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, their 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:

• • An experienced, certified English-speaking ski guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  • Six days of backcountry ski touring
  • Car transportation for the duration of the tour

What’s not included:

• • Transportation to Japan
  • Accommodation 
  • Meals
  • Technical backcountry ski touring equipment (can be rented)
  • Lift tickets at resorts

While this skiing trip in Japan does require some experience with backcountry skiing in variable conditions, the difficulty scale isn’t that high. Most of the ski touring terrain 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 backcountry skiing trip in Japan, you need to have previous off-piste 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 (orange lenses)
  • 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 5:1.
  • 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.

For these skiing holidays in Japan, we strongly recommend trip and cancellation insurance. This protects you from losing your investment in case of illness, injury, or other unforeseen events. Because booking hotels, transportation, etc. in foreign countries requires planning ahead and often has no potential for refunds, your guides cannot offer refunds on the trip.

Also, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan was subject to a long and strict lockdown period, and the borders have just recently begun to open. In case Japan closes again before your trip, your guide can postpone the trip to a later date, offer you an alternative trip (e.g. a backcountry ski tour in Chamonix, France or Georgia), or find a third option that you find satisfactory. However, this only applies if you choose to get trip and cancellation insurance.

To start this tour, most people fly into New Chitose Airport 45 minutes from Sapporo, Japan. Your skiing guide will meet you at the airport upon your arrival in Japan and arrange your transportation to Otaru, the starting point of the tour.