Powder Ski Trip in Niseko and Sapporo

Question 1

Where will you pick me up when I arrive in Japan?

Answer

You will fly to Sapporo New Chitose Airport. If you travel to Sapporo/Chitose airport via Tokyo, please look for “Domestic Departures” in Tokyo. You will have to recheck your baggage in Tokyo.

If we have not agreed otherwise, we will await you on an agreed date and time (we will write to you a few days before arrival) at the airport. (We take a maximum of 6 people at a time, if your arrival is earlier than pick-up time, you can visit restaurants (or onsens-if you have more time ) on the 3rd floor of the airport). We will be at the Domestic Arrival Terminal, Gate 1. Please look for the "SHERPAS RIDE" sign around the waiting area in front of the LAWSON grocery store. This gate is the one most to the right when facing outside.

In case of any problems in Japan, please drop a message to a common WhatsApp group (you will receive an invitation to the group a few days before arrival).

Question 2

When do we have to arrive and leave?

Answer

ARRIVAL DESTINATION: Sapporo Chitose International Airport

ARRIVAL DATE and TIME: First day of the camp around noon or afternoon (no later than 16:00)

DEPARTURE DESTINATION: Sapporo Chitose International Airport DEPARTURE DATE and TIME: Last day anytime (even early morning is fine)

E.g. for the 16th of January - the 26th of January camp - January 16th would be the arrival date to Sapporo and January 26th would be the day you leave Sapporo.

We recommend spending a few days in Tokyo either before (usually better, because you get used to the new time zone).

Question 3

What ski boots should I take to Sapporo and Niseko?

Answer

Freeride (downhill) boot with ski/walk. If you have pin inserts, you can use our pin binding, otherwise, you will use frame binding with the touring option. Boot examples: Tecnica Cochise, Lange XT FREE.

Question 4

What is the difference between freeride camp and the hokkaido roadtrip?

Answer

Freeride Camp is based in Kutchan (access to Niseko and Sapporo Area), whereas on Hokkaido Road Trip (https://www.explore-share.com/trip/backcountry-ski-touring-hokkaido/) after 4 days skiing around Niseko and Sapporo area, you move to the north to Furano. On Freeride Camp, we aim to have 1-2 days of ski touring, while on Road Trip, there is normally 1 more day of touring. Freeride/touring ratio depends also on weather and group requirements.

Question 5

Do you get skiers, snowboarders or both?

Answer

We get both skiers and snowboarders. Our main priority is to split guests into groups based on their ski/ride level. If possible we try to keep skiers only, snowboarders only groups.

Question 6

What is the budget for your camps?

Answer

Count with 4000 - 6000 YEN per day. Hirafu offers a variety of bars and restaurants with Ramen (starting at 800 YEN), Sashimi (raw fish, starting at 1000 YEN), and a lot of other types of food. Big supermarkets Max Value and Lucky are located in Kutchan walking distance from our house.

Question 7

Should I take cash or credit card?

Answer

Credit and debit cards are generally accepted in Tokyo and Sapporo and in stores in Kutchan. Some of the smaller restaurants in Kutchan accept cash only, however, you can cash out in any 7-Eleven store (cash out at least 15,000 JPY for your first few days in Japan).

Question 8

What insurance should I take?

Answer

Our guests are required to arrange insurance covering freeride and ski-touring and sufficient medical care in case of injury or illness. We also strongly recommend CANCELLATION INSURANCE might you get injured or sick prior to your trip.

If you don't have your own proven travel insurance for freeriding and ski-touring please ask us our recommendations. As we do not follow up on changes in particular insurance policies, please contact the insurance company for the specifics. If your local insurance does not work you can try ERV in the Czech Republic. You can arrange the insurance in English at this link (https://www.ervpojistovna.cz/en/travel-insurance-singletrip). If you go with this option, double-check if it is applicable to your country.

BEWARE OFF:

When choosing the right package, always check thoroughly that it covers both freeriding and ski-touring with the following specifics:

Freeriding: Skiing or snowboarding outside of the marked trails and slopes.

Ski-touring: Ski touring in a free terrain, outside the boundaries of the ski resorts and marked trails.

CANCELLATION INSURANCE:

Insurance against having to cancel the camp by your side (injury, illness, etc.). If you don't have cancellation insurance on your flight separately, include the flight ticket in the total sum for the trip.

