Kiroro Snow World
キロロスノーワールド43°05′ N 140°59′ E
Kiroro collects some of the heaviest snowfall in Hokkaido in a basin above Akaigawa, and its 3.3-kilometre gondola feeds long groomers and signed tree-run areas.
Photo SnowHoliday · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner7.8 km
- Intermediate10.3 km
- Advanced7 km
Kiroro sits in a high basin on the western side of Asari-dake, about forty minutes inland from Otaru by road. Yamaha opened it in 1991 and added the 3.3-kilometre gondola the following winter. The basin catches north-westerly storms coming off the Sea of Japan and wrings them out. Kiroro quotes an annual average of 21 metres measured near the top, and in a cold January week the groomers can be buried again every morning.
The map gives you three tops. Asari Peak stands highest at 1,180 metres and holds the best terrain. The gondola reaches it in one long ride while the Asari No.2 Lift laps the steep upper face. From the top, Asari Dynamic winds 4,050 metres to the base. Expert A and B are left ungroomed and peak at close to 35 degrees, and Asari 2-C pitches to nearly 37. The map marks a Freeride World Qualifier venue on the slope beside it. Across the basin, Nagamine Peak reaches 1,090 metres and Nagamine 2-A holds the steepest average pitch on the map over its one-kilometre length. Yoichi Peak tops out at 900 metres above the Yoichi lifts. Yoichi-dake is a different mountain entirely; it rises to 1,488 metres south of the resort and you get there on skins.
How it rides
- Powder
- 5 out of 5
- Trees
- 3 out of 5
- Steeps
- 3 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 3 out of 5
- Park
- 1 out of 5
- Beginners
- 3 out of 5
- Family
- 4 out of 5
- Quiet
- 3 out of 5
- Value
- 3 out of 5
- Après
- 2 out of 5
Off-piste inside the boundary happens in signed tree-run areas. In 2025/26 there were four of them: Powder Ridge and Orange Light off the top of Asari, Flashman in the Yoichi area and Barcode on Nagamine. They open from 09:00 to 14:30. Install the yukiyama app before you duck in; patrol uses it to locate riders who need help, and any rescue inside a tree area is billed to you. In recent seasons Kiroro has shut the gondola and the top lifts in moderate wind. Flashman sits off the Yoichi No.1 Express, which can keep running at reduced speed when the gondola stops.
A Thai developer called Property Perfect bought Kiroro in 2012. In 2021 it sold the hotels and lifts to Fosun Group, which owns Club Med, and both hotels now fly the Club Med flag. Kiroro Peak sits at the foot of the main lifts for adults and teens and joined Club Med's Exclusive Collection in winter 2025. Families go to Kiroro Grand, which runs Club Med's kids' club. The Yu Kiroro condominiums connect to the slopes by the Gateway Express. For lunch, Brasserie Akaigawa at the gondola base does ramen and curry. Evenings stay quiet up here, and Otaru's sushi counters are forty minutes down the road.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Kiroroコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoichi Course 1-B余市第1-BNotes | 1,849 m | 331 m | 19.9° | 10.2° | NW | ||
| Nagamine Course 1長峰第1Notes | 1,791 m | 205 m | 13.7° | 6.5° | W | ||
| Asari Course 1-B朝里第1ーB | 773 m | 89 m | 10.9° | 6.5° | SW | ||
| Asari Panorama朝里パノラマNotes | 917 m | 82 m | 11.1° | 5° | NW | ||
| Yoichi Course 2-A余市第2-A | 529 m | 75 m | 12.3° | 8.1° | SE | ||
| Asari Course 1-A朝里第1ーA | 767 m | 56 m | 10° | 4.1° | SW | ||
| Family Courseファミリコース | 259 m | 25 m | 8.1° | 4.9° | N | ||
| Asari Dynamic朝里ダイナミックコースNotes | 1,814 m | 382 m | 25.5° | 11.9° | NW | ||
| Nagamine Course 2-A長峰第2-AコースNotes | 1,061 m | 335 m | 21.6° | 17.3° | W | ||
| Nagamine Course 2-C長峰第2-Cコース | 975 m | 282 m | 22.3° | 16.1° | W | ||
