Central Hokkaido is home to the best snow in Japan. The same storms systems that are known to pound Niseko are also present in the mountains of central Hokkaido, however when they reach the slopes of Furano, Tomamu, and Sahoro they usually arrive colder and dryer leaving the mountains in a blanket of the fluffiest snow on earth.
We’ve also scheduled our adventure to take advantage of the annual Sapporo Winter Festival, this week long event held in the largest city in Hokkaido is an expose of all things winter, from massive snow and ice sculptures, to random snow inspired activities, and seasonal cuisine on every corner. This event draws participation from all over Japan and beyond. The upside for us is we get a culturally immersive experience, and less crowded slopes because everyone is at the festival!
Our session starts at the New Chitose Airport, where we meet you just outside of baggage claim. Upon arrival we head directly to the mountains. Most flights from the US to Sapporo arrive in the evening, so if you want to get an extra half day of skiing in we suggest you fly in the night before and stay at an airport hotel.
We’ll Spend our first 3 nights centrally located in the small village of Minamifurano in a brand new Marriott. Our hotel is equal distance from Tomamu and Sahoro, and it neighbors a small municipal hill with night skiing. We chose this location for our first 2 full days of riding as it gives us the option to choose which resort we visit per day.
We’ll spend our next 2 nights slope side at the Shin Furano Prince Hotel at the base of the Furano Ski Resort. This hotel isn’t as new as the Marriot but was built for a seamless and somewhat luxury experience. Furano is the largest resort we will be visiting in this trip so we figured it would be a good place to spend 2 full days riding.
We’ll spend our final 2 nights in a modern hotel in the center Sapporo just a few short blocks away from the main venue of the Winter Festival. We’ll spend one day as full blown tourists, taking photos of ice sculptures, drinking hot sake, and making new friends. We’ll spend another full day at Sapporo Tiene, this is a small ski area that boarders the city of Sapporo and is host to some fantastically steep tree riding and offers night skiing with a view of the city lights! We’ll finish up our adventure with a celebration worthy of our efforts, you’ll then have the choice to follow us to the airport for a flight back home or keep the adventure going on your own terms.
This session is open to advanced skiers. After registering you will receive a follow up communication to discuss your current skill to insure your readiness to adequately enjoy all the terrain Central Hokkaido has to offer.
This premier session has a minimum participation of 3 persons to operate, if minimum participation is not met within 45 days of travel you will receive a full refund, or you can elect to convert your reservation to a private or semi private session.
Register 4 or more on the same reservation and receive a $200 discount on the total of your registration
- Transportation From the Start, We meet you at the airport.
- Lodging, 7 nights of lodging, in a combination of 4 star Hotels. Rooms are shared.
(If you’re traveling with a friend you can request to share a room at no additional charge, availability for a private room for a fee) - Coaching, 5 full days of professional coaching in a group setting with a level 3 PSIA ncertified coach. We keep our groups small (maximum 1 coach per 4 campers) this means small groups and more personalized instruction.
- Optional Pre Session Prep Meeting and Goal Setting Session, 1 on 1 with a coach via zoom.
- Lift Tickets at all locations
- All Breakfasts.
- All Dinners, Group dinners will be hosted daily.
- Video review and goal setting
- Scheduled Off hill activities, and night riding opportunities
- Branded gift Something you’ll want to keep and use for years to come
- Certificate outlining your skill upon completion of the session
- International Flight
- Lunch on the mountain
- Adult Beverages, although some adult beverages may be supplied.
- Medical care, we’ll do our best to get you whatever help you need but you’ll be on your own to settle the bill.
- Snowboard gear, you’ll need to bring your own setup, there are stores and rental shops but snowboard gear is exceptionally expensive in Japan so we highly recommend you bring your own.
- Travel Insurance, a policy that covers you in case of an injury snowboarding or skiing is mandatory. We highly recommend “World Nomads Explorer Policy”.
