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A ski trip to Japan is strikingly different from what you’ll experience anywhere else in the world. Get a taste of Ja-Pow over 7 powdery days on mellower terrain (30 to 45 degrees) and deep stashes. Join an American guide who knows all the best pow stashes on Hokkaido and head right into the backcountry, where you’re virtually guaranteed to find a blank canvas of the lightest, deepest snow on the planet. End each ski tour day by exploring Japan’s vibrant culture, restaurant scene, bars, and unique nightlife.
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Fly into Japan a day before your ski trip, and meet your backcountry skiing guide at the New Chitose Airport near Sapporo. Once you get to your accommodation, get to know your guide and group, make yourself comfortable and get ready for a quintessential ski touring adventure in Japan!
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Your Japan ski trip itinerary starts off with a bang in Otaru! You’ll find fantastic terrain for all ski levels here, with easy sidecountry access, tons of secret pow stashes, and some of the best snow on Hokkaido. The soaring views of the sea and the city will serve as an epic backdrop.
Spend your evening admiring Otaru’s traditional architecture, sampling the excellent local sushi (Otaru is a port city, after all), or hanging out at one of the local whiskey or sake bars. If you’re visiting in February, make sure to stop by the colorful Otaru Snow Light Path festival!
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Your ski trip in Japan continues in Niseko, with graduated terrain perfect for leveling up your backcountry skills. Choose between mellow groomers, tougher non-groomed runs, or even 1,500-ft vertical lines in avalanche control areas!
Once you’re off the slopes, why not pay a visit to a traditional hot spring, a.k.a. Onsen? The hot water is perfect for resting your ski muscles and recuperating for the days ahead!
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The next stop on your Hokkaido ski trip is Asahikawa, the access point to the island’s tallest mountain and its finest advanced ski runs. You’ll shred perfectly light, dry powder here, with everything from wide-open slopes to fantastic treeline tracks. Ready to ski in the eroded crater of a Volcano?
Asahikawa is Hokkaido’s second-largest city and the closest thing to Tokyo outside of Tokyo itself — there’s plenty to do in your free time. Visit the Onsens, stop by the Snow Museum, do some souvenir shopping, or try a regional delicacy, the soy-based noodle soup.
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Spend the final three days of your Japan ski trip in Furano, renowned for its long runs, panoramic views of Hokkaido’s central ranges, and 8 meters of snowfall per season. The runs are steep and fast — you’ll really end your ski trip with a bang!
Spend your final few evenings in Japan exploring Furano’s parks, gardens, and ancient stone houses! If you’re looking to taste some local specialties, pay a visit to the Furano Winery or the town’s famous Cheese Factory.
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Like all good things, your ski trip in Japan has come to an end, Say “sayonara” to the Land of the Rising Sun and head back home with a JaPow addiction and plenty of good memories. See you soon!
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Included:
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- 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
- Accommodation
Not included:
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- Transportation to Japan
- Meals
- Technical backcountry ski touring equipment (can be rented)
- Lift tickets at resorts
- Guide gratuities — optional
- Insurance — available at checkout
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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.
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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.
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Clothing list
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- 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
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- Avalanche beacon with good batteries (and spares)
- Shovel
- Probe (2.4m or longer preferred)
Gear
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- 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
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- 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.
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All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
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- 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.
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Group sizes and pricing:
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- 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.
Ski touring in Japan can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
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- 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.
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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.
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We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
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