February 2025 Hokkaido “Surf The Earth”

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, Saturday, Konnichiwa

It all starts just outside of customs at the Sapporo Airport (CTS) where you’ll be greeted by one of our team. From there we take you to our nearby hotel the JR INN where you’ll have a chance to clean up after the long trip, and prepare your mind, body, and board for the adventure ahead. We’ll host a leisurely group dinner where you’ll be able to meet the whole crew, ask questions etc. We’ll be early to bed for the morning we SHRED!

Day 2, Sunday, Ride Yubari (AKA Mount Racey)

The first stop on our Snow Surfing mission is Mount Racey, about an hour drive from our hotel. This local ski resort is filled with easy trees, fun groomers, and a small terrain park. Our favorite part about Mt. Racey is the lack of crowds, making it an ideal location to warm up your snow legs and get your head in the mindset of snowboard progression in Japan. Our coaching focus for the first day is simply to learn about you, watch you ride, hear your goals, and capture a few clips to review with you later. 
After a nice day on the mountain we’ll continue to our next Marriott Fairfield In Minamifurano where we will be staying for the next 3 nights. This modern hotel is equal distance to 3 major ski areas giving us options. There’s also a sweet little ski area just a couple blocks away, so if the weather gets crazy we’ll have easy turns just outside of our door.

Day 3, Monday, Ride Sahoro

Above everything else a surfers most important skill is being able to read the swell and predict what will come next. Mountains, regardless of their location share certain qualities, and the better you know how to read terrain the better you will be at applying your existing skills with confidence.. resulting in continuity between turns, and ultimately increased freedom. We chose Sahoro for this mission as its a fun resort with a little bit of everything, without having some of the larger hidden hazards we’ll encounter later in the trip… from open powdery glades to steep chalky groomers our mission is exposure, all while developing your mental approach to predicting changes in terrain and yourself.
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 your boots back on and hit up the local hill in Minamifurano for some self-guided turns under the lights.

Day 4, Tuesday, Tomamu

Any Surfer will tell you that style is a direct outcome of mastery, in order to add style you must first perfect the element you’re intending to add style to. Our mission this day is to focus our lens on a specific environment, examples include; carving, trees, steeps, etc. Then further narrow our intent to a specific turn or tactic, a moment in which you desire to make a tangible gain. We selected Tomamu as it is a modern mid-sized resort with fast lifts and great terrain at all levels, especially the trees, and the village is something you’ll have to see to believe.
After snowboarding you’ll have the option to change into your swimsuit for a splash in Hokkaido’s largest indoor wave pool, or grab a drink and snap a photo in the ICE Village. To top off the evening we’ll hit up one of the resorts finer restaurants for dinner.

Day 5, Wednesday, Otaru and Tenguyama

To truly make the connection between Surfing and Snowboarding we must get closer to the Ocean and Hokkaido is one of the few places on the planet we can have both so we are saying “sayonara” to the central mountains and konnichiwa to Otaru, a city by the sea. It’s too cold to surf in the ocean so we are doing the next best thing and snowboarding close enough to see the waves break. Tenguyama Ropeway is about a 3hr drive from Minamifurano, that operates well into the evening. Our mission here is FUN, slashing trees, popping side hits, etc. ultimately changing our headspace from progression to abstract creativity.
We’ll have dinner at the Overlook Lodge before we leave for our Castle by the Sea.

Day 6, Thursday, Kiroro

Surfing and Snowboarding are both sports where we collaborate with nature, the more perfectly we tailor our movements to compliment the shapes and energy we are given the more FLOW we’ll experience. Averaging 60+ feet of snow per season, Kiroro is one of the snowiest ski resorts on the planet. If conditions are prime our mission here is to find FLOW in POWDER…. We’ll start our day early meeting in small groups over breakfast, where together we will study the trail map and talk about areas we want to explore. Once at the mountain our mission is to connect what we saw on the map with real-time execution then lay down lines we are proud of.

Day 7, Friday, Kokusai or Asarigawa

The beaches get busier as we get closer to the weekend and so do the ski resorts.. knowing that secret beach.. that place only locals go.. is paramount to catching waves. Kokusai is just as snowy as Kiroro, in-fact they are on opposing sides of the same mountain, however Kokusai see’s far less visitation, meaning no lift lines and more powder in the trees. Our mission this day will be based 100% on rider goals and conditions of the day. If we see a dramatic snowfall at low elevation we may go even further into local territory and ride Asarigawa.

Day 8, Saturday, Tiene

We’re leaving the Ocean and we’re headed to the Biggest City in Hokkaido “Sapporo”. In route we’ll spend our final day riding Sapporo Tiene. Tiene currently holds the Progression Sessions Title as the “Best Tree Riding in Hokkaido”, Tiene also has an amazing steep off-piste decent under the now defunct tramway, as well as a decent park. This will be our final day on snow so our theme is APPRECIATION… celebrating our new found skills, snapping all the photos, and asking any of those final coaching questions. After snowboarding we’ll check into our new PREMIER HOTEL near the city center of Sapporo.

Day 9, Sunday, Sapporo Winter Festival

For our final day we’re packing up the snowboards and riding sidewalks and subways instead. We’ve scheduled our session to culminate at the Sapporo Winter Festival. Every year the city puts on a show with snow sculptures the size of buildings, and Ice villages that feel like you’ve been transported to a fairy tail. We’ll plan a city excursion as a group or you can elect to do your own thing and spend the day at the spa or chasing down your favorite collectables. Either way when the sun sets we are getting back together as a group for hosted a celebration worthy of our efforts..

Day 10, Monday, Sayonara

All good things must come to an end or at least a temporary one. After breakfast we’ll say goodbye, I’ll probably cry. We’ll either take you to the airport for your departing flight, or help you arrange transportation to your next Japanese destination.

• Transportation From the Start, We meet you at the airport and we take you back when its over
• Lodging, 9 nights in a combination of 4 star Hotels.
  *Rooms are double occupancy, all have ensuite restrooms and western beds. If traveling alone we will pair you with another attendee of the same gender. If you’re traveling with a friend you can request to share a room at no additional charge. If you prefer your privacy we offer a private room upgrade for a fee*
• Coaching, 7 days of professional coaching/guiding in a small group setting (maximum 1 coach per 4 campers). Our coaches are all masters of their craft and are selected based on their specialty skills and what they bring to the session.
• Optional Pre-Session Prep Meeting, 1 on 1 with a coach via zoom.
• Lift Tickets at all locations
  *Use your Indy Pass at Yubari and Kiroro and receive a $100 Discount*
  
• All Breakfasts
• All Dinners, hosted nightly by our team at select local restaurants
• Dedicated Support that speaks Japanese and can help with everything from purchasing gifts to extending your trip
• Off Snow Video Review and Goal Setting
• Scheduled Cultural activities, and night riding opportunities
• A Branded Gift Something you’ll want to keep and use for years to come
• A Post Session Report outlining your skill upon completion complete with notes from your coach for future improvement

• International Flight
• Lunch on the mountain
• Extra Adult Beverages, in most cases we’ll get the first round but the next one will be on your tab
• Medical care, we’ll do our best to get you whatever help you need but you’ll need to settle the bill
• Snowboard gear, snowboard demos will be available at some locations but it’s best to start your progression on gear you are comfortable with
• Travel Insurance, a policy that covers you in case of an injury snowboarding is mandatory. We highly suggest a “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 will do everything in our power to ensure your safe travel