Important note:

When arranging your travel insurance with ERV (and other companies) and opting for the cancel insurance option, please arrange your insurance no later than 2 weeks after making the first payment for the trip (flight ticket or deposit)

ALPENVEREIN:

Alpenverein Insurance is not sufficient in its basic version, because coverage of medical expenses is only 10,000 EUR. If you want to use Alpenverein, please purchase additional insurance (fee 44 EUR - might be different in your country) for travel of a maximum of 17 days. Please note that Alpenverein does not have Assistance Service in Japan. In case of an accident, you would have to pay upfront, take the receipts, and get refunded in Europe. Alpenverein does not offer liability for damage to property insurance (e.g. loss of our ski) and baggage insurance. We recommend combining Alpenverein with other insurance that covers the mentioned accidents. If you are not a member of Alpenverein, you don't have to purchase it just for our trip.

Question 9

What should I bring with me? Do you have a check list?

Answer

Important:

- Passport (biometric, valid after you leave Japan)

- Credit card (ideally 2 types (e.g. Mastercard and Visa)

- Insurance card

- At least 30000 JPY of emergency cash

- Cellphone + charger

Clothes and Equipment:

- Ski/Snb boots (check the above FAQ for boot recommendations)

- Helmet

- Ski Googles (take clear lense, or for bad weather)

- Snowboarders: Take your binding

- Sun Glasses

- Hard Shell (Outter) Jacket

- Hard Shell (Outter) Pants

- Warm second layer

- First layer shirt (at least 2, merino recommended)

- First layer pants (at least 2, merino recommended)

- Ski/Snb socks

- Gloves

- Lighter gloves for touring

- Beanie

- Balaclava/Buff (something so you don't eat powder all the time :)

- Non-ski clothes (t-shirts, sweatshirt, pants, underwear etc.)

- Slippers for the house

You can use our equipment (please refer to Booking Information email), if

you decide NOT to, bring the following:

- Skis with touring (frame or tech) binding / Snowboard with binding

- Poles / Collapsible poles

- Skins

- Freeride backpack or Avalanche backpack

- Shovel

- Probe

- Beacon (we recommend to bring at least your beacon, since you are

familiar with it)

Recommended:

- Down Jacket or third layer (usually it is around -5C to -10C but can go up

to -20C, can get windy and chilly on the lifts)

- First aid kit

- Tape (for pressure points in ski boots, blisters etc.)

- Medical stuff you use

- Vitamins

- Multitool/Swiss Army knife

- Duct Tape

- Back protector

- GoPro or other action camera + charger + SD cards + mounts

Optional:

- Drivers Licence

- International Drivers Licence

Question 10

What's the average age of the participants joining?

Answer

Most of our guests are between 30 and 45 years old. However, we had guest anywhere between 18 and 70 years old.

Question 11

Where do the participants usually come from?

Answer

Most of our guests are from Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech & Slovak Republic, Italy, France, UK, Sweden, Spain, Poland and more). We get clients from the US, Canada, Australia, South America and elsewhere. We speak English, Spanish, Czech, and some German. The main language spoken by our guides on the camp is English.

Question 12

How do you split the groups?

Answer

We split guests into groups based on their ski/ride level and ski touring expectations. If you have a private trip, you stay together as a group. On big touring days (Mt. Yotei e.g.) whenever possible we create one faster and one slower group, which can be different than for freeriding days.

Question 13

What level for the participants usually have?

Answer

We have had folks who tried powder skiing for the first time as well as riders back-flipping pillows and hitting avalanche barriers. And we were able to satisfy both with adequate terrain choice and itinerary. Most of our skiers already have experience with powder skiing and are reasonably fit to be able to go for a backcountry tour. Talk to us directly, we will assess your skiing/riding level and place you in a suitable group.

Question 14

What ski, snowboard and other equipment you have to use for free?

Answer

We provide top level equipment for free use in Japan.

SKIS:

Kastle FX and BMX (115mm and 105mm under foor) Scott Scrapper (120mm and 110mm underfoot) and Armada JJ (117mm underfoot) in various lenghts for men and women

SNOWBOARDS:

Nitro Slash and Pow (powder specific) and GARA and NITRO Splitboards

BINDINGS:

Skiers: : Fritschi Tecton (tech binding) and Tyrolia Adrenalin (frame binding, classic binding with hiking option)

AVALANCHE GEAR:

Shovel, probe. Beacon is not included, but we can rent it for you for 90 EUR for the whole trip.

