Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring 2026

Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring Trips - Let us take care of the trip organization and leave you to explore some of the most amazing ski areas in Japan that you've never heard of (an neither has anyone else). Leave the crowds behind and explore the real Japan!

BlackSheep Adventure runs several Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring trips in conjunction with our regular guided trips. This means that, in addition to organizing your accommodation and vehicle rentals, that we can provide information on the snowpack, a daily avalanche hazard forecast from our certified forecaster as well as information on where our experienced guides think the best snow will be found. As many areas in Japan do not get any snowpack information or avalanche hazard forecasting it can be difficult to know what's happening under the surface. It's also not always easy to know where to go and how to access the backcountry in different areas.

For 2026 our Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring trips will expand on our annual forays into the lesser known Aomori & Hakkoda areas into some new areas that offer absolutely amazing opportunities for lift assisted ski touring in addition to some amazing roadside exploration and epic volcano summits. Following our Aomori trips we will explore further north into the central Hokkaido area. The details on each trip is provided below.

Trip Options:

10-Day Aomori Spring, Hakkoda & Hachimantai Trip:

This 10-day Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring trip will be running from January 19 to 29, 2026 at a cost of $2,999 USD and includes the hotels, transportation and most meals for 9 days of skiing with travel days on either end.

BOOK 11-DAY SELF-GUIDED AOMORI TRIP

About as far north as you can get on the main island of Honshu is Aomori city, the snowiest inhabited city on earth! It also happens to be our personal favorite area in Japan to ski as it doesn't tend to have any crowds, the snow's usually deeper than any other Japan destinations, and the terrain is great with long runs, big volcanos and perfectly spaced trees. For this trip we will explore 3 of the best zones in the Aomori area:

• Part 1, Aomori Springs: For the first 3 days we will be based out of the sea-side town of Ajigasawa in a hotel that's perched above the ocean. From there it's a short drive to the Aomori Springs Ski Resort on the northern slopes of the volcano Mt. Iwaki. Using the Aomori Springs ski lifts we can gain access onto the large volcano and explore some of the best tree skiing we've found in Japan. With long and consistent fall-line pitches, perfectly spaced trees, soft snow, and amazing views of the ocean, this area is hard to beat. There's also the opportunity to summit Mt. Iwaki for some alpine skiing and views when the clouds break and we get some sunny weather.
• Part 2, Hachimantai: After our time skiing in Aomori Springs we head south a little bit to the town of Hachimantai for 3 days. This zone is home to over 7 ski resorts with amazing opportunities for lift assisted ski touring as well as numerous roadside ski touring areas and of course another iconic volcano, Mt. Iwate. The summit of Mt. Iwate even offers a short ski run into the crater, much like Yotei, just without all the crowds! Never heard of this area? That's why it's a great place to explore.
• Part 3, Hakkoda: Our final 3 days will be spent exploring the powder paradise of Hakkoda. The area has a ring road that surrounds a group of peaks, including more iconic volcanos, that get an amazing amount of snow. The road often has vertical walls along the side that are 10' (3m) high! Even better, there's a ropeway (tram) that provides a 650m lift up onto a high bench near the summit of some of the peaks that can be used to get a head start on a day of ski touring.

As it can be hard to ski 9 days in a row we have added a rest-day in the middle. For the rest day we will take anyone interested in a tour of Aomori City and area with potential stops at Japan's oldest ski manufacturer, an onsen, a snow monkey refuge, etc. If you've been to Japan before and want to check out a new area, this is it! Aormoi really 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.

8-Day Aomori Spring & Hakkoda Trip:

This 8-day Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring trip is a slightly shorter version of the 11-day Aomori adventure as we forego the Hachimantai zone and focus on Aomori Springs and Hakkoda, two absolute gems! We have two trips available; January 19 to 26 or January 26 to February 2. This trip costs $2,199 USD and includes 6 ski days and is 8 days overall including travel.

BOOK 8-DAY SELF-GUIDED AOMORI TRIP

• Part 1, Aomori Springs: For the first 3 days we will be based out of the sea-side town of Ajigasawa in a great hotel that's perched above the ocean. From there it's a short drive to the Aomori Springs resort on the northern slopes of the volcano Mt. Iwaki. From there we'll use the Aomori Springs ski lifts to gain access onto the large volcano to explore 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.
• Part 2, Hakkoda: This powder paradise consists of a ring road that surrounds a group of peaks that can  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.

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.

8-Day Central Hokkaido Trip:

Our 8-day Central Hokkaido Self-Guided Japan Ski Touring trip will be running from Jan 26 to Feb 2 at a cost of $2,199 USD and includes 6 ski days with travel days on either end for a total trip length of 8 days.

BOOK 8-DAY SELF-GUIDED CENTRAL HOKKAIDO TRIP

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.

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.