| Yoichi Course 1-A余市第1-A | 1,076 m | 235 m | 19.2° | 12.3° | NW | ||
| Center BセンターB | 1,228 m | 232 m | 23.2° | 10.7° | NW | ||
| Center AセンターA | 1,052 m | 225 m | 21.9° | 12.1° | W | ||
| Asari Panorama朝里パノラマNotes | 1,434 m | 106 m | 13.6° | 4.2° | SW | ||
| Terrain Park | 568 m | 73 m | 13.8° | 7.3° | W | ||
| Nagamine Course 2-B長峰第2-BコースNotes | 1,020 m | 311 m | 22.5° | 17° | W | ||
| Asari Course 2-A朝里第2ーA | 1,344 m | 267 m | 21.8° | 11.1° | SW | ||
| Asari Course 2-C朝里第2ーCNotes | 974 m | 263 m | 34.3° | 15.1° | SW | ||
| Expert AエキスパートA | 1,026 m | 193 m | 29.8° | 10.6° | NW | ||
| Asari Course 2-B朝里第2ーBNotes | 464 m | 142 m | 28.7° | 17.1° | W | ||
| Powder RideTreesNotes | 223 m | 97 m | 30.6° | 23.5° | NE | ||
| Center CセンターCNotes | 433 m | 83 m | 17.7° | 10.9° | NW | ||
| Expert BエキスパートBTrees | 281 m | 81 m | 21.9° | 16.1° | N | ||
| Center Linkセンターリンク | 582 m | 77 m | 13.1° | 7.5° | N | ||
| Yoichi Course 2-B余市第2-B | 403 m | 69 m | 17.4° | 9.4° | SE |
Lengths, vertical, pitch and aspect are computed from OpenStreetMap run lines and 30 m elevation data. Steepest is the hardest 60 m pitch. Treat them as a guide and trust the signs on the hill.
More named runs from the trail map
Asari Expert A Course3,500 m
This ungroomed advanced line drops off Asari Peak with a maximum pitch of 34.6 degrees. On a storm morning it holds the deepest snow on the mountain.
Good for ungroomed powder, long fall line
Asari Expert B Course3,800 m
Expert A's longer twin carries the same 34.6-degree maximum. It averages a touch steeper and turns to bumps once the crowd finds it.
Good for ungroomed powder, bumps by afternoon
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
Asari Peak朝里エリア
peakAdvanced
The 3.3-kilometre Kiroro Gondola reaches the 1,180-metre top of the resort, and the 997-metre Asari No.2 Lift laps the upper face. Most of the advanced terrain and two of the four tree-run areas sit up here. The gondola and Asari No.2 are the first lifts to close in wind.
Good for long ungroomed fall line, powder mornings, top-to-bottom laps, freeride lines
Nagamine Peak長峰エリア
peakIntermediate
The western top at 1,090 metres is served by the Nagamine No.1 Express (1,580 m) and No.2 Express (1,040 m). Its runs are shorter and steeper on average than Asari's. Cafe Crest sits at the top of No.1.
Good for steady fall-line groomers, Barcode trees
Yoichi Area余市エリア
zoneIntermediate
The Yoichi No.1 Express climbs 1,766 metres to a 900-metre top with two-kilometre intermediate runs back down. The Flashman tree area is here. The lift has kept running at reduced speed on days when wind closed the upper mountain.
Good for wind-hold days, long cruisers
Center Areaセンターエリア
zoneIntermediate
The Center Express (1,130 m) serves three short courses in the middle of the basin. It runs until 19:00 on high-season night-riding days, and the map marks the night courses here.
Good for night riding, short laps near the base
Powder Ridgeパウダーリッジ
zoneAdvanced
The larger of the two Asari tree-run areas lies beneath the top of the resort. It opens 09:00–14:30 when patrol judges it safe, and entry requires the yukiyama app.
Good for storm-day trees, powder
Orange Lightオレンジ ライト
zoneAdvanced
This small tree-run area sits at the very top of the Asari side beside the Asari No.2 Lift. Like the others it opens 09:00–14:30 when patrol allows.
Good for short steep trees, powder
Flashmanフラッシュマン
zoneAdvanced
A long strip of trees in the Yoichi area runs down toward the Mountain Center. Riders reach it off the Yoichi No.1 Express, so it is the best tree option when the gondola is shut.
Good for wind-hold days, long tree run
Barcodeバーコード
zoneAdvanced
The Nagamine tree-run area spreads across the slope west of the Nagamine No.2 Express. Patrol opens it 09:00–14:30 when conditions allow.
