Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)
国設阿寒湖畔スキー場 ウタラ43°25′ N 144°05′ Elocal hill
Akanko Onsen's town hill runs one chair and two runs above Lake Akan with Mt. O-Akan across the ice.
Volcanic alert
Meakandake is at volcanic alert level 2
Meakandake near Lake Akan has been at level 2 since September 2025, and the area about 500 m around its crater is closed. Akan's town ski hill and the onsen town are outside the closed zone.
Checked 2026-10 · jma.go.jp
Photo Suicasmo · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Akan Lakeside is the town hill for Akanko Onsen and sits five minutes up the road from the hot-spring hotels on Lake Akan. Kushiro City runs it as a nationally designated ski area with FIS homologation. The double chair climbs about 280 m, and from the top you look across the frozen lake at the cone of Mt. O-Akan. Race camps book out the advanced run for whole days in some weeks of February.
Two runs make up the mountain. Beginners stick to the 900 m Left Wing. The Right Wing runs 1.2 km at a 16° average and pitches to 26°. The board park packs kickers up to 6 m along with a rainbow rail and a fat box, and a day ticket costs ¥4,000.
How it rides
- Powder
- 3 out of 5
- Trees
- 1 out of 5
- Steeps
- 2 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 2 out of 5
- Park
- 3 out of 5
- Beginners
- 3 out of 5
- Family
- 3 out of 5
- Quiet
- 5 out of 5
- Value
- 5 out of 5
- Après
- 2 out of 5
The trailhead for Hakuto-yama starts next to the runs. Check in with patrol before you head up and again when you get back. The route travels outside the pistes, and the gate shuts around 16:30. A morning on the chair fits neatly around a stay in the Akanko Onsen hotels.
Every run at Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)コース
Named runs from the trail map
Right Wing1,200 m
The advanced run averages 16° and steepens to 26°. Race camps take it over on some February days, so check the website first.
Good for race-grade pitch, fresh corduroy
Left Wing900 m
A beginner-to-intermediate run at an 11° average with a 20° pitch. Use it to warm up before the Right Wing.
Good for beginners, warm-up laps
Beyond the ropes · gates
The Hakuto-yama trailhead sits beside the runs. Register with ski patrol before you leave and when you come back, and travel outside the pistes.
- Register with patrol before and after a Hakuto-yama tour
- Travel outside the groomed runs
- The trailhead gate closes around 16:30
Check the daily avalanche report before you leave the resort. Carry a beacon, shovel and probe and know how to use them.
Worth knowing before you go
Prepay day or 4-hour tickets online with the Webket IC card to skip the counter.
Check the website before you go in February. The Right Wing closes for race camps on some days, such as 16–20 February 2026.
The free Marimu shuttle from Akanko Onsen runs once a day. The walk from the hotels takes about 20 minutes.
Getting thereアクセス
Kushiro Airport and Memanbetsu Airport are each about an hour away by car. Buses from Kushiro Airport to Akanko Onsen take about 70 minutes, and there is no direct public transport from the airports to the ski area itself.
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Where to stay nearby宿
Soak after温泉
Towns to base in町
Ride these on the same trip近くの山
Quick answers about Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)よくある質問
How big is Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)?
Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara) has 2 runs and 2 lifts over 280 m of vertical, from 486 m at the base to 766 m at the top.
Can you ride off-piste at Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)?
At Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara): The Hakuto-yama trailhead sits beside the runs. Register with ski patrol before you leave and when you come back, and travel outside the pistes.
How much is a lift ticket at Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)?
An adult day ticket at Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara) costs ¥4,000 in the 2025/26 main season.
Does Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara) have night riding?
No. Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara) closes its lifts at dusk.
When is the season at Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara)?
Akan Lakeside National Ski Area (Utara) usually opens 25 December and closes early April (5 April 2026). The deepest, most reliable snow comes january to February.