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Daisetsuzan NP, Hokkaido
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On a ski tour near Asahidake, guide Mihiko Maeda saw his barometer plunge, packed camp, and sheltered in a snow cave. The gale swept the slope bare—and even blew off the ropeway station roof.
Kurodake’s ski lift grew from a typhoon cleanup: after the 1954 Toyamaru Typhoon toppled over half the mountain’s trees, a cableway hauled them away. It became a tourist ropeway in 1967; a ski lift followed in 1970.
In 1957, Hokkaido University skiers found a huge snowfield on Asahidake’s south slope, dubbed it the Hokudai Slope, and began summer skiing there. Daisetsuzan’s skiing story has a genuine summer chapter.
Asahidake powder begins as wet air: snow clouds shed moisture on mountains along the Sea of Japan, then reach Daisetsuzan drier and colder. That combination helps produce the light, dry snow skiers prize.
Asahidake’s ski runs lie over ground that blooms with alpine flowers and includes the Tennyo-ga-hara high moor. Operators check snow depth before opening so snowcats and skis won’t damage this fragile summer landscape.
Kurodake skiers start from a spot used as a summer lookout; below, the mountain piste splits into 3 named lines: under the ropeway, through the forest, and along the snow cornice. The season often runs from December to early May.
Japan Heritage says Kamikawa Ainu called Daisetsuzan Kamuy Mintara, often rendered “the gods’ playground.” These mountains were understood as a place of both reverence and awe—not simply a dramatic backdrop for skiing.
In January 1922, 5 Hokkaido University students climbed Asahidake on skis; that March, 3 climbed Kurodake from Sounbetsu, today’s Sounkyo. High on the mountain, skis gave way to crampons and ice axes.
