Kurodake
黒岳43°42′ N 142°55′ Eadvanced1,984 mGuide recommended
One gate at the top of Kurodake's chair opens onto a 1,984 m alpine peak on the rim of Daisetsuzan, and the operator makes everyone sign in before they leave.
Photo Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) · Publisher's own site · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Read the terrain
A northeast ridge and an east-northeast face drop from the rocky summit toward the 7th Station, with the best snow from about 1,750 m down. Kurodake-sawa beside them runs through gorges and unmarked cliffs, and the slope beneath the ropeway is tight forest with steep steps.
Watch for these hazards
- Unmarked cliffs and bluffs in Kurodake-sawa and below the ropeway
- Hard windpack above about 1,750 m; ski crampons or a bootpack may be needed
- Wind, whiteout and cold below -20°C in midwinter
- Sluff in the trees, breakable crust and old tracks buried under new snow
- Ski area rescue does not operate outside the boundary; call police on 110
- Rental gear may not be used outside the ski area
Pick a route that suits the dayルート
Kurodake summit via the northeast ridge黒岳
464 m ascent · advanced
The route climbs from the Kurodake Gate up the northeast ridge to the 1,984 m summit and comes back down the same aspect. The top is usually windswept rock, so most parties drop in where the snow improves around 1,750 m.
East-northeast face
464 m ascent · advanced
The main face below the summit skis back toward the 7th Station when conditions allow. Assess it carefully, as wind loading and hard patches vary across the face.
Kurodake-sawa黒岳沢
expert
The drainage beside the ski area runs between gorges and cliffs, some of them unmarked. Only for parties who know the ground or travel with a guide.
Below the ropewayロープウェイ下
expert
This line drops from the 5th Station to Sounkyo through tight trees and steep steps. It sits outside the ski area and the operator's map marks cliffs along it. The 2026/27 ticket change targets it directly.
Follow the published lines in 3D立体地図
3 trip reports
What riders report from the hill山行記録
2021-03 · Hokkaido Wilds trip report
Saturday was lost to wind and cloud and Sunday was windless, so the party stayed a second night in Sounkyo. They signed the backcountry logbook at the gondola station and fitted ski crampons above the chairlift because a hard layer sat under the soft surface.
Read the source2025-11 · Hokkaido Wilds
South of Kurodake, the Ohachidaira crater floor collects hydrogen sulphide that gives no warning at high concentrations. Keep to the rim on any plateau tour from the Kurodake side.
Read the sourceFurano Tourism Hokkaido Powder Belt
The tourism page says the line under the ropeway opens only when it is free of avalanche danger. Snowshoes can be rented at the top station, and you bring your own beacon and probe.
Read the source
Go with a guideガイド
Kurodake rises straight out of Sounkyo gorge to 1,984 m on the northern rim of the Daisetsuzan plateau. A ropeway and a single double chair do the first 850 m for you, and the Kurodake Gate sits on your left as you step off the lift at the 7th Station. Past it you're in the national park, and nobody patrols.
The standard line climbs the northeast ridge to a summit that's usually rocky and scoured. Hokkaido Wilds finds the snow best from about 1,750 m down and describes the main east-northeast face as a good descent when conditions allow. Kurodake-sawa beside it runs through gorges and cliffs that don't appear on the map, and Hokkaido Wilds warns that getting bluffed out there is common.
Before you go you fill in the forest entry register and a Mountain Entry Consent at the 5th Station, or hand in the consent form at the ticket window, and you file a separate plan with police. Rental snowshoes and skis are banned past the boundary. From 2026/27 the day pass includes a single ropeway round trip, because more people were getting hurt skiing the slope beneath it, and Whiteroom Tours only takes groups here on request with a second guide.
Sounkyo makes a good base. Kurodake-no-yu has rooftop outdoor baths a short walk from the ropeway, and the village hotels are lined up along the gorge. For a bigger objective, Daisetsuzan's Higashi-dake starts from Taisetsu Plaza 273 on Route 273, about 15 minutes from Sounkyo by taxi.
Quick answers about Kurodakeよくある質問
How long is a tour on Kurodake?
A typical tour on Kurodake climbs about 460 m from the top of the lift; about 640 m from the ropeway top when the lift is closed and takes 3–4.5 hours.
When can you ski tour Kurodake?
The touring season on Kurodake runs january to April; the ropeway and lift run from early December to early May.
Do you need a guide for Kurodake?
We recommend a certified guide for Kurodake unless your group can read the snowpack and run its own rescue.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Kurodake?
Read the day's bulletin from Japan Avalanche Network (https://nadare.jp/) before every tour on Kurodake.
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