POLES

2-piece telescopic poles for skiers and 3-piece telescopic poles for snowboarders

CARTRIDGES:

We provide cartridges for ABS backpacks, so you don't have to bring your cartridge on the plane. Please bring your avalanche backpack. We don't have cartridges from Mammut, BCA, Alpride and other brands. We do not provide ski boots, helmets, snowboard boots nor snowboard bindings.

You can reserve all the gear we provide in the booking form after you sign up for your trip.

Question 15

Do I need my avalanche bag in Japan?

Answer

The short answer is yes. I would definitely bring it for the Honshu Trip and Rishiri Trip since the mountains are higher and steeper. For Freeride Camp and Hokkaido Road Trip, I would still recommend it. If you absolutely don't want to go through the hassle at the airport, then use our non-avalanche backpack from Pieps.

Question 16

Can I send my luggage via post and travel light to Tokyo, Kyoto, etc.?

Answer

Yes. Please check YAMATO (http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/) You can send your luggage straight to your terminal of departure to Sapporo. If you travel to Tokyo after our camps, you can arrange it while on the camp.

Question 17

What are the requirements related to the VISA?

Answer

Please check visa requirements with your Japanese embassy. Citizens of most countries don’t need visas to enter Japan. They receive 90-day permit to travel in the country upon arrival.

Before landing in Japan, you will be asked to fill in an Immigration Form. You will need our address in Japan: 3-chōme-2-31 Kita 3 Jōhigashi, Abuta-Gun, Kutchan- Cho 044-0003, Hokkaido, Japan. The purpose of travel is tourism.

During a short interview with an immigration officer please state that you're going to Niseko for skiing. Sherpas Ride is registered in Europe, they wouldn't know the company, so you don't need to try to explain you go skiing with us :)

IMPORTANT NOTE: For travel to Japan you will need either a biometrical passport or one with a machine-readable two-line code at the end of the passport (a combination of your name, surname, letter, number, and other characters). Most of the passports these days are biometrical. Only the express passports (issued in under 30 days) are not biometrical. If you are not sure, please check with the office which issued your passport.

Question 18

How does the last night in Sapporo work?

Answer

After a day of skiing (usually in some of the Sapporo resorts), we get to the hotel in Sapporo (which we cover), go for a good-bye dinner and if the group is up for it we check nightlife in Sapporo (Clubs, Karaoke, Baseball batting station and more). We are not able to bring everyone individually to the airport, plus a lot of time it would be risky (time-wise) during the snowstorm, so our preferred solution is the suburban train to the airport which takes 45 minutes.

Question 19

Do you have travel tips for Tokyo?

Answer

We suggest the following:

- Stroll through Akihabara during the day

- Sky Tree during the day

- Shibuya Crossing - just to see the amount of people on one single crossing (can sit down in Starbucks and watch the mayhem)

- Shinjuku during the night

- Travel in Tokyo Metro during rush hour

- Party in Roppongi

- Book Robot Restaurant (book ahead) and all the bizarre stuff Tokyo has to offer

Accommodation:

We have a good experience with MyStays Hotels (note that Japanese-size double bed is much narrower than standards)

Question 20

Should I bring my own equipment?

Answer

Bringing your own gear is recommended since you will ski/ride on what you know. However, we cannot discount the trip, since our costs are fixed. We recommend at least 105 underfoot and pin touring binding (ATK, Fritschi Tecton, etc.) or frame touring binding (e.g. Tyrolia Adrenalin, Marker Duke) for skiing in Japan.

Question 21

What facilities are in the house?

Answer

The house includes all these facilities:

- Free coffee

- Wahser and Dryer

- Restroom

- Shower and bath with tub

- Hair dryer

- Kitchen

- Bath towel, face towel, toothbrush and shaver

Question 22

What do you recommend for internet & data sim cards in Japan?

Answer

There is a good wifi in our house in Kutchan. If you want to be connected on the slopes as well, we recommend buying a data sim card at the Telecom Square store, which you will find at the domestic terminal in front of the bridge to the international terminal.