Sapporo, Niseko and Asahikawa splitboarding tour

Explore the spectacular splitboarding destinations in Hokkaido like Sapporo, Niseko and Asahikawa on this 8-day guided splitboarding tour with Yasuko, a local JMGA mountain guide!

Not specified

8 Days

Jan, Feb, Mar

Fit

Intermediate

Description

During this 8-day guided splitboarding tour in Hokkaido, participants will have the opportunity to discover the legendary samurai powder!

Hokkaido is the second largest island of Japan and is considered to be the country’s last frontier. Surrounded by sea in all directions, this island is one of the best places in Japan to enjoy winter sports.

Our meeting point will be at the Shinchitose Airport and from there we will drive to Asarigawa. We will spend our first day relaxing and enjoying the hot springs in a Japanese style Inn, known by the local as Ryokans. This will be a great opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese lifestyle and hospitality!

It will be on our second day that we will finally start our Japanese splitboarding tour in the Kiroro or Sapporo Kokusai ski-resort. Depending on snow and weather conditions, we will decide which place is the best option.

Our next destination will be the charming town of Niseko and the remote secret mountains near this area like Mount Yotei, known as the Mount Fuji of Hokkaido. Skiers and snowboarders, will discover here some of the best powder snow in Hokkaido!

Keep in mind our flexible itinerary will depend on weather and snow conditions but most important of all, I will be happy to organize this 8-day tour depending on your wishes.

Are you looking for an exciting winter experience in the Japanese mountains? Then book your place now and join me on this thrilling splitboarding tour in Hokkaido!

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Mountain guide expenses

Itinerary

Day 1: Meet and Relax

Meet at Shinchitose airport. We will then drive to Asarigawa Onsen (which is 30 mins away from Kiroro or Sapporo Kokusai ski resort.) At Asarigawa we will stay in a Japanese style Inn (Ryokan) and relax and enjoy the hot springs! This will heal the fatigue of your flight and help to prepare for our adventure tomorrow!

Day 2: Kiroro or Sapporo Kokusai ski-resort for either off piste tour or Backcountry tour.

Today we will experience our first day of powder snow !We will use the gondola and do some snowboarding touring to access the best parts of the mountain, far from the main crowds. The program and exact location will depend on the snow and weather conditions.A full day of backcountry touring could also be an option.We will stay in the same lodge as day 1 to relax, have a good dinner and get a good night’s sleep.

Day 3: Niseko or remote secret mountain near this area

Here we will backcountry snowboarding the other remote areas of Niseko.

After finishing riding we will transfer to Makkari – close to Mount Yotei.

Day 4: Mount Yotei

Today we ↗skin up for 3 to 5 hours with an elevation difference of 1000+ m`or more.The objective of the 4th day is to skin up Mount Yotei.Mount Yotei is knowns as the Mount Fuji of Hokkaido or Ezofuji because of its strato volcanic shape. It has a potential downward elevation drop of 1500 meters through some of the best powder snow available in Hokkaido!

Day 5: Transfer to Furano

The Tokachi Mountains in the Furano area offer a variety of excellent spots for snowboarding touring. The trip takes 4 to 5 hours by car. This will be a “rest day” but a morning session at the ski resort could also be organized as an option.In the evening we will stay in another Japanese style inn with authentic Japanese cuisine and hot springs…! Since coming to Japan is not only about skiing some of the best powder snow in the world but also about enjoying a different culture!

Day 6: Mount Furano

↗Skinning up 3 hour with an elevation difference of 1000 m or more and enjoying a full day of backcountry snowboarding on Mount Furano.

Day 7: Mount Tokachi or Mount Asahidake

Full day of backcountry snowboarding on Mount Tokachi or Mount Asahidake. If the weather is with us we will skin up to the summit but the best spots on Mont Asahidake can also be accessed with a gondola.↗Skinning up 3 to 5 hour to summit (for each mountain – *when using a gondola, no skinning to summit.)At the end of the day, we will transfer to Sapporo and stay there for the night. We will spend our last night in Sapporo, enjoying a great diner and discovering the nightlife of the city.

Day 8: Sapporo area / Shinchitose Airport

We will go back to Shinchitose airport to fly back home.

