Hokkaido, Japan’s North island, is best known for its cold and deep snowpack which under ideal weather patterns brings continual and regular daily snowfalls of 1-2 feet each day. Our trip to Japan includes long days of skiing endless powder, soaking in onsens (Japanese hot springs), and learning from the locals. The apres onsen soak works wonders on your body and ski legs recovery. After the onsen, we will enjoy the local culture and cuisine and enjoy the various nightlife options ranging from Izakaya, sake or whiskey bars, finer dining, private karaoke bars, or classic apres ski hangouts.
Japan gets its world famous snow from cold fronts coming out of Siberia, picking up moisture as they cross the Sea of Japan, then dumping it when it hits the mountains of Hokkaido and Honshu. The combination creates a huge amount of very dry snow, and you get to ski it over, and over, and over again. It snows relentlessly, but don't worry--when the avalanche hazard climbs too high, the birch forests are perfectly spaced for tree skiing. The backcountry terrain is easy to reach, easy to travel through and fantastic to ski. We have been guiding in the Niseko area for over a decade, and this year we are introducing a new itinerary that will take us further into Central Hokkaido to explore more terrain and escape the crowds. The week is designed as a ski touring week with some lift assisted skiing touring. The general character of the week consists of 1000' to 1200' ascents with amazing powder ski descents in relatively moderate terrain (up to 35 degrees).
TRAVEL: Keep in mind that you lose a day when you fly to Japan from the US because you cross the international date line. We recommend that you fly directly into Sapporo on Friday, most likely arriving at Chitose airport Saturday evening or Sunday morning. This allows time to take an evening or morning bus or train to the village of Otaru, which is a cool port city right on the coast. You will want to book this leg of your travel in advance. Remember you also gain a day on the journey home so you still have six full days of skiing, and usually a half day tour in the morning on our departure day!
LODGING: New for 2027, we are going to be moving around throughout the week. We will start out with two nights in Otaru, which is a convenient 1-1.5 hour trip from the airport in Sapporo by bus or rail. On Day two, either before or after the day's ski tour, we will road trip by van to the North side of Daisetsuzan National Park where we will spend two nights at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) located in a beautiful Onsen village. For the final two nights of the week we will make our way to the Furano area where we will have access to Furano ski resort and a plethora of nearby backcountry terrain.
We'll also have the option to visit any one of a number of local onsens (hot spring baths). One of our favorite days is to ski all day and slide right up to an onsen nearby, then have a short 15-minute climb and a final run down to the lodge in time for dinner. If you have time, consider spending a few extra days in Tokyo. It is an incredible experience. If you'd like help or advice with additional bookings, we're happy to assist. Rentals for powder skis, air bag packs, etc. can be arranged for you.
Advanced downhill skiing ability (in trees and deep powder) & prior ski touring experience required. Moderately strenuous.
Day 1: Take a bus or train from Sapporo to Otaru. (We can help arrange this for you if needed.) We will have a meet and greet in the early evening once everyone has arrived and make sure that we are ready for the first day.
Day 2: From Otaru, we have access to several touring areas as well as some lift-assisted touring at any number of nearby ski areas. Options for lift-assisted tours & sidecountry include Kiroro or Sapporo Kokusai resorts as well as any number of backcountry touring areas. We can also drive a little further toward the Niseko area for some of the classic ski tours, including Hokkaido's centerpiece volcano: Mt Yotei.
Day 3: After packing up the vans, we can either ski tour again in the Otaru area or make our way toward Central Hokkaido and either stopping to ski tour along the way or getting an early start and going for a ski tour in the more remote areas around Asahikawa. We have about a three hour drive to make the trek up toward the Asahikawa area, so it can be nice to break up the day with a ski tour and/or onsen visit along the way.
Day 4: From our Ryokan in the Sounkyo Onsen village, we have the opportunity to walk to the Kurodake ropeway and ride the tram up to the alpine terrain on the North side of Daisetsuzan National Park and access the vast Daisetsuzan plateau (appropriately referred to as the Roof of Hokkaido). Alternative options include a long tour up to Higashidake and Mt Koizumi, or heading back down the road toward the village of Kamikawa and venturing off for some lower elevation tree skiing zones.
Day 5: Day 5 is another transfer day. We will likely hit the road early and make our way back around the National Park toward the Furano area. Some of the most classic ski tours on Hokkaido are easily accessed from Furano area, including the Asahidake ropeway, and tours around Mount Tokachi and Mount Furano.
Day 6: For our last full day of skiing, we will again go for a tour on the frontside of the National Park or utilize the lifts at the Furano Ski Resort to maximize our powder skiing amongst the resort's vast sidecountry terrain.
Day 7: After checking out of our accommodations in the Furano or Kamifurano area, we will usually go for a morning ski tour before heading back to airport in Sapporo.
**Please be aware that this is a suggested itinerary. The mountains on Hokkaido can receive some very stormy weather, which may provide for amazing storm skiing in the trees, but may make ascents into the alpine terrain (Mt Yotei, Daisetsuzan plateau, etc) difficult or impossible.
Snow Travel Gear
Safety Gear
