Explore the best ski areas near Sapporo, Otaru and Niseko in this 7-day backcountry ski tour in Hokkaido, together with an IFMGA mountain guide.
7 Days
Jan - Apr
I can take you to some of the main ski areas in Hokkaido: near Sapporo, Otaru (for example, the ski resort of Kiroro) and Niseko.
All of them offer a mix of lift accessed freeriding and backcountry skiing involving full hikes. There are different options for intermediate skiers and also for beginners.
I can pick you up at the airport and take you back there if you need to. Besides, I can help you renting some of the equipment. Below this description, you will find some details about this, as well as an itinerary of the trip.
All the activities in the itinerary can be customized according to your skills and wishes, and may change depending on the snow and weather conditions.
In Sapporo:
Sapporo Grand Hotel. It is located very centrally and has direct access to the underground paths (connected also to JR Sapporo station), so you won’t freeze in the winter. It has been ranked no. 8 in Best Hotel served Breakfast in Japan for 2016. It has facilities such as spa and so on, and it’s the oldest hotel in Sapporo with 80 years of history.
Cross Hotel Sapporo. Stylish and modern hotel, and a little “arty”. The hotel bar plays live Jazz music and on the top floor there is an onsen where you can enjoy the night city view. Located centrally, 5 min walk from JR Sapporo station.
JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo: it is the highest tower hotel in Sapporo so you can have an amazing view of the city. There is a spa at the top and you can enjoy the night city view from the onsen there. It is located next to JR Sapporo station.
Near Kiroro:
Otaru Asarigawa Onsen: it is a traditional ryokan with onsen.
Furukawa in Otaru: very good traditional ryokan with onsen in the heart of the picturesque city of Otaru.
In Niseko:
Please contact me if you want to be a part of this backcountry ski tour in Hokkaido. I will make sure that you have an amazing experience!
- Guiding fee
- Mountain guide expenses
Arrive at Sapporo. We’ll meet and sort out rental equipments.
Accommodation: Hotel in Sapporo.
I will pick you up from the hotel and drive (1 hour) to Sapporo Kokusai ski area and go for a mini ski tour.
Accommodation: Ryokan in Kiroro.
I will pick you up from your hotel, and drive to Kiroro Snow World for a day of guiding around piste and a mini ski tour.
Accommodation: Ryokan in Kiroro.
I will pick you up from your hotel, and drive to Niseko (2 hours). Ski in Niseko and possible to do a backcountry ski tour.
Accommodation in Niseko.
I will pick you up from your hotel, and head to a different ski area in Niseko. Possible to do a backcountry ski tour.
Accommodation in Niseko.
I will pick you up from your hotel, and drive to Rusutsu ski area (1 hour). We’ll ski there and drive back to Sapporo afterwards (2 hours).
Accommodation: hotel in Sapporo.
I will pick you up from your hotel, and drive to Chitose Airport (1.5 hour).
More info
These items are not included in the price: -Rental costs, own accommodations, lift passes (guide’s lift pass expense should also be covered).
Equipment:
-Bring your own gears like boots, skis, snowboards, snowshoes (if applicable), skins, poles, Avalanche Safety Gears (beacon, probe, shovel).
-Some of the items like Avalanche safety gears can be rented.
-Please let me know which equipment you will need to rent. In case you need to rent skis, you should send me photos of your boots so I can learn about the brand / model / boot size.
Meeting point
4.8
(71)
Mountain Guide
I am an experienced IFMGA mountain guide, born and raised in Hokkaido, Japan. I started skiing when I was 3 and started climbing when I was 6. My high school years were spent in ski competitions and I joined mountaineering club at University, where I developed my ski mountaineering skills. I have been a ski instructor for Miura Dolphins founded by Yuichiro Miura (first ski descent of the Everest “The Man Who Skied Down Everest” and the oldest Everest summiting record holder at 80 years old) and also supported Yuichiro's Aconcagua ascent and ski descent in 1984 as a part of his 7 summits ski descent challenge.
I was inspired by the works of mountain guides in Chamonix when I visited there in 1983, and decided to start guiding as a mountain guide in Japan in 1989 to share my passion and experiences in outdoors sports with other people, as well as to offer instruction to people enjoying the mountains to be better climbers / skiers. I have also contributed to the proper training of JMGA (Japan Mountain Guides Association) guides and the affiliation of it to IFMGA. I am responsible for the pioneering of the climbing and backcountry skiing scenes in Japan.
My main guiding arena is alpinism, whether it be mountaineering or ski mountaineering, mainly in Hokkaido. I usually take a small group of people (2-5) for Sawanobori (canyoning up waterfalls), alpine climbing, ice climbing, and ski touring in the more remote areas of Japan.
I enjoy finding the best experience for each client accordingly to their physical abilities, preferences, and weather/conditions. I guide because I like watching and feeling that people are enjoying and having fun, and see how this buzz infects other people through skiing and climbing. I find this invaluable as a mountain guide.
There is more to Hokkaido than skiing lift accessible powder in January and February. Please reach out to me to find your own customised way to enjoy Hokkaido’s mountains, natures and culture!
Languages
Japanese | English
Certificates
IFMGA
Man
5
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
5
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
5
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
5
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
5
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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