Hokkaido 7-Day Storm Chaser

Hokkaido Storm Chaser

A Guided and Hosted Ski and Snowboard Trip for the side-country powder hound

7-days, 6 ski days, 2 bases, 1-to-4 guide/client ratio, with a maximum group size of 8

Best for Strong Intermediate to Advanced level riders/skiers (more on rider ability level here)

Riding off-piste powder is the main objective of this trip! For safety reasons, an avalanche safety set (beacon, shovel, probe) is required. If you don't have your own, you can rent one during the checkout process!

view pricing

Price from September 1: ¥459,000 (≈ US$2,990) per person

All prices include 13% taxes and fees.
What's included in this price? A lot! Check out all inclusions here.

cancellation policy

Up to 4 months before your trip date: 25% cancellation fee of entire trip price
2-4 months before your trip date: 50% cancellation fee of entire trip price
Less than 2 months before your trip date: Cancellations made with less than two months of advanced notice will not be refunded. Unfortunately, due to the time-sensitive nature of our business, and the difficulty in re-booking a trip close to the departure date, we cannot make exceptions to this policy.

TRIP CALENDAR & BOOK

Is your preferred date full?
Check out the Hokkaido Indy trip here or see our full list of trips by date here

The Hokkaido Storm Chaser is a 7-day guided off-piste ski road-trip that hits 6 different Hokkaido ski resorts for each of the 6 ski days. We base out of two main hubs--the ski town of Furano and the port-side town of Otaru. Where we go each day isn't set in advance; it depends on where the weather report is indicating the best pow will be.

Our guides will take you to the best possible in-bounds and lift-accessed side-country powder.

Aside from taking our guests to the best possible pow, we'll also guide you to the most delicious food-joints in town. We make dinner reservations nightly for our group--the restaurants are chosen for their authenticity, deliciousness, local specialties, and the ability to meet variable price-points.

Depending on conditions, you can expect to ski out-of-bounds about 70% of the time. If you're not into skiing off-piste/out of bounds/side-country, this trip probably isn't for you. Please see our Skier Experience Level page here for an idea of what skill level this trip is aimed at.

Itinerary
Included
Lodging
Logistics
Food

VIEW DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Meet and Greet
There are two options to meet the group:

Meet at the Asahikawa AKJ airport at 1:30pm or
Meet in the lobby of the La Vista Furano Hotel, at 6:15pm ready to go to dinner. La Vista Hotel can be accessed on your own or by the Resort Liner Bus with service from CTS airport. If you're meeting at La Vista, be sure to sort out any ski rentals you've arranged before the meet up time!

Day 2-3: Storm Chase Furano Area

Days 2-3 are spent skiing the best possible resorts on any given day including Furano, Tomamu, Sahoro, Asahidake (if conditions permit), and Kamui Ski Links. The exact date we ski any one of these resorts depends on conditions and will be determined based on the upcoming forecasts and recent snow reports.

Day 4: Storm Chase Furano Area/Transfer to Otaru

After our third ski day in the Furano area, we transfer bases to southern Hokkaido, saying farewell to our Furano based guides. The drive to Otaru can take 2.5 - 4 hours depending on road conditions, so we always plan on departing Furano by 2pm. Transported by our friends at Social Bus, we land in the quaint port-side town of Otaru and are greeted by our guides specializing in this region. Mostly undiscovered by ski-travellers, Otaru provides lots of interesting ski options as well as nightlife and après opportunities.

Day 5-6: Storm Chase Out of Otaru

Following the format of the first 3 days, your guide will select the best possible options to ride out of the Japow buffet of Sapporo Kokusai, Teine (site of the 1998 winter Olympics), and Kiroro with a possibility of exploring the utterly untracked and tiny hills of Tenguyama and Asari if conditions are favorable.

Day 7: Final Day of Skiing and Drop-offs

On day 7, the group snags one last day of skiing before heading to CTS airport for the drop-off. With all the logistics to be done, the ski day ends slightly early, between 1-2:30pm. You have a few options here depending on your time-frame; either fly out of CTS airport on a late flight or get dropped off at your hotel of choice in Chitose City, located right next to CTS airport.

