Onikoube Ski Resort

Onikoube is an impressive looking ski resort as you drive towards it. It’s mellow at the base and the upper parts are delightfully steep, and it would have been a legendary ski area back in its heyday. Unfortunately like too many ski areas in Japan, Onikoube has shrunk over the years and they’ve closed the two uppermost lifts where the steepest terrain is, probably because the lifts were archaic, and with inadequate visitation the resort didn’t have enough funds to replace them with modern lifts that could cope with windy conditions. Onikoube also has an egg telecabina that heads up towards the top of the mountain, but it only operates in summer.

Admittedly we visited Onikoube (sometimes spelled Onikobe) in its worst snow season, so couldn’t see it in its full glory, but it seems that the ski area no longer receives the same snow volumes as it did back in its prime years. It’s a shame that the operational lifts don’t go higher, considering that the snow line is probably creeping up.

If there is plenty of snow, Onikoube would be a great spot to include on a road trip of the Miyagi and Yamagata ski resorts.

Pros and Cons of Onikoube Miyagi

Pros 

• The base area has various mellow slopes that are ideal for learning.
• The ski area provides access to some steep backcountry terrain.
• Lift passes are cheap.

Cons

• The lifts are old and slow.
• It’s not clear how often there is adequate snow for off-piste and backcountry skiing.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• Onikoube has some amazing steep tree skiing right off the lifts, however this is an old-school ski area that has a strict policy against riding off-piste and dropping back into the area. There are limited spots for kosher or discrete tree skiing that are purely lift-accessed.
• Onikoube is in an out of the way spot, which contributes to the lack of crowds, but this has probably also contributed to the lack of funds to upgrade the infrastructure.
• There is a ski-in ski-out hotel, although it looks like it’s seen better days.

Onikoube Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Onikoube Ski Resort is wide at the base and higher up it becomes long and skinny. It has 715 metres of vertical (340 – 1,055m) and even though it’s probably the largest ski area in northern Miyagi, it has just 8 courses.

There are 6 double chair lifts in total, and all are fixed grip and sans safety bar. Four chair lifts rise from the base and service mellow beginner trails, although sometimes the outer 6th lift is not operational. Chair #5 services the mid level terrain which is an intermediate/advanced run that’s generally not groomed, and a snaking cat track with some scarily abrupt corners. The top Koshiba #4 chair services an intermediate trail.

There is some tree skiing to the right of the top lift, and they don’t seem to mind you playing in this area so long as you don’t ride the lift line. All other off-piste zones drop into the ski area, so they probably ban this for fear of snow avalanching onto a course. Along with their old-school approach to tree skiing, they probably don’t have the resources to manage avalanche risk beyond the heavy duty avi fences in place. When we visited, most of the off-piste wasn’t easily skiable anyhow due to excess shrubbery. With better snow there are probably some areas where experienced riders could discretely and safely navigate the off-piste terrain.

Onikoube Resort is cool with backcountry skiing, so long as you do not re-enter the ski area as you descend. From the top lift, a skin of about 200 metres takes you to a few ridges with steep treed terrain that drop to the base. There is also some sick looking backcountry terrain in the upper zones that were formerly lift-accessed. When using the backcountry, the resort asks you to fill in a form in the Patrol Centre.

Onikoube Snow

It sounds as though Onikoube used to get a lot of snow, but the snow volumes have been dwindling in recent years. Onikoube is right on the border with Yamagata Prefecture so it fares a little better than some other Miyagi ski areas further east, and receives moderate amounts of snow. The base during winter usually sits around the 1.2 metre mark, although it’s not known if this is measured at the base or up higher.

Onikoube Ski Resort has a mostly north to northeast facing aspect, so the snow that falls is reasonably well maintained.

Where is Onikoube Miyagi?

Onikoube is in the north-western corner of the Miyagi Prefecture and right on the border with the Yamagata Prefecture. Onikoube is officially part of Ōsaki City, although the city itself is an hour drive to the southeast, and the closest town is Naruko Onsen, which is 13km to the southeast of Onikoube.

As a reference point, Onikoube is 53km northeast of the famous tourist village of Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata.

Onikoube isn’t close to any other major ski resorts, so it requires a fair bit of driving to include it on a Tohoku road trip. The phone number of Onikobe for GPS navigation is 0229-86-2111.

Onikoube Accommodation

Hotel Onikoube sits at the base of the ski area. It has western rooms, an onsen, and offers half board packages. The resort markets it as a Swiss chalet-style hotel, but it’s more aptly described as very tired.

There is also a small pension village with a few old pensions that look almost derelict.

Nearby is Naruko Onsenkyo which is a classic onsen town, although the tourism boom seems to have declined in that area also, and it’s unknown if this affliction is associated with the 2011 tsunami that severely impacted Miyagi. The town has some cute parts to it and some aesthetically pleasing onsen hotels, yet in most parts of the town there seems to be very little pride placed in appearance.

We stayed at Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Kounkaku which was good value and quite nice, and there are various other Naruko Onsen hotels.

Ski Resort Facilities

In addition to the hotel, the base area has a few day lodges that house the amenities. The main day lodge near chair #1 has lift ticket sales, equipment rentals, a souvenir shop, and snowsports school, and with plenty of prior notice, private lessons in English can be provided.

There are a couple of cafeterias for lunch for which you need to pay cash.