Hokkaido, Japan

Hokkaido absolutely deserves its reputation for epic dry powder. It's one of the most consistent and snow-sure destinations on earth.

We’re based in Central Hokkaido near Asahikawa on the edge of the Daisetsuzan National Park. Within an hour's drive there are long snaking chutes, alpine areas, steep faces, mellow glades, and everything in between. We’re very lucky to ski with local friends in these places and they have specifically asked us not to publish where we go, but we can assure you that the lines are good, the snow is deep, and the crowds are far, far away. This is our backyard. We've spent years pushing into the mountains of Central Hokkaido. If you really understand the difference between quality and quantity, get in touch.

This isn’t a famous ski destination and you won’t find major resorts here. We stay in local guesthouses, onsens or traditional inns and eat at family run restaurants with extremely delicious food. You’ll get a window into real Japanese culture and experience the warmth, graciousness and generosity that makes this such an amazing place.

See some of Hokkaido's best terrain. We specialise in guiding around northern Central Hokkaido.

We've got the transport and local knowledge to get you to the best conditions. Ski more pow more often.

Our guides speak (just enough) Japanese. Eat where the locals eat. Know what's inside your rice ball before you bite into it.

Need rental gear? Break something? We know the best shops and can even sort you out with field repairs in a pinch.

TRIP GUIDING

We offer three types of guiding:

• Road trips, where we travel around in a van, skiing and boarding by day and staying local guesthouses at night. These trips give us the flexibility to move around and follow good snow.

• Base camp trips, where we set you up in local AirBnB style accommodation. We’ll meet up each day to go skiing/boarding, and show you around the best places to eat and relax each night.

• Day guiding, where you arrange your own accommodation and we just head out skiing/boarding for the day.

Our road trips can go anywhere - we usually spend a bunch of time in central Hokkaido (because it’s really good) but we’ll go to Otaru or elsewhere if that’s where the best riding is. Our base camps are in our home town of Higashikawa in the middle of Hokkaido. It’s the perfect place to explore from without having to pack and repack your bag every few days. We offer day guiding for people staying in the Asahikawa/Asahidake/Furano area.

• Our maximum guide-to-client ratio is 5 people. For road trips, 4 or fewer people is perfect. Small groups are safer and more efficient in the backcountry and more fun to travel with, If you want to bring a bigger group we can do that with a base camp trip and split your group over multiple guides each day.

• We don’t put groups together - it guarantees you know the people you’re travelling with and allows us to tailor the trip to suit you.

• We can generally help out with airport transfers, pick-ups and drop offs at train stations etc. If you’re coming to Central Hokkaido look at flying to Asahikawa rather than Chitose - it’s a small airport that’s quick to get to and our base is only 15 minutes away.

• Trips usually include accommodation, transport in our van, and guiding. Our accommodation providers usually include breakfast, and sometimes dinner and onsen entry. Lift tickets, airfares, other meals, onsens and other entertainment are not generally included.

See our custom trip tips to get the most out of your trip.