Nayoro Piyashiri Ski Area
名寄ピヤシリスキー場44°22′ N 142°27′ Elocal hill
Nayoro's town hill sits in one of the coldest basins in Hokkaido and opens about 1,400 m of tree runs to riders who sign in for an armband.
Photo wakimasa · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner3.5 km
- Intermediate3.9 km
- Advanced1 km
Nayoro calls itself the town with the best snow in Japan, and the claim rests on cold. Winter nights here can fall below minus 30, and the powder that settles on Piyashiri's western foot is about as dry as Hokkaido gets. From Asahikawa it's about two hours' drive north.
The reason to make the drive is the tree-run areas. Four zones open inside the boundary, and the longest gives you about 1,400 m of uninterrupted forest down to the Eastern course. You sign in at the admin building and wear an armband and a helmet, and the band goes back by 15:30. Patrol won't sweep the trees at closing, so bring a partner.
How it rides
- Powder
- 4 out of 5
- Trees
- 4 out of 5
- Steeps
- 3 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 2 out of 5
- Park
- 1 out of 5
- Beginners
- 4 out of 5
- Family
- 4 out of 5
- Quiet
- 5 out of 5
- Value
- 5 out of 5
- Après
- 2 out of 5
Nayoro Onsen Sunpillar sits beside the base and reopened in 2022 with a new bath and sauna. The hill also runs night sessions on Thursdays and Fridays in midwinter, and anyone of junior high age or younger rides free.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Nayoro Piyashiriコース
Named runs from the trail map
Easternイースタンコース
This is the designated exit from the tree-run areas. Riders coming out of the trees join here and watch for the step at the edge of the groomed run.
Good for tree-run exit
Giantジャイアントコース
Split into Giant 1 and Giant 2 on the course board. Exiting the tree areas onto it is prohibited.
Good for groomed laps
Kabe壁
The name means wall. It appears on the daily course board alongside Challenge and Juhyo.
Good for steep pitch
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
Tree Run Areas I–III and Free Areaツリーラン エリアⅠ・Ⅱ・Ⅲ・フリーエリア
zoneAdvanced
Four ungroomed forest zones open inside the boundary, and the longest runs about 1,400 m. Entry needs registration and an armband, and helmets are mandatory. The zones close at 15:00.
Good for storm-day trees, long forest runs
Piyashiri ski jumpsピヤシリシャンツェ
zone
Nayoro's first jump hill opened in 1970 and the ski area followed in 1973. The normal hill was rebuilt to 90 m class in 2001.
Good for spectating
Beyond the ropes · gates
The tree-run areas inside the boundary need an entry at the admin building, where you sign in and collect an armband to wear while you ride them.
- Register in person at the admin building and wear the armband where patrol can see it
- Helmets are mandatory in the tree-run areas
- The areas close at 15:00; return the armband by 15:30 or patrol phones you and starts a search
- Do not ride the tree areas alone; there is no closing sweep
- Follow the pink tape and exit onto the Eastern course; exiting onto the Giant course is prohibited
- Riders who need rescue without registering are billed: ¥10,000 per patroller per hour, ¥50,000 per hour for a snowcat
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
Register for the tree areas as soon as you arrive; they close at 15:00 and the armband is due back by 15:30.
Buy the web day ticket for ¥3,800 instead of paying ¥4,300 at the window.
The onsen pack adds a bath at Sunpillar for ¥300 more than a day ticket.
Night riding happens only on Thursdays and Fridays, so check the calendar before you plan an evening.
3 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From Sapporo
- Drive
- About 3 hr
- Train
- JR to Nayoro via Asahikawa, then the Meishi Bus Piyashiri line (25–40 min)
15 minutes by car from central Nayoro and about 2 hr from Asahikawa.
Paid links
Line up the trip around Nayoro Piyashiri Ski Area
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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 Nayoro Piyashiri Ski Areaよくある質問
How big is Nayoro Piyashiri?
Nayoro Piyashiri has 13 runs and 3 lifts over 480 m of vertical, from 193 m at the base to 673 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 8.4 km of piste there.
How steep is Nayoro Piyashiri?
The steepest mapped pitch at Nayoro Piyashiri is about 28.9° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 1 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Nayoro Piyashiri?
At Nayoro Piyashiri: The tree-run areas inside the boundary need an entry at the admin building, where you sign in and collect an armband to wear while you ride them.
How much is a lift ticket at Nayoro Piyashiri?
An adult day ticket at Nayoro Piyashiri costs ¥4,300 in the 2026/27 main season.
Does Nayoro Piyashiri have night riding?
Yes. Nayoro Piyashiri runs night lifts 16:30–20:30. Thursdays and Fridays only, 17 December to 26 February in 2025/26; no night session on 31 December or 1 January. Night ticket ¥1,300.
How do you get to Nayoro Piyashiri from Sapporo?
Nayoro Piyashiri is about 3 hr by car from Sapporo.
When is the season at Nayoro Piyashiri?
Nayoro Piyashiri usually opens mid-December (11 December in 2025 and 2026) and closes late March (22 March in 2026). The deepest, most reliable snow comes january to February.