Backcountry Skiing in Japan

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Hokkaido, please visit Japan Travel.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get in this adventure:

• Two experienced, certified ski guides with extensive knowledge of the area
• Six or eight days of backcountry ski touring
• Accommodation in hotels during the trip
• Transportation once you arrive at the hotel in Otaru
• All transfers between hotels and resorts

What’s not included:

• Transportation to Japan
• Accommodation before and after the adventure
• Technical backcountry ski touring equipment
• Food and restaurants during trip
• Lift tickets at resorts
• Onsens

While this trip does require some experience with backcountry skiing in variable conditions, the difficulty scale isn’t that high. Most of the terrain you’ll ski in Japan is mellow, the slopes aren’t that steep, and the altitudes are pretty low. 

You will be skiing in the 1300-1500 m range, downing mostly intermediate runs with the occasional advanced pitch, and doing plenty of treeline skiing. You have to be comfortable with multiple hours of skinning, diving into deep powder, and navigating between trees to fully enjoy the terrain.

To participate in this tour, you need to have previous backcountry skiing experience. You will be shredding in deep Japow for 5-7 hours every day. Your guide will take care of the planning, oversee your technique, and teach you how to better manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training necessary to keep you safer on the slopes. For those looking to take their first foray into backcountry skiing, we suggest joining a guide for a day of Intro to Backcountry Skiing. Find a guide close to you on our Adventures site.

Clothing list

• Wool or synthetic socks and liner socks
• Long underwear top — synthetic or wool
• Light fleece or wool sweater
• Wind shell — nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type jacket
• Waterproof breathable jacket
• Warm insulated jacket — down or synthetic
• Long underwear bottoms — synthetic or wool
• Multipurpose stretch nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type pants
• Waterproof breathable pants
• Warm hat — wool or synthetic
• Brimmed cap for sun protection
• Face warmer — scarf, neck tube or balaclava (optional)
• Light gloves — wool, synthetic or leather
• Insulated gloves or mitts with waterproof outer shell
• Spare gloves or mitts

Snow Safety Equipment

• Avalanche beacon with good batteries (and spares)
• Shovel
• Probe (2.4m or longer preferred)

Gear

• Ski helmet
• Skis or split board — wider, powder skis, minimum width 108mm are recommended
• Lightweight, touring bindings (Dynafit or ATK are best)
• Ski strap
• Ski or snowboard boots and ski crampons
• Poles
• Climbing skins
• Skin wax (or a candle)
• Binding repair kit to fix your personal travel setup

Personal Equipment

• Durable duffel bag, preferably just one (approx. 60L)
• Sunglasses (both orange and dark lenses help a lot for travel in all conditions)
• Goggles for stormy weather and goggles for bright sunshine
• Sunscreen and lip cream (SPF 30+)
• Head lamp with good batteries
• Insulated water bottle or thermos (1-2 L)
• Lunch bag or container
• Personal blister kit (i.e: Leukotape-P and Compeed/Second Skin blister pads)
• Pocket knife — optional
• Camera — optional

If you have any questions regarding the equipment list, feel free to contact us prior to booking.

All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent: 

• Avalanche safety pack, including backpack, beacon, shovel and probe 
• Alpine touring or telemark skis, touring boots and poles can be rented from Sapporo Kokusai, Sapporo Teine, or any other rental shop
• Splitboards can be rented from Sapporo Kokusai, Sapporo Teine, or any other rental shop.

Ski rental locations are in Sapporo and should be picked up the night prior to your outing. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.

Group sizes and pricing:

• For this adventure, the max client-to-guide ratio is 4:1, with 8 people per group.
• It takes a minimum of 6 people for this tour to run.
• If joining alone, you’ll be placed with peers that share a similar level of experience.
• Cost is per person and it doesn’t decrease as the group grows.

Ski touring in Japan can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.

If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

A $500 non-refundable deposit secures your spot. Because your guides need to book hotels and transportation assets far in advance, they request a 50%, non-refundable deposit by July 15, 2022. The balance is due October 1, 2022 and is non-refundable. 

If you need to cancel a reservation, please do so in writing (best by e-mail). Once your booking is confirmed, you and your Guides enter into financial obligations and they cannot refund payments or release you from your contractual obligations. Therefore, it is highly recommended buying cancellation insurance.

Your Guides do reserve the right to change guides, particular lodging or the itinerary or venue should unforeseen circumstances (guide sickness, hut or route closing etc.) force them to do so or should the physical condition of the participants, weather or mountain conditions make a continuation as planned too risky. Your Guides will not be deemed to be in default for any delay or failure to perform their obligations under this agreement resulting from acts of God, the elements, war, acts of government, civil or military authorities, natural calamities, catastrophe, fire, flood, accidents, epidemics, shortage of transportation, or any other like events beyond our reasonable control.

We strongly recommend trip and cancellation insurance. This protects you from losing your investment in the event of illness, injury, or unforeseen events. Because booking hotels, transportation, etc. in foreign countries requires planning ahead and often no potential for refunds, your guides cannot offer refunds on the trip. Therefore, it is highly recommended buying cancellation insurance to cover your losses for the case that you can’t participate or have to interrupt your trip “for any reason.”

To get to Otaru, most people fly into New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, only 45 minutes away. 

There are direct buses from Chitose Airport and Sapporo city that are convenient. You’ll be provided with step-by-step instructions (including photos) to find the right bus and after a 2.5-hour ride, you’ll be at the hotel, where the guides will be waiting for you.