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 terrain parks of all sizes, 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. To augment your skills you will also get a chance to try out some gear specific to the country; powder boards, carving boards, and freestyle samurai shred vessels that compliment Japan’s conditions and style of riding. Each day will have an educational focus tailored to your skills with the intent of providing you access to more terrain, more tricks, more style, and ultimately more fun.
Examples of an educational focus: Open Bowl Powder, Trees, Steeps, Japan Style Carving, Japan Style Ground Tricks, moguls, backcounty safety and route planning.
The adventure continues off-snow where we host nightly dinners at local restaurants, and access area hot springs (onsens). Connecting your pallet and your body with the best opportunity to start every day refreshed and renewed.
We’ll finish off this part of our journey 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 us to everyone to choose their own adventure, spend the day taking pictures of historical spots, petting cats in a café, lounging in a spa, etc. After a full day of whatever, we’ll hit the streets as one big group for a celebration in Tokyo Style, where we’ll eat some exciting food, and maybe even make some new friends over karaoke.
Then we are off to Hokkaido
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!
We’ll Spend our first 3 nights centrally located in the small village of Minamifurano in a brand new Marriot. 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 Hokkaido 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 snowboarders. After registering you will receive a follow up communication to discuss your current skill to insure your readiness to adequately enjoy all the terrain Japan has to offer.
This premier session has a minimum participation of 8 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 $400 discount on the total of your registration
- Transportation From the Start, We meet you at the airport.
- Domestic flight from Tokyo to Sapporo
- Lodging, 14 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, 10 full days of professional coaching in a group setting by a level 3 AASI 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.
- 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 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 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 5hrs, 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, Ride 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 boards, 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, Ride 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 to scope out some “Japanese Shred Weapons” (Demo Boards) and grab dinner. After dinner for those still hungry for turns we’ll host an (optional) night shred session and see if we can snap a pick of a “snow ghost”.
Day 4, Wednesday, Ride 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 decerning 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 exploring a positive stance in pursuit of the perfect J-carves on Arai’s pristine groomed slopes.
After boarding we’ll change shoes and take an early dinner at the Hotel at the base of Arai before heading home for a good nights sleep.
Day 5, Thursday, Hikarigahara Backcountry Cat Tour!
We are waking up early and hitting the road for today we are going Cat Boarding in the wild backcountry of the Japanese Alps, 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 ride. A portion of the morning will consist of a little education on safe practices while in the backcountry, you’ll also learn a little on how to properly use an avalanche transceiver. Once we start riding 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, Ride 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 snowboarding we’re hitting the road for our fancy hotel in Shinjuku, 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, Transfer to Hokkaido
After breakfast it’s off to the airport for our flight to Hokkaido!
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’ll grab our bags and hit the slopes of near by Mt. Racey or Tomamu for an afternoon on the snow before we drive on to our Hotel in Minamifurano.
Day 2, Monday, Ride 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, Ride 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 riding, 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, Ride 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 boarding we’re gonna keep it easy with dinner and an onsen at our hotel.
Day 5, Thursday, Ride 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 ride 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 riding 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 from between hotels is about 2hrs so this will be a great opportunity to relax for 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 snowboard scene. 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’ll 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.