Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & Ski Resort
小樽天狗山スキー場43°11′ N 140°58′ Elocal hill
Otaru's own ski hill drops a steep 40-degree pitch straight toward the harbour, and the ropeway beside it carries sightseers up for one of Hokkaido's famous night views.
Photo wakimasa · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner0.4 km
- Intermediate2.8 km
- Advanced1.3 km
Tenguyama rises straight out of the back streets of Otaru, and its runs point at the harbour. The first All-Japan Ski Championships were held on this slope in 1923. Hokkaido's first ski lift went up here in 1952, and a small ski museum at the top of the ropeway keeps about 400 pieces from those years.
Five courses come down off a single pair chair. The New course is the reason to bring a board. It drops at 40 degrees and stays ungroomed, and patrol can close it when the snow is unstable. The Old course next to it reaches 38 and carries SAJ certification. Everything else is short and friendly. The ropeway alongside does not take skis or boards, so it belongs to the tourists heading up for the night view over the city and the tengu masks in the summit hall.
How it rides
- Powder
- 2 out of 5
- Trees
- 1 out of 5
- Steeps
- 4 out of 5
- Sidecountry
- 1 out of 5
- Park
- 1 out of 5
- Beginners
- 2 out of 5
- Family
- 3 out of 5
- Quiet
- 4 out of 5
- Value
- 5 out of 5
- Après
- 3 out of 5
A day ticket costs ¥3,500, and bus 9 from Otaru Station climbs to the base in about twenty minutes for ¥240. That makes Tenguyama an easy morning before a sushi lunch in town, or an afternoon if Kiroro's gondola is on wind hold. Ride the ropeway at dusk afterwards for the view. It is counted among Hokkaido's three great night views.
Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Every run at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &コース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Line CourseロングラインコースNotes | 1,470 m | 311 m | 19.4° | 11.9° | N | ||
| Dynamic Courseダイナミックコース | 974 m | 270 m | 38° | 15.5° | N |
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
New新コース963 m
The steepest course on the hill reaches 40 degrees and is left ungroomed. It can close when conditions turn unstable.
Good for steepest pitch, ungroomed powder
Old旧コース947 m
An SAJ-certified course that reaches 38 degrees and averages 17 from top to bottom.
Good for steep groomed pitch, carving
Bambiバンビ270 m
Short at 270 metres, it holds a steady 19-degree average. Useful for practising turns on a real pitch.
Good for short steep groomer
Familyファミリー400 m
The one beginner run on the hill keeps to 16 degrees at most. Beginners will run out of terrain quickly here.
Good for first turns
Peaks, gates and named areas
Know the zones before you goエリア
Panorama Pair Liftパノラマペアリフト
lift
The only lift skiers can ride serves all five courses. The family lift was closed for 2026/27.
Good for short laps, harbour views
Tenguyama Ropeway天狗山ロープウエイ
lift
A 30-person cabin climbs 271 metres in about five minutes on a line opened in 1979. It does not carry skis or boards, and it runs into the evening for the view over Otaru.
Good for night views, non-riders
Beyond the ropes · closed
Riding off the courses is prohibited, and hiking up the hill is banned at all hours.
- Off-course riding is prohibited
- Hiking up the slopes is banned at any time of day
- The sledding and tubing Snow Park is closed to skiers and snowboarders
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
Rub the nose of the hananade tengu in the summit hall for luck; in winter it moves indoors.
Check the New course status before you buy. It closes when the snow is unstable, and without it the hill is short.
Bus 9 to the Tenguyama Ropeway leaves from stop 4 at the Otaru Station terminal two or three times an hour.
Parking is free across five small lots holding about 100 cars.
The ropeway runs until 20:00 in winter, so time your ride for the harbour lights.
3 mapped lifts
The liftsリフト
Getting thereアクセス
From New Chitose Airport
- Drive
- about 1 hr 25 min
- Train
- JR to Otaru, then bus 9 (Tenguyama Ropeway line) from the station terminal
From Sapporo
- Drive
- about 55 min from Sapporo-Minami IC; about 15 min from Otaru IC
- Bus
- Highway bus to Otaru, about 60 min, ¥730, then bus 9
- Train
- JR rapid to Otaru, about 40 min, then bus 9 from stop 4 at the station terminal (17–20 min, ¥240)
Free parking for about 100 cars in five lots. The ¥800 Otaru city bus day pass includes a ropeway discount.
Paid links
Line up the trip around Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & Ski Resort
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 Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & Ski Resortよくある質問
How big is Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &?
Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & has 5 runs and 1 lifts over 321 m of vertical, from 211 m at the base to 532 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 4.5 km of piste there.
How steep is Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &?
The steepest mapped pitch at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & is about 38° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 1.3 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &?
At Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &: Riding off the courses is prohibited, and hiking up the hill is banned at all hours.
How much is a lift ticket at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &?
An adult day ticket at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & costs ¥3,500 in the 2026/27 main season. Hokkaido Ski Season Net holders ride here too.
Does Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & have night riding?
No. Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & closes its lifts at dusk.
How do you get to Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & from New Chitose Airport?
Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & is about 1 hr 25 min by car from New Chitose Airport.
When is the season at Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway &?
Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway & usually opens late December and closes late March (weekends only in March). The deepest, most reliable snow comes january to February.