Details

Accommodation

We will sleep in hotels

More info

If you are more than 6 people, a second guide will join us. Equipment: -Bring your own gears like boots, skis, 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. - skis / snowboard - avalanche safety gears (beacon, probe, shovel) - Ice axe / crampons (optional) I can rent you the avalanche safety gears at ¥ 12,000 Backback 30l ¥6.000

Estimation: guiding fee + extra (accommodation, dinner etc.) 1 person = ¥576000 2 people = ¥337000 per person 3 people = ¥259000 per person 4 people = ¥217000 per person 5 people = ¥202000 per person 6 people =¥187000 per person

Meeting point

We will meet at Shinchitose airport.

About the guide

Yasuko

4.69

(16)

Mountain Guide

JMGA Mountain Guide
I was born in Kitami city in east Hokkaido. I grew up loving outdoor sports, skiing, and mountain climbing. I now lives in Sapporo and I have been a guide for the last 15 years.
I have accumulated vast experience in mountaineering in both Japan and abroad. I have served on the Canadian Ski Patrol and I have a wealth of experience skiing, rock climbing, and mountain climbing all over the world including Europe, North America, and Nepal.
I pride myself on my skill and experience rock climbing during the summer and backcountry skiing in the winter months. I have climbed Mt. McKinley in the U.S., Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Ama-Dablam, in Nepal, The Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Chamonix, in Europe and Insubong in Korea.
Please contact me if you want to experience Japan walking, climbing or skiing! I will be very happy to guide you here.

Languages

Japanese | English

Certificates

JMGA

What people are saying about Yasuko Kikuchi

Adam Wakeley

5.00

March, 2023

Yasuko was absolutely fantastic and would happily recommend. She found some wonderful routes and clearly knew the terrain exceptionally well.

Sohyun Bae

5.00

March, 2023

Yasuko san is a perfect guide for us. She listens to our needs carefully and find out the best choice under the circumstances(weather condition, especially visibility, our strength etc.) She is kind and calm, also has so many experiences. I really recommend her to you!

HOCK CHUA

5.00

March, 2023

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Thibault Chiumenti

3.00

February, 2023

Yasuko was nice and polite, she knows the area very well and make you feel safe, how ever I would recommend her more for people who are expert in backcountry, last time I did backcountry was 20 years ago and I feel like she was more just guiding the way than showing me or explain me how to improve myself when I had difficulty going up. Over all was great experience thank you

Albrecht Wolfmeyer

5.00

February, 2023

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Thomas Söderlund

5.00

February, 2023

Yasuko did take us to the best power skiing possible day by day. I wish she could take into account the longer time needed in the transitions for the splitboarders from skin-to-board. Often she was off before they were ready to go.

Lonna Ramirez

5.00

February, 2023

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Thomas Rowland

5.00

February, 2023

The traveller did not leave a comment.

Geraldine Stoiber

5.00

February, 2023

Yasuko was amazing. She was very professional in making decisions about conditions and giving us multiple options for different ascents. Day one we couldnt go backcountry skiing because the conditions didnt allow us to but we made an alternative plan and we had a great time. I would definitely recommend Yasuko as a guide.

Robin Boll

5.00

January, 2023

I had a lot of fun and the procedure was very good

Michael

5.00

March, 2020

i did cancel my oversease trip due to coronavirus concerns and it being a bad season in japan. will come back in january next year to try.

Timothy Fromer

5.00

January, 2020

We had a wonderful day with Yasuko. He was very informative and spoke English very well. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a great time ski touring or split boarding Mt. Yotei

M. Britt

4.00

January, 2020

Yasuko was very knowledgable about the area. She tailored our outings based on our requests, and we had great fun in the mountains near Rusutsu and Yotei.

Christina Minami

5.00

September, 2019

Had a great trip with Yasuko! The trip was well-organized and we were able to customize it to our preferences. Gorgeous scenery and delicious food--couldn't ask for anything more.

Joanna Lee

5.00

June, 2019

This trip was great! Yasuko was very helpful and friendly and brought us to a beautiful crag with many climbs that were an appropriate difficulty for us to try. The climbs were extremely fun; the approaches were totally reasonable; and the crag was shockingly uncrowded. Yasuko also found us an inexpensive but delightful campground and did everything to make our trip successful and fun.