Guided Ski Touring in Japan - Hakuba 2025
Join Mark Klassen for a guided powder skiing or snowboarding adventure to the legendary deep snow and mystical forests of Japan. I have eight years experience skiing in Japan, exploring areas like Niseko and Furano on Hokkaido but Hakuba is my favourite area to tour in Japan!
Our 2025 trips are full. Ask about getting on a waitlist or if you want to join our 2026 Japow trips please email me for information.
If you want to get excited about skiing in Japan, check out the photo gallery:
For more Hakuba pics please go to my Facebook albums: 2015 / 2016 Week 1 / 2016 Week 2 / 2019 / 2020
Face shots on Tengupara
THE TRIP
We will spend 6 days exploring all the best touring and off piste zones. Some days we will access the backcountry with lifts in the morning and on others we will tour from the road.
Japan is well known for its incredible snow and fantastic terrain but to top this all off we base in the incredible Motoi Lodge, situated in a secluded forest near the base of Tsugaike ski area. The Motoi is one of the all-time favourite accommodations for all my guests, and I consider it one of the premier ski lodges anywhere.
Japow!
THE SNOW
I have never seen it snow anywhere like I have seen in Japan. The snow is incredible, once a northerly flow sets up across the Sea of Japan we can expect cold powder dumps of 5-50 cm a day for days on end! My first night ever in Japan it snowed 65 cm in town overnight!
In between these systems you can get clear weather, which would allow us to travel further afield and to higher elevations. We can also get a (usually) shorter-lived warm system where the snow is denser but still good skiing. This warm system often precedes the colder snow, which sets up well for more stable avalanche conditions.
Heading out for another day of touring
THE TERRAIN
The terrain in Hakuba is the best I have seen in Japan. The defining feature here is the forest. It is truly special to experience skiing through the buna and dake-kamba trees. There is also open alpine terrain at higher elevations that give big, steep runs. Some of our trips will start at one of the various ski areas with a ride up the lifts and we start our tour from top. The last run may be down the piste. We will also tour straight from from the roadside.
Expect trips that involve an average of 1200 m elevation gain over the day and 6-8 hours in duration. This may include several shorter runs or one long one.
Sushi night
THE LODGE
Motoi Lodge is in a quiet forest near the Tsugaike ski area, about 15 minutes drive from Hakuba. It is run by Hajime Kobayashi and his family. The Motoi is a small, traditional, family-run inn. It is intimate, cosy and serves an outstanding menu.
It has a similar vibe to a backcountry lodge in BC. Breakfasts and dinners are at the lodge and are included in the price. The food is an outstanding blend of traditional and modern Japanese cuisine prepared by “O-Kamisan”, who was trained in France.
THE NITTY GRITTY
PREREQUISITES
To enjoy this trip you should be:
Fit for ski touring uphill with a 10 kg backpack for 1000-1200+ m per day. 6-8 hours per day of skiing up and down, for 6 days in a row. On this trip there is not normally an option to go back to the lodge early.
Be able to ski downhill in any snow condition. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to look pretty doing it, but you need to know how to deal with everything from crust to deep powder snow. Although for the most part we enjoy good soft snow conditions on there is the possibility of worse conditions, sometimes for just a short portion of the run but sometimes for a day or more at a time. If poor skiing is encountered you may need to use techniques such as kick turns, stem christies, the snow plow. You do need to be able to ski downhill at a reasonable pace in deep powder snow.
Be able to ski downhill on a variety of terrain in an uncontrolled environment. This includes tree skiing (usually well spaced but very occasionally thicker) and steep terrain up to 40 degrees. The average run would consist of open terrain or well spaced trees around 30-35 degrees but other terrain may be encountered.
Be familiar with ski touring equipment. You need to have some experience walking uphill with ski touring skis and skins. You need to understand how to utilize clothing systems to stay at an optimum body temperature. You need to be able to put your skins on and take them off efficiently in all weather conditions. The guides can help you with tips but you need to have some prior experience doing this.
Have a fundamental familiarity with avalanche safety equipment. This means having a basic understanding of how to search for a single buried avalanche victim with a transceiver and probe, and how to dig them out with a shovel. Rescue training is provided at the beginning of the trip but you need to know the basics coming into it. These skills can be self taught, or better yet you can take an avalanche course before the trip.
You need to know there is an element of risk to backcountry skiing. You need to acknowledge this risk and sign a waiver before the trip. Go to the Waiver and Acknowledgment of Risk page to get a better understanding of the risk involved.
In short, this is not a beginner’s trip but you do not need to be an expert ski tourer. You do need to know the basics, otherwise you will not enjoy yourself. There are other options on Canadian trips for you if you would like more of a beginner’s trip, let me know if you would like to discuss that.
DESCRIPTION
An all-inclusive 6-day powder ski touring / split boarding trip to Hakuba, Japan.
LOCATION
Hakuba is on the island of Honshu. It is a 3 to 5 hour journey from Tokyo via train, bus, or airport shuttle.
DATES 2025
Our 2025 trips are full. Ask about getting on a waitlist or if you want to join our 2026 Japow trips please email me for information.
PRICE
The 2025 price is C$3500.
The price includes:
Two guides
Transport once you arrive in Hakuba
Lift tickets
Accommodation
Breakfast
Dinner
All taxes