Join us in our northern winter home of Higashikawa for five days of amazing skiing and boarding and four nights of incredible food and local hospitality.
Settle in to your own space in AirBnB style accommodation. This town is perfectly located for for skiing and boarding, with sensational backcountry and resort skiing all within easy day-trip range, so you won’t need to pack up and move around. We’ll arrange breakfast provided at your accommodation by a local cafe, meet you each morning, head out to cut fresh tracks, and then show you around some of the amazing nearby dining spots and local izakayas when the skiing is done. Higashikawa is small town punching well above its weight for quality local produce and varied, delicious cuisine. And nearby Asahikawa is a great place to sample some of the bustle and energy of urban Japan.
Suits:
Group size: Maximum 5 people.
Rider ability: We can tailor the skiing and boarding to suit groups from intermediate all the way through to expert.
Fitness level: If you want to ski all day, we can do that. If you want to spend a little more time relaxing around town, that’s perfect fine. This trip is suitable for groups with a low, moderate or high level of fitness (able to hike uphill on skins or a splitboard for 2 hours a day)
Backcountry experience: This trip is suitable for enthusiastic backcountry beginners and grizzled veterans alike.
These trips work best when the group has a similar level of fitness, ability and ambition.
Location and accommodation:
The trip will be based in Higashikawa, Hokkaido out of local AirBnB style accommodation.
We’ll ski and board in the backcountry around Asahikawa, the Souknyo area, Asahidake, Tokachidake and the resorts in that region (Kurodake, Asahidake, Kamui Ski Links, Furano, etc.).
Accommodation will typically be an apartment or similar with western style beds and bathrooms and basic kitchen facilities.
All pricing is for twin share rooms.
The riding:
You’ll be staying in one of the best locations for consistent, deep powder skiing in the world. This is our backyard. We’ve spent years searching out the best terrain and figuring out the weather. With the wide variety of areas and weather patterns around us, you’ll maximise your chances of finding great skiing and boarding in just about any conditions.
The best snow and the best terrain is in the backcountry, so we’ll focus our efforts there. Expect to skin or splitboard most days. We might catch the occasional lift for quick vertical gain or head to a resort if conditions are right or the group is tired.
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 and accommodation availability.
We’re a small company with good guides in high demand and there is limited local accommodation. Book early so you don’t miss out.
Pricing:
$2390AUD per person for a group of 5 people
$2590AUD per person for a group of 4 people
$3090AUD per person for a group of 3 people
$3690AUD per person for a group of 2 people
The trip includes:
Transport to and from anywhere in Central Hokkaido to start and finish your trip - Asahikawa Airport, Asahikawa JR (Japan Rail) Station, Furano or similar.
Transport to and from trailheads/resorts to ski each day.
Four nights’ accommodation in local AirBnB style accommodation with breakfast catered at your accommodation by a local cafe.
Five days guiding on snow and around the best local places to eat and relax.
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 5 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 $480/$520/$620/$740 per person per day (for groups of 5/4/3/2 respectively - all prices AUD). Let us know if you’re interested in extending the trip when you fill in the booking form below.