Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway
大雪山層雲峡・黒岳ロープウェイ43°43′ N 142°57′ Eropeway
A ropeway and one double chair lift you out of Sounkyo gorge to 1,520 m on Kurodake, where a small ski area ends at a single gate onto serious alpine terrain.
Photo Shirokazan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Sounkyo is a gorge town of large onsen hotels under sheer rock walls, and the Kurodake Ropeway leaves from the middle of it. Seven minutes takes you from 670 m to the 5th Station at 1,300 m, close to treeline. A short walk brings you to a double chair that climbs 1,100 m of cable to the 7th Station at 1,520 m on the shoulder of Kurodake.
The ski area itself is a gentle ridge with a steep start. Slalom drops from the top as a short red, then the slope splits into the Seppi course along the cornice and two greens through the trees and under the lift. Strong riders treat it as the approach. The operator's own map rings the marked runs with cliff symbols and danger triangles.
How it rides
- Powder
- 4 out of 5
- Trees
- 2 out of 5
- Steeps
- 3 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 4 out of 5
- Park
- 1 out of 5
- Beginners
- 2 out of 5
- Family
- 1 out of 5
- Quiet
- 5 out of 5
- Value
- 3 out of 5
- Après
- 2 out of 5
The Kurodake Gate opens onto a 1,984 m peak on the northern rim of the Daisetsuzan plateau. Hokkaido Wilds describes the northeast ridge and the main face as serious backcountry terrain with good snow down from about 1,750 m and hard windpack above it. Kurodake-sawa beside it runs through gorges and unmarked cliffs. Whiteroom Tours guides it only on request with a second guide, and from 2026/27 the operator sells the ropeway as a single round trip to stop people lapping the slope beneath it.
Sign in at the 5th Station before you go, or download the Mountain Entry Consent from the Rinyu site and hand it in at the ticket window. Kurodake-no-yu in the village has rooftop outdoor baths a short walk from the ropeway. Sounkyo is about 65 km east of Asahikawa by expressway to the Kamikawa-Sounkyo interchange, and winter buses stop five minutes downhill from the ropeway.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropewayコース
Named runs from the trail map
Slalomスラローム
This red course leaves the 7th Station over the area's steepest section. It feeds into the lower greens.
Good for steepest groomed pitch, first run
Seppi雪庇コース
This green follows the cornice line along the outer edge of the area. Climbers heading for the summit walk up along one side of it.
Good for easy cruising, views
Rinkan林間コース
The forest course runs down the middle of the area. It joins the lift-line run near the bottom.
Good for tree-lined cruising
Lift-shitaリフト下
This green goes straight down under the double chair. It's the fastest way back to the lift.
Good for quick laps
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
Kurodake Ski Area黒岳スキー場
zoneBeginner
One double chair serves the controlled area between the 5th Station at 1,300 m and the 7th Station at 1,520 m. The pitch peaks at 25 degrees near the top and is gentle below.
Good for warm-up laps, spring corduroy
Kurodake Gate黒岳ゲート
gateExpert
This is the only sanctioned exit, and it sits on your left as you step off the lift at the 7th Station. Climbers and skiers heading above the ski area must go through it.
Good for summit tours, alpine descents
Kurodake summit黒岳
peakExpert
The rocky, windswept top stands at 1,984 m and rises about 460 m above the lift. Snow on the ridge is usually best below 1,750 m.
Good for northeast ridge, views over Daisetsuzan
Below the ropewayロープウェイ下
zoneExpert
This slope runs from the 5th Station down to Sounkyo outside the ski area. It is tight, steep forest with cliffs, and the operator changed its ticketing for 2026/27 because of accidents here.
Good for experienced tree skiers
Kurodake Station (5th Station)黒岳駅
lift
The ropeway's top station at 1,300 m has a restaurant and coin lockers. The forest entry register and consent forms are kept here.
Good for entry forms, restaurant, rentals
Beyond the ropes · gates
Anyone heading beyond the boundary signs the forest entry register and a Mountain Entry Consent form at the 5th Station building, then leaves through the Kurodake Gate at the top of the lift. The operator does not rescue anyone outside the controlled area.
- Exit only through the Kurodake Gate, immediately left of the lift's top station
- Fill in the entry register and the Mountain Entry Consent at the 5th Station building, or download the consent form and hand it in at the ropeway ticket window
- File a separate climbing plan with police
- The slope below the ropeway between Kurodake Station and Sounkyo is not a ski course; enter it only with a plan and full kit
- Rental snowshoes and skis may not be used outside the ski area; staff confiscate the rental and the lift ticket
- Climbers may not walk up the pistes except along the right edge of the Seppi course
- Outside the boundary call police on 110; ski area rescue will not come
- After-hours ropeway or lift runs for a rescue are billed to the rescued party or their family
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
Download the Mountain Entry Consent from the Rinyu website and hand it in at the ropeway ticket window to skip the paperwork at the 5th Station.
From 2026/27 the day pass covers one ropeway round trip, so plan to finish the day back at Kurodake Station.
Bring your own touring kit; rental gear is banned beyond the boundary and staff will take it off you.
Carry ski crampons for the windpack above about 1,750 m on the summit ridge.
The lift runs only for people carrying skis or a board in winter, and nobody rides it downhill.
1 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From Sapporo
- Train
- JR to Asahikawa, then a winter bus to Sounkyo
Sounkyo is about 65 km east of Asahikawa via the expressway to the Kamikawa-Sounkyo interchange. Large car park beside the ropeway building. The Sounkyo bus terminal is a five-minute walk downhill from the ropeway.
Paid links
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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 Sounkyo Kurodake Ropewayよくある質問
How big is Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway?
Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway has 4 runs and 2 lifts over 220 m of vertical, from 1,300 m at the base to 1,520 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 1.1 km of piste there.
How steep is Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway?
The steepest mapped pitch at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway is about 21.5° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model.
Can you ride off-piste at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway?
At Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway: Anyone heading beyond the boundary signs the forest entry register and a Mountain Entry Consent form at the 5th Station building, then leaves through the Kurodake Gate at the top of the lift. The operator does not rescue anyone outside the controlled area.
How much is a lift ticket at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway?
An adult day ticket at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway costs ¥5,200 in the 2026/27 main season.
Does Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway have night riding?
No. Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway closes its lifts at dusk.
When is the season at Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway?
Sounkyo Kurodake Ropeway usually opens early December (planned for 1 December 2026) and closes early May (planned for 5 May). The deepest, most reliable snow comes january to February for powder; April for spring snow.