ROKKO SNOW PARK, operated by Rokko Mountain Tourism Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nada-ku, Kobe; President: Akitaka Senoo; a wholly owned subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.), will open for the season on Saturday, December 5. Ahead of the opening, snowmaking work will begin on Tuesday, October 20. This year, the park's mascot characters スノイル・ワルイル will also appear at the snowmaking site to help liven up the occasion.
The park is a "snow theme park" where everyone, from first-timers to veteran skiers and snowboarders, as well as families, school groups, and visitors from overseas, can easily enjoy winter leisure.
Continuing from last year, the park will once again make use of its Ice Crusher System snowmaking system and its large snowmaking capacity, allowing visitors to enjoy winter leisure over a 93-day season running from Saturday, December 5, 2026, through Sunday, March 7, 2027.
About the Snowmaking Process
Using a plate-type Ice Crusher System, air pressure sends ice from the icemaker through pipes and out onto the slopes as snow. About 240 tons of snow is produced each day, building one to two mounds of snow, and roughly 50 mounds will be built by opening day. On the day before opening, snowcat groomers flatten the mounds to shape the slopes.
Period: October 20 (Tuesday) onward
Snowmaking work will continue even after the season opens.
Hours: Snow is produced 24 hours a day
Snowmaking work may be changed or suspended depending on weather and other conditions.
Snowmaking volume: Approximately 11,040 tons (approx. 240 tons/day × 46 days)
The figure above reflects the snowmaking volume up to opening day.
What Is the Plate-Type Ice Crusher System?
Water is dripped onto a total of 240 cooling plates to form sheets of ice, and hot gas is then injected to peel the ice sheets off the plates. The peeled ice sheets are broken into pieces of about 3 to 4 centimeters by a screw conveyor on their way to the crusher, where they are finally crushed down to about 1 centimeter in size to make snow. About 20 ice sheets are produced every two minutes. Because the crusher can adjust the size of the snow, the system can supply snow suited to the weather and temperature.
