Thanks to the huge amounts of snow it regularly receives each winter, Japan’s north island of Hokkaido is high on the wishlist of expert powders skiers and snowboarders. However, its challenging reputation can mean those who are less assured off piste decide to give it a miss.
But should confident intermediates really be put off? To find out, last January I set out with a couple of friends to explore three Hokkaido resorts, Rusutsu, Niseko and Furano. We also planned a snow-cat assisted off-piste adventure on the slopes of a former ski resort, Iwanai.
The long flight to Hokkaido entails at least one change, but we couldn’t have had a smoother start, on a Finnair route launched for winter 2019/20. A sub two hour hop from London to Helsinki is followed by a nine-hour flight to Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital. It can save over two hours compared to London-Tokyo-Sapporo – previously the only possible route.
Our first stop in Japan was Rusutsu, and my first memorable experience – sitting immersed in the sulphurous spring water of a communal onsen at the huge Rusutsu Resort hotel at the foot of the ski area, heated to 43ºC by the earth’s volcanic core – is certainly open to all. But what about the slopes?
There are two sections to Rusutsu’s ski area, a beginner zone and a much larger zone of wide, well-groomed, easy to navigate pistes, which makes it wonderful for mixed-ability groups, and even adventurous families. For us, it was the perfect starting point for trying the region’s famous off-piste tree runs.
Unlike most resorts on Japan’s main island of Honshu, where leaving the marked runs is often strictly forbidden, on Hokkaido venturing into powder terrain between the pistes is permitted.
Those confident in making tight turns can head deep into the trees, which can become quite dense, but I found my powder feet on open, mellow terrain between wide-spaced trees. Everywhere we went led easily back to a piste or the bottom of a lift.
After that wonderful introduction to powder, another of Japan’s great experiences – eating. Our fish stew at the excellent Sakaba restaurant cost less than a fondue in France, and we washed it down with Hokkaido’s own Nikka whisky at the Rodeo Drive bar, before leaving for Niseko, on the other side of Mount Yōtei’s volcanic cone, next day.
We’d booked a guided early morning First Tracks session, so by 7.30am Martin, Romi and I were contemplating completely empty pistes heavy with fluffy snow alongside Shigeo, a guide from Hanazono Powder Guides. The three of us had sole access to the lifts for an hour, then Shigeo would lead us into Niseko’s off-piste zones.
Hanazono is one of four linked resorts on Mount Niseko Annupuri that form Niseko United, all sharing a lift pass. It has its own base station with a restaurant and children’s zone, plus the stylish ski-in/ski-out Park Hyatt complex, new for 2019/20 and part hotel, part privately owned apartments.
We lapped perfectly groomed empty pistes, with a flattering dusting of powder on top until Shigeo assessed us as capable of the next step – heading between two runs into an area of small bushes, awash with fresh snow. And then he deemed us ready to go through the backcountry gates that lead outside the protected ski area.
While leaving through the gates is at skiers’ own risk, the resort closes the gates when the avalanche risk is high, and Shigeo’s presence made this a reassuring way to try them – though, after joining a gaggle of people at Gate 3, loading skis or snowboards onto their backpacks, we had to work for our turns.
A 15-minute hike led us to a 360-degree choice of off-piste descents, most of which are wide open and not too steep. Starting with an open section of untracked snow, we then picked our way through a classic Japanese scene of old-growth silver birch trees laden with snow. That one descent was worth my journey to Japan alone, and the images of a low morning sun shining through the forest canopy will live long in my memory.
We celebrated with smoked whiskey cocktails at Toshiro’s in Niseko Village, the next base along from Hanazono, followed by fortified plum wine to the sounds of a jazz DJ at the stylish Gyu bar – and an early start for a 40-minute bus transfer to Iwanai ski resort.
Credit:
marty orton
Once a large fishing community, Iwanai is one of the oldest villages on Hokkaido, with a disused ski resort with ocean views as its backdrop. The lift system fell into disrepair after the financial crash of the Nineties, but the area is now leased to an American, John Greiner, who has created a snowcat-assisted adventure zone with runs for all levels.
Groups are driven high above the one remaining lift, and our mixed-ability group of 14, plus two guides, managed five laps of the old pistes in near perfect snow, before heading back to the base station for a ramen noodle-soup lunch.
While there are long and challenging off-piste tree runs too, the joy of Iwanai is that it combines a wild, isolated experience with the reassurance of pistes, none which are steeper than a European red. It was our own private powder-filled resort, and without any rushing, we claimed first tracks every run.
From Iwanai, our last stop was Furano, north-east of Sapporo. While Niseko and Rusutsu are based around stand-alone volcanoes, in Furano the mountains are much higher, with nearby Daisetsuzan National Park home to Hokkaido’s highest peak, Mount Asahi (2,291m).
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hanazono powder guides
The resort has two large ski-in/ski-out hotels, and the pistes are wonderfully kept wide-open motorways – perfect for intermediates or even advancing children, especially as under 13s ski for free. Furano City, a two mile taxi ride away, has excellent restaurants too, including Robata, an absolute must for truly authentic cuisine and hot sake heated on a charcoal fire.
As in Niseko, there’s a gate system for backcountry access and anyone can use them without a guide, but in Furano they must register at the ski patrol office, filling in a simple form with information such as intended route and emergency contact details.
Feeling confident after the past few days, we planned descents from Gates A and B. Gate A, known locally as the Dam Run, is south facing and the snow was a little heavy, but steep terrain and well-spaced trees made for an exhilarating descent, thought flat run out was a little tricky on my snowboard. Unlike in Niseko, where the gates are in constant use, after a 10-minute ridge hike from Gate B to the drop-in zone, we stood alone above untouched powder snow, even though it had been three days since the last snowfall.
I found it exhilarating and empowering to make my own route choices, even if I could easily see the piste I needed to reach below. Realising how far I’d come since my first tentative forays into the trees in Rusutsu, I dropped off the ridge and sent Japow flying into the clear, dry air.
Essentials
Finnair (finnair.com; 0330 8081188) offers twice-weekly flights from London Heathrow and Manchester via Helsinki to Sapporo from £760 return including 23kg baggage. The flight connection in Finland can be as little as 40 minutes for UK travellers.
Find out more about all resorts, including accommodation, from the Japan National Tourism Association (japan.travel). First Tracks experience in Niseko with Hanazono Powder Guides (hanazononiseko.com) costs ¥21,000/£158 for 4.5 hours, including safety equipment. Snowcat adventure at Iwanai resort (iwanairesort.com) starts at ¥70,000/£530 a day, including lunch, safety equipment and transfer from Niseko.
As in Europe, skiing or snowboarding off piste on Hokkaido is at your own risk, so a good off-piste insurance policy such as Snow Card Pro (snowcard.co.uk), which includes going off piste without a guide, is essential.
Pete Coombs’s trip took place before the Covid-19 pandemic, in January 2019. International travel is currently banned during lockdown. Entry to Japan by foreign nationals from the majority of countries, including the UK, is currently not permitted. Japan’s visa waiver system for anyone travelling on a British passport remains suspended. Visit the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website for the latest travel advice.
