Backcountry ski expedition in Teshiodake, Hokkaido

Mulhacen North Face 2-day guided ascent 5

Follow Akihiro, a local JMGA mountain guide, on a 4-day backcountry ski expedition in Teshiodake, sleeping in tents and enjoying the best Hokkaido's powder!

4 Days

Jan - Mar

High

Description

Join me on an exciting backcountry ski expedition in Teshiodake, a Japanese peak inside Teshiodake Prefectural Natural Park, in central Hokkaido.

This part of Hokkaido is blessed with best quality as well as top quantity of snow in Japan. So prepare yourself for some great skiing in untracked runs!

Some highlights of this ski expedition

Being in a remote area, deep into the mountains. While ski areas nearby are more and more populated with backcountry skiers, this area is still uncrowded. In fact, we'll only get the chance of being there because we'll set up a tent base camp near the foot of Mt Teshiodake.
Enjoying ski or snowboard descents in open powder slopes with no other people in sight, leaving your undisturbed tracks on the white canvass.
The vertical descent from the summit of Mt Teshiodake is 700 m and you can ski/snowboard all the way down!
There are also powder tree runs to diversify your backcountry experience.
At the end of each day, you'll be able to spend some special time with your friends and other members of the group in a cozy tent setting.

Required technical and fitness level

Proficient in skinning. Being able to use ski crampons.
Be able to ski an ungroomed steep slope of 40 degrees in a safe and stable manner.
Have an experience in camping or have an interest in it.
Be able to hike up 3-4 hours per day whilst carrying a day pack full of day gears.
Be able to walk on hiking routes for 2 hours with 20-25kg backpack with camping gears.
Have sufficient experience in backcountry skiing or snowboarding as well as being in winter snow mountains.

I propose to adapt this trip according to your wishes and requirements. So please let me know how many days you have available, if there are specific areas you'd like to ski in and if you have any objectives in mind or peaks you'd like to ski from.

Are you ready for a great adventure in the mountains of Hokkaido? Get in touch with me to start planning this backcountry ski expedition in Teshiodake! If you need some extra inspiration, you can read about the recent experience of a group of clients and a member of the Explore-Share team.

Besides, you can combine this ski expedition with some other programmes in this area. You can check this powder ski touring trip in Asahikawa and Furano, join me for a powder hunting trip in Hokkaido or for a ski touring trip in Harukayama.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Dinner

Price details

The price includes shared equipment cost and food during camping.

Lunch, snacks and any alcoholic beverages are not included.

Itinerary

Day 1: Shinchitose Airport - Teshiodake base camp

Meet at Shinchitose Airport and drive to mountain trail entrance. Hike to Base Camp (BC) at approximate altitude 663 m and set up tents. 2 hours activity.

Day 2: Summit Mt Teshiodake (1558 m)

Depart BC to head to the summit of Mt Teshiodake (1558 m). Ski descent of south east face and back to BC via Ichinosawa.

7 hours activity hours.

Take day sack, avalanche safety gears (beacon, shovel, probe), water, snacks, emergency kit etc.

Day 3: Backcountry skiing day

Depart BC and enjoy backcountry skiing in the area for whole day. 7 hours activity hours.

Day 4: Return to Shinchitose Airport

Backcountry skiing in areas near the BC in the morning. Clean and disassemble BC at around 11 am to head back.

Enjoy and cleanse ourselves at an Onsen on the way back.

Drive you back to Shinchitose Airport by around 6 pm.

Details

More info

Climate: day light hours in Hokkaido during Jan - Feb is Sunrise at 6:30 / 7 am and Sunset at 4:30 / 5 pm.

Temperatures: Niseko, Otaru, Sapporo Area - Average daily low at -8c in Jan/Feb. In the mountains, -10c to -15c. Asahidake, Tokachidake, Teshiodake Area - Very cold in Jan/Feb. Even in Asahikawa City, the average daily low is around -13c and in the mountains it could be as low as or lower than -25c. In both regions, the number of sunny days are very limited. In general, there are more than 25 days of snow in a month.

Kit List: Ski gears (skis, boots, skins, avalanche safety gears), crampons, 70-80L backpack, winter sleeping bag (-20c to -25c, or -15c but to be used with down jacket), sleeping mat, sleeping bag cover, down tent shoes / booties, ski wears, down jacket, balaclava, sunglasses, head torch, spare batteries, spare underwear top and bottom, spare socks, bowl / cutleries (plate, bowl, chopsticks, cutleries e.g. spork for 2 meals, can be disposable), water bottle (at least 1L), thermos (0.5-1l), day sack that you use for normal backcountry skiing, lunches on the mountain and snacks, face towel, hat, fleece lined gloves, camera, stuff sac / thick plastic bag used for content organisation inside tent, emergency kit (emergency bivvy sack, hand warmers, some snacks), travel insurance, other personal items.

Meeting point

Shinchitose Airport.

FAQs

What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?

We understand that finding the perfect place to stay is an essential part of your adventure experience. To help you with this, we’ve curated a list of three highly recommended hotels that offer comfort, convenience, and a touch of local charm. These accommodations are well-suited for adventurers looking to relax and rejuvenate after an exciting day of exploration

Japan Kita Hotel

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Japan Hotel Katsurada

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Shari

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Shari

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Shiretoko Prince Hotel Kazanamiki

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Shari

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Japan

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About the guide

Akihiro

4.00

(1)

Mountain Guide

I am a JMGA certified Stage II Mountaineering Guide, and am also certified with Technical Rope Rescue license.
My father’s passion got me started in skiing and mountaineering early in my life - I competed in Cross Country skiing during my high school in universities years at the National level and I’ve been a mountain guide since 1996 when I moved to Hokkaido.
I also appear regularly in mountain related media such as magazines, TV programmes and radio channels. My favourite guiding activity is backcountry skiing, especially when I guide clients to remote places for untracked powder runs, which are earned by hiking up. Mt Teshiodake is my favourite destination in Hokkaido for this. I also surf in the summer!

My extensive climbs and expeditions abroad include the Ski descent of Denali, Sea kayak and Ski expedition along Aleutian islands, Sea kayak and ski expedition in Greenland, Himalaya skiing, Climb of Alpamayo south west route, Ski descent of Mt Pisco in Peru, Field assistant in Antarctica over its winter etc.

I will fully support you on your adventure in this land of north for all four seasons, let it be a pristine powder skiing experience in the world’s best powder snow or the summer mountains or the sea. Whether you are a beginner eager to learn the world of mountains or an experienced mountaineer looking to improve your skills, or an advanced mountain goer keen to enjoy the mountains at the limit of your abilities, I will be very happy to guide you for you to achieve your goals.

Languages

Japanese | English

Certificates

JMGA

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What people are saying about Akihiro

Katrina

5.00

This a beautiful day and a half tour with views of the ocean behind you and unless it's a weekend you'll likely be the only people on the mountain. The first day didn't involve much skiing, there is a 3 hour hike then skins off and a nice gentle slope down to the hut. Unfortunately this had been tracked out by snowmobilers. So we didn't lap it and got to the hut at 2.30pm. AKI kept us entertained with stories of his incredible experiences from around the world. The second day, the two slopes that we lapped were really playful and not a track in sight! Would highly recommend AKI as a guide and hut is brilliant!