Japan Ski Touring 2025

Our 2025 Japan Ski Touring trips will include a foray into the lesser known Aomori Springs area, an absolutely amazing lift assisted ski touring location, followed by an adventure in the more the popular Niseko zone to explore more amazing powder, natural hot springs and volcanos before heading further north to central Hokkaido. Each trip is 7 days long and set-up to run as a stand-alone adventure but if you wanted to join for more that one just let us know!

Aomori Springs Trips:

About as far north as you can get on the main island of Honshu is Aomori city, the snowiest inhabited city on earth! We'll be based out of the Aomori Springs area on the northern slopes of the Mt. Iwaki for the first half of the trip. From there we'll use the Aomori Springs ski lifts to gain access onto the large volcano to access some of the best tree skiing we've found in Japan. With long and consistent fall-line skiing, perfectly spaced trees, soft snow, and amazing views of the ocean, this area is hard to beat. There's also the opportunity to summit Iwaki for some alpine skiing when the clouds break and we get some sunny weather. After that we'll head over to Hakkoda, not so much a ski resort as it has only 2 groomed runs but an epic backcountry area that's accessed via a ropeway.

If you've been to Japan before and want to check out a new area, this is it! Aormoi Springs is the STATE OF JAPOW (as the t-shirt says). We also offer an option for guests to join us at the Tokyo Grande Sumo Tournament before the trip starts, a fun and unique way to spend a day in Tokyo.

Niseko Trips:

The popular Niseko area is one of the most renown ski destinations in Japan for a reason. The area sports absolutely huge snowfall amounts, amazing lift assisted ski touring, easy road access to a ton of pure backcountry touring, the perfectly conically shaped volcano of Mt. Yotei that can be summited on sunny days and point to point traverses. With so much amazing skiing to be had it can be hard to decide where to go on a given day but not to worry, there are no bad choices! There's also a ton of amazing onsens (hot springs), great restaurants, pubs and of course cultural tour opportunities at the start and end of the trip. We're also going to be organizing 1 or 2 days of cat skiing for anyone that's interested in adding it onto the trip. There will be a small additional cost for the add-on but we're still working out the exact details.

Central Hokkaido Trips:

We’ll hit the inland powder highway on Hokkaido for some amazing skiing, beautiful natural onsen pools and of course some great food. With stops at various locations including Asahidake for a few days with fingers crossed for a bluebird summit day. The Hakuginso zone skiing peaks such as Tokachidake, Maetokachidake and Furanodake. And, depending on weather, a stop at Furano or Kamui for some storm skiing or Tomamu for some amazing backcountry. This package will get you a well rounded look at what the less-touristy areas of Hokkaido have to offer.

Sign up for any trip depending on your preference: Classic Japow adventure (Niseko), Road Tripping (Central Hokkaido) or something different (Aomori Springs). Or better yet, join us for couple of trips! But be warned, these areas get a massive amount of snowfall. Additional details can be found in the Itinerary tab.

The Scene:

Now half the fun of a Japan ski touring holiday is checking out the local culture and of course the local food. Japanese apres ski culture always involves a long soak in an Onsen, a traditional natural hot spring, to ease tired muscles. That is followed by an amazing meal. Sushi, ramen, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, omo-rice and more might not mean much to you now, but they’ll soon become favorites!

Of course no foreign vacation is complete without sampling some of the local beer and spirits! Not to worry, Japan’s famous for its amazing Scotch and Sake, but of course it also has a booming craft brewery scene that begs to be sampled as well. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Foodie, fine beverage connoisseur or an avid skier just looking for some filling food at the end of a big day you will be more than happy with the local offerings.

Waiver & Risk Management:

As you know, outdoor activities involve numerous hazards including, but not limited to, avalanches, crevasses, rockfall, slips and falls, equipment failure, poor weather, etc. And while we do our best to anticipate and mitigate these hazards we cannot completely eliminate them. So, as with anything fun, you will be required to sign our Participant Release to take part in one of our courses or trips.