Good for open trees, Nagamine laps
Gateway backcountry gate
gateExpert
The gate beside the upper station of the Gateway Express leads into the unpatrolled zone west of the Mountain Center. Nothing above it is lift-served, so plan to skin, and file a climbing plan with Hokkaido Police first. A fatal avalanche occurred in this area in 2021.
Good for human-powered touring, Kiroro 1107 m and 992 m peaks
Beyond the ropes · gates
Inside the boundary, off-piste riding is limited to signed tree-run areas open 09:00–14:30. To go past the boundary you leave through a designated gate after filing a climbing plan with Hokkaido Police.
- Exit the resort only through the designated backcountry gates; the gate beside the top of the Gateway Express serves the zone west of the Mountain Center
- Submit a climbing plan to Hokkaido Police before leaving the boundary (the Compass online system works in English)
- Ducking ropes is prohibited and can cost you your lift ticket
- Hiking or skinning uphill inside the resort boundary is prohibited
- Tree-run areas are for advanced riders, open 09:00–14:30, and require the yukiyama app on your phone
- Rescues inside the tree-run areas and beyond the boundary are billed to the rider
- Helmets are strongly recommended in the tree-run areas
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
On a wind-hold day, ride Flashman off the Yoichi No.1 Express. It is the tree area most likely to stay reachable when the gondola stops.
The Kiroro Powder Express bus from Sapporo includes First Track gondola boarding from 08:45, fifteen minutes before the public.
Keep your KIROCA card for your next visit or hand it back at day's end for the ¥500 deposit.
Yoichi Peak (900 m) on the trail map and Yoichi-dake (1,488 m) are different places. Only the second needs a touring setup and a climbing plan.
Tree-run areas shut at 14:30. The lifts keep turning for at least another hour.
Cafe Crest on top of the Nagamine No.1 Express pours proper coffee.
No taxis wait at the resort. A cab from Otaru costs from ¥12,000 one way, so book your return before you go up.
9 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From New Chitose Airport
- Drive
- about 1 hr 45 min via the Hokkaido Expressway, Sasson Expressway (Asari IC) and Route 393
- Train
- JR Rapid Airport to Otaru-Chikko, then taxi (about 40 min, from ¥12,000)
From Sapporo
- Drive
- about 1 hr via the Sasson Expressway to Asari IC, then Route 393
- Bus
- Kiroro Ski Bus (December to April) or the Kiroro Powder Express (mid-December to end of February), sold with a 6-hour lift pass package
- Train
- JR to Otaru-Chikko, then the Otaru–Kiroro bus or a taxi
Free outdoor parking for about 1,900 cars. A Niseko Hirafu Welcome Center–Kiroro bus runs on selected days from late December to February. There are no rental-car counters at the resort. Otaru Tsubame Taxi: +81 134-27-2111.
Paid links
Line up the trip around Kiroro Snow World
Some of these links pay us a commission. It costs you nothing and keeps the guide independent. How the links work
Where to stay nearby宿
Soak after温泉
Touring close by山スキー
Towns to base in町
Ride these on the same trip近くの山
Quick answers about Kiroro Snow Worldよくある質問
How big is Kiroro?
Kiroro has 23 runs and 9 lifts over 660 m of vertical, from 520 m at the base to 1,180 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 25.1 km of piste there.
How steep is Kiroro?
The steepest mapped pitch at Kiroro is about 34.3° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 7 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Kiroro?
At Kiroro: Inside the boundary, off-piste riding is limited to signed tree-run areas open 09:00–14:30. To go past the boundary you leave through a designated gate after filing a climbing plan with Hokkaido Police.
How much is a lift ticket at Kiroro?
An adult day ticket at Kiroro costs ¥8,800 in the 2025/26 main season and ¥5,500 early or late in the season. Indy Pass and Powder Alliance holders ride here too.
Does Kiroro have night riding?
Yes. Kiroro runs night lifts 16:00–19:00. High season only (13 Dec 2025 – 5 Apr 2026) and not every night, so check the calendar. The Center Express runs until 19:00 and the map marks night courses in the Center area. Night pass ¥3,000 in 2026/27.
How do you get to Kiroro from New Chitose Airport?
Kiroro is about 1 hr 45 min via the Hokkaido Expressway, Sasson Expressway (Asari IC) and Route 393 by car from New Chitose Airport.
When is the season at Kiroro?
Kiroro usually opens late November and closes early May. The deepest, most reliable snow comes mid January to late February.
In the journal