Miyagi Zao Shiroishi is a ski area located northwest of central Shiroishi City in the southwestern region of Miyagi Prefecture.
The ski area is on the slopes of Mt Fubo in the Zao mountain range and has one quad lift (680m) and three pair lifts (610m, 530m, 540m). A 460m ungroomed course (P Course) was added in the 2022.
Miyagi Zao Shiroishi opened in 1969, and it is the only ski area in Shiroishi City.
The famous Zao Onsen ski area is in neighbouring Yamagata Prefecture. While geographically quite close (about 15km), it is not accessible directly from this location by road during the winter.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1146
Vertical (m)
300
Bottom/base (m)
846
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
40
Longest course (m)
1600
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
7
Ski lifts
4
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
1
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Miyagi Zao Shiroishi usually plans to be open from mid-December until mid- to late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Miyagi Zao Shiroishi is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm. The Number 2 and 3 lifts open from 9:00am until 4:00pm. On weekdays in March the Family Lift and Number 3 lifts are rested.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Miyagi Zao Shiroishi.
Ungroomed
The ski area has a few ungroomed course areas.
Families & children
The Kids Park is located by the side of the Family Course near base and is free to enter.
Lessons
There is a ski or snowboard school at Miyagi Zao Shiroishi.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 3,900 yen
Child: 1,500 yen
Senior: 3,600 yen
5 hours
Adult: 3,600 yen
Senior: 3,400 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 300 yen
Senior: 500 yen
10 lift coupons
Adult: 3,600 yen
Child: 2,700 yen
Senior: 3,600 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 39,000 yen
Child: 3,800 yen
Senior: 35,000 yen
Pre-school children are charged 500 yen per day.
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: 19th December - 15th March (87 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 16th March (87 days)
2023-2024 season: 17th December - 20th March (95 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 12th March (86 days)
2021-2022 season: 20th December - 27th March (98 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 100cm on 6th February
2024-2025 season: 220cm on 10th-11th February
2023-2024 season: 60cm on 25th January and 6th-11th March
2022-2023 season: 110cm on 11th and 15th-17th February
2021-2022 season: 200cm on 22nd-26th February
2020-2021 season: 155cm on 5th February
2019-2020 season: 70cm on 11th-13th February
2018-2019 season: 110cm on 30th January - 5th February
2017-2018 season: 200cm on 21st-26th February, 28th February - 1st March
2016-2017 season: 170cm on 4th February
2015-2016 season: 115cm on 5th-6th February
2014-2015 season: 160cm on 19th-22nd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Miyagi Prefecture is located in the central section of the Tohoku region of Honshu, on Japan’s eastern Pacific coast. Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the northwest, Yamagata Prefecture to the west, and Fukushima Prefecture to the south.
The ski areas in Miyagi are all located in the mountainous western regions of the prefecture, fairly close to the border with Yamagata Prefecture.
A few ski areas in the south have Miyagi Zao in their names. Zao is the name of a town in southwestern Miyagi Prefecture and should not be confused with Zao Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture. Geographically, Zao Town and Zao Onsen are close, but the road connecting them is closed during winter.
Miyagi Zao Shiroishi is the only ski area currently operating in Shiroishi City.
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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