Iwate Kogen looked pretty dinky on paper, but we thought we’d better check it out to make sure we weren’t missing out on an absolute gem. It’s probably not an absolute treasure, but it’s worth including in your repertoire of Iwate ski resorts because it has some pretty yummy trees. It’s best visited when it’s dumping and/or temperatures are cold.

The ski resort was very busy as it was a Sunday, but the majority of visitors were on the beginner lift or sitting in the cafeteria. Other than a few local snowboarders, no one was in the trees. We can only assume from a few fences and signs with a big X, that officially, off-piste and sidecountry riding are not permitted. However watching the few locals, it seemed that perhaps there’s a little bit of tolerance to off-piste skiing because they were riding some of the easy-picking trees in plain sight. Some of the trees were very steep, possibly unstable, and some lines didn’t have an easy egress but it was some fun exploration.

Our thoughts on the pros and cons are outlined on the Iwate Kogen overview page and you can also check out our Japanese ski resort ratings.
See our video here