This session starts in Tokyo when meet you at the airport, (Haneda preferred), from there we’re off to our PRIVATE SLOPE SIDE LODGE at Myoko Suginohara.
Myoko Kogen is home to 8 unique ski areas complete with epic groomers, steep off-piste lines, powdery trees, open bowls and endless opportunities to chase fluffy powder. We’ve crafted this session for maximum mobility, meaning that we have arranged transportation so we can easily react to the daily forecast, allowing us to choose the exact resort we ride each day, maximizing our opportunity for FUN! To top it off, we’ve gone the extra mile and scheduled a PRIVATE SNOW CAT TOUR to access untouched lines far beyond the boundaries of the resorts. Each day will have an educational focus tailored to your skills with the intent of providing you access to more terrain, more style and, ultimately, more fun.
Examples of an educational focus: open bowl powder, trees, steeps, moguls, back-country safety and route planning.
The adventure continues off-snow where we host nightly dinners at local restaurants, and access area hot springs (onsen). Connecting your pallet and your body with the best opportunity to start every day refreshed and renewed.
We’ll finish off the trip with a full day in the city of Tokyo Shinjuku. Shinjuku is a city within a city and is the epicenter of entertainment, shopping, and food in Tokyo. We chose this as our decompression spot central to everything, allowing everyone to choose their own adventure, spend the day taking pictures of historical spots, petting cats in a café, lounging in a spa, or whatever else you desire. After a full day of whatever, we’ll hit the streets as one big group for a final celebration Tokyo style where we’ll eat exciting food and maybe even make some new friends over karaoke.
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 Myoko 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 Hotel and Lodge Style accommodations. Rooms are shared.
(If you’re traveling with a friend you can request to share a room at no additional charge, limited availability for a private room for a fee) - Coaching, 5 full days of professional coaching in a group setting by a level 3 PSIA certified 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
- 1 day Private Snow Cat Tour
- All Breakfast, Breakfast will be offered at our accommodation daily.
- 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 against our 3 level freeride standard
- 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.
- Ski 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 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 by 5pm, from there we drive to our Private Lodge at Myoko Suginohara. The drive is approximately 5 hours, so dinner will be served in route. This is a great opportunity to get to know your new shred buddies, or catch some extra sleep on the road.
Day 2, Monday, Ski Suginohara
After a leisurely breakfast we will gear up and head to the mountain directly outside of our door.
“Sugi” as the locals call it is famed for having the longest run in Japan, the second largest vertical drop in Japan, as well as easy access tree riding, and a really long terrain park. We’ll spend the bulk of our first day getting our skis, bodies and minds aligned with our new environment. Coaches will collect video of your general technique for later review at our lodge on the big screen; this process of video review is essential in aligning your current skills with your goals for the session and beyond.
Day 3, Tuesday, Ski Akakura
This resort is the epicenter of Myoko life and is actually a combination of 2 ski resorts Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko. This resort sits above the main village of Myoko Kogen and for many is the only resort people visit when going to Myoko. This day is all about skill development fine tuning what you know and maybe even adding something new so you’ll be prepared with the necessary skills to handle the days ahead.
After a full day on the mountain we’ll trade our boots for shoes and head into the Akakura Village where we’ll have a chance check out local stores and grab dinner. After dinner, for those still hungry for turns we’ll host an (optional) night ski session and see if we can snap a pick of a “snow ghost”.
Day 4, Wednesday, Ski Lotte Arai
A personal favorite.. Lotte Arai is a qualifying stop on the Freeride World Tour, and one of the few Japanese resorts that is actually steep enough and open enough to necessitate constant avalanche mitigation, but don’t let that scare you… Lotte Arai is also a 5 star resort with fast heated lifts, wide open groomers, a modern gondola, and a lodge fit for the most discerning guests. Depending on the conditions of the day, we will either be chasing some of the best turns of our lives in Arai’s open glades and bowls, or carve Arai’s pristine groomed slopes.
After skiing we’ll change shoes and take an early dinner at the Hotel at the base of Arai before heading home for a good night’s sleep.
Day 5, Thursday, Hikarigahara Backcountry CatSki Tour!
We are waking up early and hitting the road for today we are going Cat skiing in the wild back-country of the Japanese Alp. This means that we will be taking diesel powered machines rather than traditional lifts up hill to access untouched powder! This trip is special as it is private to our group, so we can vibe as hard as we want without making anyone else uncomfortable, and we can be specific with our guides as to what type of terrain we would like to ski. A portion of the morning will consist of a little education on safe practices while in the back-country; you’ll also learn a little on how to properly use an avalanche transceiver. Once we start skiing, it’ll be powder run followed by powder run, coaches will aid in making sure you get a sweet video of yourself in the powder to show all your friends.
After riding we’ll head back to our lodge for a quick clean up before dinner in the Village.
Day 6, Friday, Ski Tanagram – Madarao
For our final day on snow were headed to the conjoined resorts of Tanagram Ski Circus and Madarao Kogen. These resorts are just FUN, with a plethora of gullies, glades, cruisy groomers, fast lifts, side hits, and a single seater chairlift that is sure to make you go “oop”. This day is all about you and your goals, with access to a variety of terrain you’ll have the perfect canvas to add the final touches to your Japan style.
After skiing we’re hitting the road for our fancy hotel in Shinjuku (Tokyo), don’t worry we’ll stop for dinner along the way.
Day 7, Saturday, Tokyo Day
Today you can wake up whenever you want. During the day we will offer a hosted tour of some of the must see sights, and must eat restaurants in Shinjuku. Or you can break away from the group and go at your own pace. In the evening we will reconvene at our hotel for a celebration worthy of our efforts and an (optional) evening adventure that lasts beyond dinner.
Day 8, Sunday, 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. A shuttle from our hotel will take you to your departing airport and terminal.
Or you can elect to stay longer and sign up for the Japan Super Session and follow us to Hokkaido for another full week of FUN!