Take a deep breath and immerse yourself in Hokkaido’s epic backcountry. This trip is a no-holds-barred powder odyssey. Expect untracked slopes, empty mountains and more good lines than you can fit on a memory card.
This is our deluxe spicy miso ramen version of a trip: It’s rich, full bodied and strong. You might be ready for a little snooze by the end but it guarantees full satisfaction.
Suits:
Group size: Maximum 5 people, but we recommend no more than 4.
Rider ability: Strong intermediate or above
Fitness level: Moderate to high level of fitness (able to hike uphill on skins or a splitboard for 4 hours a day)
Backcountry experience: Everyone should have done at least a little bit of touring (at least enough to know that they like it)
Make sure your group is all at a similar level of fitness, ability and ambition.
Location and accommodation:
Locations and itineraries are not fixed - we’ll follow snow and good weather.
Expect to be in Central Hokkaido at least half the time.
We could go anywhere and ski anything.
Accommodation will be typically Japanese style rooms in traditional ryokans, onsens or guesthouses. Expect futons on tatami mats, shared bathrooms, onsen-style bathing areas, etc.
All pricing is for twin share rooms.
The riding:
Fire up your high speed quads, we’re going deep into some of the best powder and terrain on the planet. Expect a heavy dose of tree skiing with forays into the alpine when the weather breaks. Our goal is to hit untracked powder every run, every day. There’s the option of resort skiing/boarding if it’s powing hard and/or the group is tired, but mostly we’ll be in the backcountry where the ratio of powder to people is ludicrously good.
Days typically involve up to about 1200m of vert (skinning tends to be slow in the deep snow) up and down mellow trees, steeps, chutes, alpine faces, you name it. Runs can be punchy 300m laps or 1000m faces. We tailor the terrain we use to the group’s ability and the weather and snow-safety for the day.
When:
January through March subject to guide availability.
We’re a small company with good guides in high demand. Book early so you don’t miss out.
Pricing:
$4390AUD per person for a group of 4 or 5 people
$5190AUD per person for a group of 3 people
$6540AUD per person for a group of 2 people
The trip includes:
Transport to and from anywhere in Hokkaido to start and finish your trip - typically New Chitose (Sapporo) Airport of Asahikawa Airport.
Transport to and from trailhealds/resorts to ski each day.
Nine nights’ accommodation in Japanese inns, guesthouses and onsens. Accommodation usually includes breakfast and occasionally dinners and onsen entry.
Ten days guiding.
We plan to ski or board every day, so make sure you plan to meet us early on day 1 and finish your trip late on day 10 so we have time to go riding.
Tips, tricks and local knowledge from genuine guides with a passion for backcountry skiing.
Daily avalanche safety briefing plus rescue training as required throughout your trip.
It doesn’t include:
Rental gear (we don’t have any but we can help you find it - let us know).
Flights.
Lift tickets (we never know if we’ll need them, so it’s easier to get them as we go).
Anything else.
Options:
You can extend this trip to any length for an additional $440/$520/$650 per person per day (for groups of 4-5/3/2 respectively). Let us know if you’re interested in extending the trip when you fill in the booking form below.