Zao Sarukura is a ski area in the northeastern region of Kaminoyama City in the southestern region of Yamagata Prefecture.
It is a skier-only area, meaning that snowboarding is not allowed. Two pair lifts (300m and 500m) service the six ski runs. (The 300m lift opens for night skiing).
Zao Sarukura is located near the start of the Zao Echo Line road, less than 10km from the south of the larger and famous Zao Onsen ski area.
Zao Liza World ski area is also close by, to the east a little further along Echo Line.
Zao Sarukura first opened in 1977. In 1983 it was the first ski area in Yamagata Prefecture to use snow-making machines.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
885
Vertical (m)
180
Bottom/base (m)
705
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
50
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
700
Steepest slope (°)
37
Number of courses
6
Ski lifts
2
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
2
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Zao Sarukura usually plans to be open from mid-December until mid-March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Zao Sarukura is normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm during the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. The Number 1 lift operates for night skiing.
Families & children
There are no specific facilities for children, but this skiers-only area promotes itself as being family friendly.
Lessons
Ski lessons are available at Zao Sarukura.
Rental
Ski equipment 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: 3,800 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
2 days
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 4,000 yen
Morning
Adult: 2,500 yen
Child: 1,800 yen
Afternoon
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 350 yen
Child: 250 yen
12 lift coupons
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Season 10 days
Adult: 30,000 yen
Child: 20,000 yen
Season ticket (individual)
Adult: 33,000 yen
Child: 22,000 yen
Season ticket (anyone)
Adult: 55,000 yen
Child: 33,000 yen
Various family packs are available that include tickets for adults and 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: 19th December - 8th March (80 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 16th March (87 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 10th March (80 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 12th March (86 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th November - 22nd March (95 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 90cm on 30th January - 4th February, 9th-15th and 19th-22nd February
2024-2025 season: 160cm on 9th-12th February, 18th February - 1st March
2023-2024 season: 105cm on 6th February
2022-2023 season: 120cm on 2nd-6th and 11th-12th February
2021-2022 season: 210cm on 22nd-25th February
2020-2021 season: 130cm on 19th January and 31st January - 1st February
2019-2020 season: 80cm on 11th-13th and 24th February
2018-2019 season: 120cm on 24th January - 3rd March
2017-2018 season: 170cm on 18th February - 1st March
2016-2017 season: 150cm on 25th-29th January, 3rd-4th and 12th-17th February
2015-2016 season: 130cm on 30th January - 13th February
2014-2015 season: 190cm on 19th-22nd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwestern corner of Tohoku, facing the Sea of Japan. Yamagata is bordered by Akita Prefecture to the north, Miyagi Prefecture to the east, Fukushima Prefecture to the south, and Niigata Prefecture to the southwest.
There are quite a lot of ski areas across the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture. In fact, after Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture, and Niigata Prefecture, Yamagata is home to the fourth-most ski areas in the country. However, many are small and have only one or two ski lifts (some of which are surface rope-tow type lifts).
The larger ski areas in Yamagata Prefecture are located in the mountainous eastern and southern regions, close to the borders with Miyagi Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture.
The largest ski area in Yamagata Prefecture, by far (and one of the largest individual ski areas in Japan), is Zao Onsen in Yamagata City.
Zao Sarukura is one of 2 ski areas currently operating in Kaminoyama 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.
Learn more about how we research, check and update information on SnowJapan.