VIEW DETAILED ITINERARY

VIEW DETAILED INCLUSIONS

Included

All lodging. Our lodging is based on shared twin room accommodation

All lift tickets at 6 different resorts for each of the 6 ski days

English speaking guides will navigate you to the best off-piste/side-country powder possible on any given day

Daily buffet breakfast featuring western and Japanese options

All transportation beginning with an airport pick up at Asahikawa Airport (AKJ) near Furano. More details on the pickup/drop off can be seen on our Logistics page here

Daily dinner reservations at restaurants that serve different types of Japanese cuisine (participation optional but highly recommended!)

VIEW DETAILED INCLUSIONS

On the Hokkaido Storm Chaser you will stay in western-style modern, clean accommodation which is centrally located and walking distance to downtown amenities. This makes a quick nightcap or a local karaoke session a breeze. The hotel rooms are quite spacious by Japanese standards and the large daily buffet breakfasts feature Hokkaido specialties with both Japanese and western options available.

Furano Hotel: La Vista Furano Hills Hot Springs
Otaru Hotel: Dormy Inn Premium

Pricing and occupancy are based on shared twin rooms. This means that you will be sharing your room with another person in the group and yes, you will have separate beds!
If you'd prefer to have your own room, please select this option during checkout. Single rooms are subject to availability and incur an additional ¥120,000JPY cost per person.
Note: If we can't find you someone of the same gender to room with, you will be charged the single supplement fee and put in a single room.
Each room has its own private toilet and shower
Daily buffet breakfasts featuring western and Japanese options
Both of our hotels feature in-hotel Onsen (hot springs) complete with a sauna!

VIEW DETAILED LODGING

VIEW DETAILED LOGISTICS

Getting there

There are two options to meet the group:

Meet at the Asahikawa AKJ airport at 1:30pm
Meet in the lobby of the La Vista Furano Hotel, at 6:15pm ready to go to dinner. La Vista Hotel can be accessed on your own or by the Resort Liner Bus with service from CTS airport. If you're meeting at La Vista, be sure to sort out any ski rentals you've arranged before the meet up time!

See more on arriving logistics here

Getting back

This trip ends with a drop off at Sapporo's CTS airport at 5pm on the final day. Alternatively, guests can choose to get dropped off at a hotel of their choosing in the Chitose City area, just 15 minutes from the airport.

The best and easiest hotel option is the Air Terminal Hotel which is located inside the CTS airport but it's a bit pricey. Lower cost options with free airport shuttle buses are abundant and start at about ¥5,000 per night.

Equipment Rentals

High quality rental gear is available through our partners at Rhythm Snow Sports.

More details on Rental gear info, Logistics pro tips, Where to meet at AKJ airport etc. below

VIEW DETAILED LOGISTICS

At Japan Ski Tours, we think that skiing is about more than just skiing--especially when you're in a country famous for its food culture. As a company operated by guides who have years of experience living in Japan, we're excited to guide you to the best possible food in the evenings.

Our criteria for selecting restaurants are:

We choose restaurants based on what food is regionally famous in the area and personally tested for authenticity by locals and our guides.
We understand that not everyone has $70+ to spend on a meal--that's why we choose restaurants which meet a variety of price points, usually between $20-$40 per dinner not including drinks.

On this trip we typically indulge in traditional Izakaya food, Yakiniku, Japanese curry, Sushi, traditional Soba noodles, and Tonkatsu. For an exact description and pictures of each meal type, as well as a note on dietary restrictions, see our food page below.

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Tohoku is the most recent discovery in the Japan ski scene. Reminiscent of now famous resort areas like Niseko 15 years ago, the Tohoku region has lots of pow and no lines.

7 years ago we went out and found the most untracked, uncrowded and unknown ski hills in the Tohoku region and put them on a platter right here, on the 8-day Tohoku Storm Chaser Trip.

Staying true to our mission of incorporating cultural experiences, authentic restaurants, and trip-hosting, this is the next level trip for finding that hidden side of Japow you know exists, but can't seem to find.

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Hokkaido Storm Chaser

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