Kiroro

Published on April 20th, 2013 | by Japan Snowtrip Tips

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Kiroro Snow World Resort – Western Hokkaido`s family friendly powder paradise

For more than a decade, neighboring Niseko`s powder fields to the southwest have garnered most of the attention in Western Hokkaido. Unquestionably, Niseko lives up to its reputation as a world-class spot for faceshot frenzies on Japan`s Northern Island.

But a bit further east, sitting at similar elevation in the same downwind direction of frozen air whipping across the Japan Sea from Siberia creating one of the world`s greatest snowfall zones are the predominately north facing slopes of Kiroro Snow World. Larger Niseko might get the giant storms first as it`s closer to the sea, but Kiroro makes sure to gather more than its fair share of the world`s finest snow.

Kiroro officially reports more snow than any other ski area in Japan and maintains one of the country`s longest winter operations schedules from November into May. Not bad for the “other” big ski resort in Western Hokkaido.

Public transport access from Otaru and Sapporo, quality slopeside hotels, English-speaking staff and terrain for all levels overflowing with Japan`s highest accumulation of light, dry powder make Kiroro Snow World a Western Hokkaido ski resort worthy of attention.

Kiroro On-piste Skiing & Snowboarding

Piste riding at Kiroro is suitable for all levels and can keep most trail sliders busy for a couple of days (total 21 courses). The pistes are wide and long, but flatten out at the bottom as in most Japanese ski areas. There isn`t anything frighteningly steep on-piste, but the terrain is evenly distributed in percentages of difficulty allowing for full-day mixed-level enjoyment for the whole family.

Beginner: The best beginner run starts atop of the Asari side of the resort, accessed from the 6-seater “Gondora.” This long beginner trail descends the full vertical of the ski hill as it snakes downward, offering great views of the surroundings from top to bottom.

Intermediate: There are a lot of nice, mellow intermediate slopes scattered across the mountain, all of which provide lengthy continuous vertical. Trails at Kiroro are definitely geared toward beginners and intermediates, so if you`re just learning or starting to gain more confidence on the slopes, this is a great resort for you on-piste.

Advanced: Most of the advanced slopes at Kiroro are designated as “mogul fields” on the trail map and can get tracked in busy periods creating large bumps. But the majority of black terrain comes across as `barely-black,` so don`t expect any gut-check advanced runs at Kiroro. Likewise, the majority of skiers/snowboarders at Kiroro are of a lower riding-level, so you should have a lot of room to maneuver if you want to play on the black pistes. The primary black trails are found along the lift lines of the Asari No. 2 Express and Nagamine No. 2B, each on opposite sides of the resort.

Kiroro Off-piste Skiing & Snowboarding

“Powder Line” (Nagamine 2A) on the far left of the resort as viewed from the base remains ungroomed providing a couple hours of fun in the morning following storms. Likewise, small sections alongside the groomed trails stay untracked through the day allowing access to easy pow pockets to play in. There are a lot of “short-but-sweet” off-trail options, but wide open pow fields directly accessible from the lifts aren`t generally found at Kiroro. However, discretely dipping off into the beautiful birch trees found througout the entire resort or making a short hike away from the boundary toward Mt. Yoichi will let you sample the true goodies offered at Kiroro. Be aware, if you decide to hop off the trail at Kiroro Snow World, management reserves the right to confiscate your pass. It`s one of the biggest oxymorons we`ve encountered riding in Japan. Kiroro markets its incredible snow totals and snow quality — which it unquestionably has — yet openly informs riders that you can`t officially ride it.  A ski resort accessible via public transport with excellent infrastructure, fifteen meters of annual average snowfall and flowy well-spaced birch trees blanketing pow-filled off-piste terrain shouldn`t have restrictions placed on it. For us, it was great fun off the trail…or was it? We can`t make any official claims about Kiroro`s off-piste riding, but unofficially it`s a good time. Also of note, Kiroro is much more geared to skiers due to the need for somewhat lengthy traverses through flat areas from off the trail. The sheer snow totals and quality make Kiroro a great spot for powder play, but have no illusions of life-altering, kilometer-after-kilometer of untouched freshies. Deep? Absolutely. Entirely fulfilling? Not quite unless 25 seconds of bliss is enough.

Kiroro Crowds

Kiroro is becoming more popular with overseas visitors who stay on-site at the Piano Hotel or Mountain Hotel. This coupled with proximity to Sapporo (pop. 1.8million) makes it extremely unlikely that you`ll have the slopes all to yourself even during the week. But outside of holiday periods, there is generally enough terrain to keep people from bumping into one another. Chances are, if you know where to go, you can shred for a couple hours and still lay down solo tracks in some of the hidden pow pockets scattered around the lift accessed terrain. It`s much busier on weekends during and outside holiday periods. If you`re experienced enough to duck off the trail and into the trees you`ll probably be able to find nice short untouched lines for a while, but that`ll take insider knowledge and likely a short hike or two.

Kiroro Ski lifts

There are a total of nine (9) ski lifts at Kiroro Snow World — 1 six-seat gondola (the Gondora), 4 high-speed covered quads, 1 high-speed covered double and 3 pair lifts. As the ski area is separated into 3 distinct riding zones, base lifts get you to pretty much where you want to go without hassle, albeit not extremely quickly. Overall the lift system at Kiroro didn`t impress or bother us much, but the time spent off the lifts (in waist-deep pow) will help you forget any lift-system imperfections.

Kiroro Snow

Kiroro reports the most snowfall of all Japanese ski resorts and has possibly the lightest, driest snow we`ve ever floated through. Notice we said floated through…not floated on. The snow quality and depth at Kiroro is otherworldly. It`s more like falling through pillow feathers than sliding on snow. Niseko has otherworldly snow too, but they`ve also got otherworldly amounts of people compared to Kiroro on any given day. Kiroro`s snow is without question some of the best in Japan and that`s saying a lot considering how many Japanese ski areas could realistically make that claim.

Kiroro Mountain Stats & Ski Trail Map

Kiroro Snow World – Akaigawa, Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan

Kiroro Snowtrip Tips

Tags: hokkaido, otaru, sapporo

About the Author

Japan Snowtrip Tips is designed to help snowtrippers mix cultural excursions with epic powder submersions in Japan. All content is created by Alpine Objectives LLC owner, Christopher DiSabato, who has more than 20 years of international snowpro media, education and operations experience. JSTT offers honest, original, first-hand insight to help guide you along your journey of snow-driven discovery on Honshu & Hokkaido.

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