- Transportation outside of scheduled itinerary, If you require any ground transportation outside of the scheduled itinerary, any costs incurred will be your responsibility; however, we can aid in securing transportation and we will do everything in our power to ensure your safe travel
Please note: This itinerary is a sample of our best laid plans, weather and the needs of the group may alter this itinerary.
Day 1, Sunday, Arrival Day
We meet you at the airport with your bags, from there we drive to our Hotel in Minamifurano. The drive is approximately 2 hours. Arrive in the morning or the night before and you’ll get a bonus afternoon of riding to warm up your legs!
Day 2, Monday, Ski Tomamu
Tomamu is a modern resort with fast lifts and great terrain. From massive groomers, a decent terrain park, and a western approach to tree riding, Tomamu has it all. The bonus is that the general guest that visits Tomamu is usually there for a luxury experience, meaning that the tree riding and ungroomed powder often go untouched! With the support of your coach you’ll spend the day touring the resort and testing your skills in a variety of environments.
After snowboarding we’ll change shoes and head to one of the resorts finer restaurants for dinner. If you still have energy, you’ll have the option to change into your swimsuit for a splash in Japan’s largest wave pool, or throw your coat back on and grab a drink in the ICE Village.
Day 3, Tuesday, Ski Sahoro
Sahoro is a compact resort with a fantastic view and is the perfect place to focus on technique which exactly what we aim to do! On this day we plan to do a deep dive into your general skiing, we’ll take video of your turns and with your coach you’ll have the opportunity to dissect your craft so you can better understand your foundation and how best to progress towards your goals.
After snowboarding we’ll head to a local restaurant for dinner, and if your legs still want more you’ll have the option to put our boots back on and hit up the local hill in Minamifurano for some turns under the lights.
Day 4, Wednesday, Ski Furano Zone
We’re changing locations and to Furano. This is the day fatigue usually sets in so we’ll take our time getting to the mountain, we may even stop at the Naya Lodge to check out the Korua Demo Center.
Furano is a large resort (by Japanese standards) and is split up into 2 sides the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone. Our hotel sits at the base of the Furano Zone, so this will be the perfect place for us to spend the day exploring. Furano is known for steep terrain, big vertical, and fast lifts. It has also recently dropped the fences on off-piste riding making it the go to spot for extreme terrain on the North Island. But don’t get too troubled there are also plenty of wide cruisy groomers to seek refuge on when your legs need a break.
After skiing we’re gonna keep it easy with dinner and an onsen at our hotel.
Day 5, Thursday, Ski Kitanomine Zone
After a big buffet breakfast we’ll walk out of our Hotel and hit the tram, restored and ready for our days adventure on the other side of Furano, the Kitanomine Zone. On this day we’ll aim to find the best terrain we can and ski it well. We’ll get some glamor shots of our new found skills while we leave our final signatures on the mountains of central Hokkaido.
After skiing, we’ll head head into town for a nice family style dinner and some more fun in the village.
Day 6, Friday, Sapporo Winter Festival
We’re saying sayonara to Furano and heading to the big city of Sapporo. The drive between hotels is about 2 hours, so this will be a great opportunity to relax in the morning. Upon arrival we’ll drop our bags at the hotel and head to Odori Park to take in the sites, sounds, and cuisine of the Winter Festival. Since our hotel is close to the action you’ll have the option to walk back at your leisure anytime you like. After the sun sets we’ll get together as a big group for dinner and drinks.
Day 7, Saturday “HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!”, Sapporo Tiene
After another big buffet breakfast, we’ll leave the hustle of the Winter Festival and head up to near by Sapporo Tiene. In 1972 Tiene hit the history books as the first resort in Asia to host an Olympic Ski Race, but that’s not all Tiene is known for… Tiene has awesome groomers, steep trees, a fantastic terrain park, and one incredible view. We’ll spend this day on the mountain immersed in the Japanese ski scene and followed by a dinner celebration worthy of our efforts.
Day 8, Sunday, Sayonara
All good things must come to an end or at least a temporary one. After breakfast we say goodbye, I’ll probably cry. We’ll either take you to the airport to for your departing flight, or help you arrange transportation to your next Japanese destination.