Hokkaido Guided Backcountry Skiing Overview Legend has it that the forests of Hokkaido, Japan are haunted. They are supposed to be haunted by mystical spirits called Kodama that disguise themselves as trees. It’s easy to understand why people might believe the legend. In the winter, snow sculpts the trees into crystalline goblins that silently stand frozen in the landscape, guarding the moderate mountainsides like sentries.
The trees look like spirits.
Skiers and riders visit the frozen forests like visitors to a mystical world. The snow on the northern island of Japan is so incredibly light that it’s like fairy dust. Indeed, the mountains are so beautiful, the powder is so deep, and the culture is so rich, that it feels like a dream.
This is Hokkaido …
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AAI's Hokkaido Ski Program is designed to provide an amazing trip of skiing or snowboarding, all of which takes full advantage of a combination of both backcountry and sidecountry on the island.
The itinerary is not completely set before the trip. It will be determined specifically by the weather and snowpack. Some trips will have a bigger focus on tree skiing, whereas others will attempt one or more of the area's volcanoes. Regardless of what combination you experience on the program, one thing is certain: you will have an incredible experience.
Hokkaido Guided Backcountry Skiing Itinerary The goal of AAI’s Hokkaido Backcountry Ski and Snowboard program is to provide you with as much time on your skis or board as possible. There are ample options for both big snowy days as well as blue bird days. As a result, the following itinerary is only a sample. If the snow is better on a different part of the island, the team will transition to that area. It’s important for program participants to be flexible.
A pair of skiers skin up through the Hokkaido backcountry. Donni Reddington
Southwest Hokkaido - 8 days
Southwest Hokkaido recieves some of the heaviest snowfall on all of the island and is one of the most reliable places in Japan, and possibly the rest of the world, to find consistent, deep dry powder. Staying in Niseko offers access to the Niseko United ski resorts and other fantastic backcountry zones. Guided days can easily be added or subtracted from the trip and other optional add-ons include cat skiing, snowmobiling, and accommodation upgrades.
Day One:
Arrive and transfer from the airport to Niseko.
Day Two:
Niseko region guided skiing / snowboarding. Options include Niseko, Rusutsu, Moiwa, Kiroro, and backcountry touring.
Days Three:
Unguided skiing in the Niseko region.
Days Four:
Niseko region guided skiing. Options include Niseko, Rusutsu, Moiwa, Kiroro, and bacountry touring.
Day Five:
Unguided skiing in the Niseko region.
Day Six:
Early morning departure for Sapporo region guided skiing / snowboarding. Evening transfer to Sapporo hotel.
Day Seven:
Sapporo region guided skiing. Stay in Sapporo that evening.
Day Eight:
Airport transfer and fly home.
The Hokkaido Fix - 9 days
The ultimate tour of Hokkaido starts in Niseko chasing some of the best powder in the region, before heading to Central Hokkaido. There, weather permitting, we'll spend time in the alpine of the Daisetsuzan range, or if it's dumping there we'll enjoy time at Furano, Kamui, and Tomamu. The trip then wraps up in Sapporo with steep, powder skiing at places like Teine, Kokusai, or Kiroro. Guided days can easily be added or subtracted from the trip and other optional add-ons include cat skiing, snowmobiling, and accommodation upgrades.
Day One:
Arrive and transfer from the airport to Niseko.
Day Two:
Niseko region guided skiing / snowboarding. Options include Niseko, Rusutsu, Moiwa, Kiroro, and backcountry touring.
Days Three:
Niesko region guided skiing / snowbaording. Options include Niseko, Rusutsu, Moiwa, Kiroro, and backcountry touring.
Days Four:
Niseko region guided skiing / snowboarding with afternoon/evening transfer to Central Hokkaido.
Day Five:
Central Hokkaido guided skiing / snowboarding. Options include Furano, Asahidake, Kamui, Tomamu, and Tokachidake.
Day Six:
Central Hokkaido guided skiing / snowboarding. Options include Furano, Asahidake, Kamui, Tomamu, and Tokachidake.
Day Seven:
Central Hokkaido guided skiing / snowboarding with afternoon/evening transfer to Sapporo.
Day Eight:
Sapporo region guided skiing.
Day Nine:
Airport transfer and fly home.
Mt. Yotei. Donnie Reddington
Optional Ascents and Descents
This program is deeply affected by the weather. So it's important not to get too caught up on a single objective. If the snow in a given area isn't as good as in another area, we will go to where the snow is best. And when it's stormy, we will stay in the trees and avoid the alpine. That said, here are a few objectives that we may explore if the weather and avalanche conditions are favorable:
Mount Yotei - This volcano -- sometimes called the Mt. Fuji of the North -- towers above Niseko. It is one of the most visible mountains in the region. The descents down its flanks are long and exciting, but that's not why people ski this peak. No, instead it's for the phenomenal skiing found when one drops into the mountain's crater.
It takes between five and eight hours to skin up to the top of the mountain. Each participant's fitness needs to be top-notch. This is more of a ski mountaineering objective than a backcountry ski line, and as such avalanche and weather conditions need to be perfect.
Tokachidake Volcano - There is something extremely cool about skiing or riding down the flanks of an active volcano. Tokachidake Volcano hasn't had a real eruption for several years, but the mountain steams and the smell of sulfer is always in the air. The peak is exposed to high winds which can have an impact on both avalanche conditions as well as on snow quality. That said, if the mountain is in good shape, we'll certainly check it out.
Asahidake - This volcano rises up above a small ski area and some of the terrain isn't terribly steep. But the snow is epic. It is some of the lightest snow anywhere...!
Hokkaido Guided Backcountry Skiing Weather Many consider the snow in the Hokkaido region of Japan to be some of the best snow in the world. It's common for there to be at least 600-inches of snow a year in the Niseko region, and in many areas of Hokkaido there is a great deal more. Indeed, Niseko has clocked in 1500-inch snow years! But this isn't the same kind of heavy wet snow that many other high snowfall climates experience. No, instead it is light and dry. It's what many skiers and boarders refer to as "blower" or to as "champaign powder."
The island of Hokkaido is perfectly positioned to take advantage of one of the best weather systems in the world for winter recreationalists. It has a warm body of water right next to a very cold continent, and winds that blow the right direction.
A weather map of Hokkaido.
The prevailing winds come directly out of the heart of Asia, blowing across some of the biggest mountains in the world. This makes the wind incredibly cold. As it crosses the warm Sea of Japan, it picks up moisture. When the moisture reaches the mountains of Hokkaido, it dumps in the form of incredibly dry snow.
Gregg Oliveri
The massive amounts of snowfall over a large region lead to another exciting element of Hokkaido travel. Those who live in the region really do love winter. The island sports 22-percent of Japan's landmass, but only 4-percent of its population. And that population is inspired by winter, not just recreationally, but culturally as well. Several well-known Japanese artists, musicians, poets and sculpters have been deeply inspired by the natural beauty of the region.
