Join The Adventure Project And Let’s Go Ski In Japan!
The Adventure Project is excited to announce the start of a new program in Japan. We will be taking several groups of advanced/expert skiers and boarders to the north island of Hokkaido for 2 weeks of riding some of the world’s deepest and driest snow this January.
We will be exploring 3 distinctive zones in Hokkaido that are renowned for their abundant powder: Niseko, Sapporo and the Furano area. We have our own private transportation and will have the ability to choose the best local resort for the conditions of the day. We can hit up to 11 different resorts in the 2 weeks. If you want to experience some of the best snow on the earth and experience the distinctive Japanese culture, then this is a trip that shouldn’t be missed.
Read on for more detailed information.
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Dates: Session 1: January 6th to January 20th 2016 (max 18 guests).
Price: Starting at $4,275 USD per person (based on 6 people in the group).
Deposit: $1,000 USD non-refundable deposit.
Group Size: There is a maximum of 6 guests per group, led by 2 guides; one from The Adventure Project and one local guide. We can have a maximum of 3 groups per session.
Minimum Ability Level: Advanced to expert skiers and boarders. You should be comfortable riding in tighter trees and in deep powder (the powder is nice and light though, with an average water content of only 4%). You should be comfortable riding double diamond terrain in variable snow conditions.
Mandatory Equipment: Guests must have an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe (plus pack) and uphill capability (skis with touring bindings/skins or a splitboard/skins/collapsible touring poles or powder board with snowshoes/collapsible poles). If you’ve not used any of this gear before, then no problem, you will be given comprehensive training in their use.
Program Focus: The main goal is to explore the island of Hokkaido for 2 weeks, trying to ride as many resorts as we can and riding as much deep powder as possible. We will also be immersing ourselves in local Japanese culture and enjoying the many culinary delights Japanese cuisine has to offer.
Education is the other vital component of our program. Our focus is on avalanche safety and education and we will constantly reinforce these principles out on the mountain. Our program starts with a mandatory, comprehensive avalanche safety training session which includes (but is not limited to): theory; single/multiple burial training; probing; strategic shoveling and snowpack testing and analysis.
Any skiers looking to improve their freeride technique can be given regular feedback on the mountain and we can get out the video camera for some video analysis sessions. All in all, our program is very detailed and potentially rewarding on many different levels. You’ll have fun and probably learn a lot.
Location: Hokkaido in Japan. We will be exploring the powder capital of Japan for 2 weeks, using our own private transportation to explore 3 distinct zones in Hokkaido: the Niseko area for 5 nights; Otaru/Sapporo area for 3 nights and the Furano area for 5 nights. We will use these locations as our bases to explore the surrounding ski areas. There are up to 11 resorts close to our accommodation. We need to keep the resorts that we are going to somewhat secret….. Mysterious I know! When you sign up for the trip, you will be given the full itinerary with all of the potential locations listed.
How to get there: Your ultimate destination is to get to Sapporo for the start of each session. Most international flights will fly to Tokyo Narita International Airport and then you will take a connecting flight from the Tokyo domestic airport at Haneda, to fly to Sapporo New Chitose Airport. Relatively few international carriers outside of Asia fly direct to Sapporo. Please check with your travel agent if you have any questions on this. Transfer from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to our accommodation in Niseko is provided.
Itinerary:
- Day 1 (Wed 6th Jan) – Arrive Sapporo. Transfer to Niseko via private Skybus from New Chitose Airport. Stay 5 nights @ Moiwa Lodge. Triple share rooms, with breakfast included.
- Day 2 (Thu 7th Jan) – Niseko
- Day 3 (Fri 8th Jan) – Niseko
- Day 4 (Sat 9th Jan) – Moiwa
- Day 5 (Sun 10th Jan) – Rusutsu. Pick up vans in evening, 10 day rental from Niseko Auto.
- Day 6 (Mon 11th Jan) – Niseko/Kiroro (55.4km/58min drive). Ski a resort on the way to Otaru 27.5km/ 35min. 3 nights @ Grand Park Hotel Otaru. Double share rooms, with breakfast included.
- Day 7 (Tue 12th Jan) – Otaru area skiing
- Day 8 (Wed 13th Jan) – Otaru area skiing
- Day 9 (Thu 14th Jan) – Otaru/Furano 148km/2hr 24min – potential rest/travel day or night skiing at Furano till 8pm. 5 nights @ The New Furano Hotel. Double share rooms, with breakfast included.
- Day 10 (Fri 15th Jan) – Furano
- Day 11 (Sat 16th Jan) – Furano area skiing
- Day 12 (Sun 17th Jan) – Furano area skiing
- Day 13 (Mon 18th Jan) – Furano area skiing
- Day 14 (Tue 19th Jan) – Furano/Sapporo (113km/2hr 2min) Return to Sapporo for overnight stay and explore. Suggested Sapporo hotel – Sapporo Ekimae Nest @ $36 per person per night, twin-share.
This schedule is subject to change and revision. These are the options that we are looking at. We will choose the best resort for the conditions of the day. Having our own transportation will allow us to be as flexible as possible.
Inclusion:
- Guiding from The Adventure Project and an expert local guide.
- Comprehensive avalanche safety training.
- Private transfer from Sapporo New Chitose Airport to accommodation in Niseko.
- Accommodation (triple share) at the Moiwa Lodge in Niseko for 5 nights. Includes all breakfasts.
- Accommodation (twin-share) in Otaru at the Grand Park Hotel for 3 nights. Includes all
- breakfasts.
- Accommodation (twin-share) at the New Furano Hotel for 5 nights. Includes breakfasts.
- Transportation from each resort in private 8 seater van.
Exclusions
- Airfares.
- Lunches and dinners.
- Lift tickets (budget $600 max for 2 weeks).
- Accommodation in Sapporo.
- Any additional taxi, bus or train services.
- Rental equipment.
- Gratuities for The Adventure Project staff.
