Wondering what skiing in Zao Onsen was like this winter? Here’s a short, practical summary of the 2025/26 season, including snow conditions, weather patterns, and who the resort suited best.
If you’re planning a ski trip to Japan, you can read my full guide here: How to Plan a Ski Trip in Japan.
The mountain is famous for its “snow monsters”, but what matters more is how the weather behaves here. Zao sits in a colder pocket of northern Honshu, and when storms move through the Sea of Japan the snowfall can arrive fast, and heavily.
This season was a good example of that pattern. By mid-February the upper mountain had built a base of roughly 1.8 metres, with most of the lift network running and regular snowfall maintaining good coverage. January delivered classic snow monster conditions, but visibility was often limited and the upper lifts closed intermittently.
That makes Zao a fantastic place for confident skiers who enjoy adapting to conditions.
It is less ideal for travellers who want predictable bluebird piste skiing every day.
The reward is atmosphere.
Zao remains one of the few places where you can ski hard all day and then walk straight into an old onsen town that feels completely unchanged by the ski industry.
That combination still makes it special.
❄️ Next in the series: 🗾 Myoko Kogen Ski Resort: 2025/26 Season
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