Niseko Area
The Niseko Area consists of the Hokkaido ski resorts that are southwest of Sapporo. Whilst some Niseko-centric people think
Niseko is THE capital of skiing in Japan, we will at least give Niseko credit for being the epicentre of this region. Powder chasing fiends can use
Niseko accommodation as a base to explore Niseko as well as the ski resorts near Niseko, the famed Niseko backcountry and Mt Yotei, and the cat ski operations. You can choose to
rent a car and undertake DIY exploring, or head on a
guided tour and have a guide to drive you around and show you the powder stockpiles.
Ski Resorts Near Niseko
First and foremost is
Niseko United which is made up of the four interconnected ski areas. Starting north and moving southwest these are:
Next to Annupuri is
Moiwa, which is a small ski area that’s relatively untrafficked compared to Niseko United. By road it’s 2.5km west of Niseko Annupuri and 12km SW of Niseko Hirafu.
Rusutsu is 28km southwest of Hirafu (about 30 mins drive). The excellent in-bounds tree skiing is no longer a secret, but it tends to be a little less busy compared to Niseko (which compared to the high profile North American ski resorts is not that busy!).
Iwanai Resort is 40km by road NW of Niseko Hirafu (about 45 mins drive). Iwanai is a very small lift-accessed ski area, with the main attraction being the
Iwanai cat skiing above the resort.
Other ski resorts near Niseko that are a manageable day trip from Niseko include those west of Sapporo near the seaside town of
Otaru. These include
Kiroro (51km NE of Hirafu),
Sapporo Kokusai,
Sapporo Teine,
Asari and
Otaru Tenguyama.
Cat Skiing Niseko
For abundant fresh tracks, the region has various cat skiing operations. See the
Niseko cat skiing page for more information on the differences between the snowcat outfits and also the
cat skiing videos.
Weiss Cat Skiing is at the old Weiss ski resort adjacent to Niseko Hanazono.
Chisenupuri Snowcats operated by Hokkaido Backcountry Club is at the former Chisenupuri Ski Resort, which is next to Moiwa.
Rising Sun Cat Skiing is a 30 minute drive from Niseko; out past
Kutchan and north of Mt Yotei.
Iwanai Cat Skiing is by the coast, 40km from Hirafu.
Heli Skiing
Near Rusutsu is
heli skiing on Mt Shiribetsu. Winter in the Niseko area doesn’t see too many fine weather days so there can be lots of no-fly days, but if the weather gods are kind, the heli skiing is amazing.