Kiroro Snow World is in Akaigawa, a village in Hokkaido’s Yoichi District, about 30 minutes from Otaru. It spreads across two peaks, Asari and Nagamine, with 23 courses for every level, the longest 4,050 metres. Ten lifts serve the mountain, including the 3,300-metre Kiroro Gondola, and the resort also has off-piste areas, including Powder Ride. Kiroro gives its average snowfall as 21 metres a year. The season usually runs from late November to early May.
Start with 24-Hour Snowfall. It’s a snow stake camera that the resort resets at 5 pm each day, so it shows what has fallen since the afternoon before. Asari Peak and Nagamine No.2 Area show the two peaks, so you can compare conditions on each side. Base Area looks at the base, and Mountain Center is a still image from the Mountain Center.
From Sapporo by car, take the Sasson Expressway to Asari IC and follow the roads to Route 393. From New Chitose Airport (CTS), take the Hokkaido Expressway from Chitose IC to Sapporo JCT, then the Sasson Expressway. By train, take the JR rapid service from Sapporo or New Chitose Airport to Otaru Chikko Station, then a taxi or rental car; a taxi from Otaru takes about 40 minutes. In winter, buses run to the resort from Sapporo and Otaru. There are no rental car counters at the resort.
The Hokkaido government asks drivers to fit winter tires early in the season and to carry chains.
Kiroro isn’t on the Epic, Ikon or Indy Pass.