Powder skiing in Japan: 10 days in Nagano, Hakuba

Jan was knowledgeable about the history and geography of the area, the route and pace were goid for me, he helped me with my attempt to learn Czech, the weather and snow were mostly good, altogether a very enjoyable day.

Guide: Jan Hais! What a great ski tour our threesome had in the Giant Mountains in the spring of 2022, with our guide Jan Hais. The weather was great, as was the culture of alpine huts and mountain lore in the land of the giant, Krkonoše. But the trip was really pulled together in such a successful way by the skill of our guide. He was an expert at understanding our needs. We were strong and experienced in some ways, yet less so in others, particularly in the use of alpine touring gear. Jan expertly knew when to give us room to roam, yet to jump into help when we needed it. Excellent! We did seem to fall through the cracks a little in pre-trip communications—not our guide’s fault. However, Jan listened empathetically to our concerns and his professionalism reassured us. Thank you, Jan Hais. Thanks, too, to the team at Explore-Share for reaching out to us over our pre-trip hiccups.

it was great! Jiri is a fantastic guide and man, we all enjoyed being with him a lot!!!

I had a great time and the guide really made me feel like we were friends on a day of climbing. Would do again! Thank you.

Since Jan was not available he recommend me to a guide friend of him and everything worked out perfectly. We did a day of cimbing in Adrspach and One in Checky Raj. Amazing experience!

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Jan was an amazing guide and knew the area incredibly well. It was raining the night before and he knew exactly where to go in the Bohemian Paradise where the crags are mostly dry. I had an amazing day of climbing with incredible views at the summit. Jan's expertise in climbing is impressive. I would definitely do this again the next time I'm in the area. I highly recommend him for any climbing excursions!

Awesome day of climbing provided by Jan. Extremely knowledgeable about the area and a fantastic climber and guide. This trip to Hruboskelsko was amazing in every way and climbing the towers an unbelievable experience. Would highly recommend this trip to all climbers, whether new or experienced.

Jan was amazing, professional, funny, and inspirational. The way he dealt with us and individuals whilst having a joint venture. The climb was amazing, the route selected was perfect for ability. I proposed to my girlfriend at the summit after that amazing ridge. She said yes, Jan was in on it and accommodated this without sacrificing safety. We look forward to using Jan's services again. He was by far the best IMG I have used. Words cannot thank enough for the experience.

We climbed locally in Turnov, which worked out perfectly. Jan was flexible and professional setting up a meeting spot and drove us to the climbing. He struck a perfect balance of grades and led routes I did not want to lead, and gave "laser guided beta" for gear on routes I did lead. We spoke of climbing, history, love, life, and politics while enjoying beautiful scenery. His local knowledge was obvious and enhanced the whole trip. While Czech sandstone is not for the faint of heart, Jan made this side of climbing very accessible and pleasurable far beyond my expectations. 10/10. If this trip is of interest to you, book with complete confidence.

I decided to undertake the three day introductory ski touring course with Jan this February in the Krkonose Mountains (Giant Mountains). Over the course of two full days and one evening, Jan and his co-guide Vojta introduced me and the rest of the group to the science, history, gear, and skills of ski touring, all while maintaining a friendly, vibrant atmosphere. Both of the guides had a very professional but warm approach to keeping everyone safe, and made sure we undertook and learned all the safety precautions needed in alpine environments. I didn't have any of my own ski touring gear, so I borrowed everything from the guides - all of the gear was of high quality and worked perfectly. The course was perfectly challenging but fun at the same time, and has gotten me hooked on ski touring. I can't imagine a better way to be introduced to ski touring, with better people - I highly recommend this experience!

I had a magnificent ski-tour from hut to hut in the Giant Mountains. The powder snow conditions were wonderful, the scenery very fine and there is a very good network of comfortable mountain hostels and huts. However, a key element that made my tour such a success was the expert help of the organisers and my guide. Jan Novotny and Roman Kubát have an excellent outdoor store in Vrchlavi and were able to provide me with all the equipment I needed as well as taking care of all the organisation. The guiding service offered by Vojtěch Dvořák was excellent and I give him 10 out of 10 for each of technical expertise, knowledge of the area (including ability to explain many interesting features of history and geography) and care of the client. Thanks to these three, this was an excellent outdoor experience I shall not forget and that I can highly recommend to anybody interested in Alpine ski-touring.