, has a maximum gradient of 34 degrees, is left ungroomed, and often features moguls.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1210
Vertical (m)
583
Bottom/base (m)
627
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
30
Longest course (m)
2600
Steepest slope (°)
34
Number of courses
10
Ski lifts
7
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
1
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
6
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Iwate Kogen Snow Park usually plans to be open from mid-December until late March or early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Iwate Kogen Snow Park is normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm during the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing operations are daily between Friday 26th December 2025 and Sunday 15th March 2026 - from 5:00pm until 10:00pm on Fridays, Saturdays and days before holidays; otherwise until 9:00pm. The lower area open for night skiing is by the Number 1 and Number 2 pair lifts.
Park
There is a freestyle course and Snow Park area by side of the Number 2 pair lift.
Families & children
There is a Family Area and Beginners Area by the base on either side of the Number 1 parallel pair lifts.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Iwate Kogen Snow Park.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available in the base Center Plaza building. The building also has a restaurant and other base facilities.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 7,300 yen
Child: 5,800 yen
1 day (until 5pm)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 4,600 yen
5 hours
Adult: 5,300 yen
Child: 4,200 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 3,500 yen
Child: 3,500 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 800 yen
Child: 800 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 65,000 yen
Child: 55,000 yen
Senior rates same as children.
Historical snow depth data
The following ski season and official snow depth data have been independently compiled by SnowJapan for publication on this website. Where available, the data is updated annually after each ski season.
First and last dates of recent seasons
2025-2026 season: 13th December - 31st March (109 days)
2024-2025 season: 14th December - 30th March (107 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 31st March (100 days)
2022-2023 season: 10th December - 2nd April (114 days)
2021-2022 season: 19th December - 10th April (113 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 200cm on 11th-26th February
2024-2025 season: 220cm on 23rd-28th February
2023-2024 season: 85cm on various dates
2022-2023 season: 160cm on 22nd February - 2nd March
2021-2022 season: 215cm on 7th-12th March
2020-2021 season: 230cm on 11th-13th February
2019-2020 season: 150cm on 8th-13th February and 3rd-8th March
2018-2019 season: 180cm on 29th January - 3rd February
2017-2018 season: 290cm on 2nd-4th March
2016-2017 season: 190cm on various dates
2015-2016 season: 160cm on 28th February
2014-2015 season: 170cm on various dates
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Iwate Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region, on the northeastern side of the main island of Honshu. It is the second-largest prefecture in Japan (after Hokkaido). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the west, and Miyagi Prefecture to the south.
Most of the ski areas in Iwate Prefecture are in the western mountainous regions of the prefecture, close to the border with Akita Prefecture.
Appi, Hachimantai Resort Panorama & Shimokura and Shizukuishi are in the northwestern region within the boundaries of Hachimantai City or Shizukuishi Town. In Kitakami City, further to the south, Geto Kogen usually receives some of the heaviest snowfall in Japan and refers to itself as ‘King of Snow’.
In recent years, both Appi and Geto Kogen, in particular, have been working to attract overseas visitors.
Most of the other ski areas in Iwate Prefecture are smaller operations.
Iwate Kogen Snow Park is one of 3 ski areas currently operating in Shizukuishi Town.
About the information on this page
SnowJapan independently researches, checks and updates the information on this page at least once each year, in the lead-up to every ski season. We also update it whenever we become aware of other changes. The information published on SnowJapan is based on independent research using official Japanese-language sources and is not supplied by ski areas. If you are planning to visit a ski area, we recommend checking the official ski area website for the latest operational information. We take great care to keep the information on SnowJapan accurate and up to date. However, SnowJapan accepts no responsibility for decisions made based on information published on this website.
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