Niseko Ski Tours/Snowboard Trips - Single Day/s
There are lots of Niseko guided ski tours on offer. Most of the Niseko ski tours are in a private format whereby you have to pull your own group together or pay a premium if it's just you that wants Niseko guiding.
Niseko Off-Piste Tours
Niseko off-piste ski and snowboard tours stay within the Niseko resort boundaries and offer insider knowledge to find the best off-piste skiing Niseko has to offer. WhiteRoom Tours offer day private off-piste tours that are suitable for strong intermediate riders and above.
Niseko Sidecountry Tours
Side-country tours access some of the backcountry areas just outside the Niseko resort boundaries (sidecountry aka slackcountry). The tours may involve a tiny bit of hiking but primarily use the lifts to access all that fabulous powder.
Black Diamond Tours offer private sidecountry tours of Niseko, and also have the flexibility to visit other ski area areas if the Niseko gates are closed, or weather or snow conditions are not conducive to visiting the Niseko sidecountry. The Powderhounds have been on one of these tours and can highly recommend it. It was awesome!
Likewise Whiteroom Tours offer private Niseko sidecountry tours as well as tours to nearby ski resorts, and backcountry ski touring and split-boarding.
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Niseko Backcountry Tours
There are various areas for Niseko backcountry skiing and snowboarding where you can score guaranteed fresh tracks. With these private guided tours you’ll generally need human steam to get up the mountain ie earn your turns.
Rising Sun Guides offer private tours from Niseko for 1-5 people, to access a variety of backcountry areas including Mt Yotei on fine days.
Black Diamond Tours offer a variety of single day backcountry tours, the location of which are dependent on the weather and snowpack. The Powderhounds have been on a tour to the Nito backcountry with BDT, and we were impressed! For those with superhuman fitness, BDTs offer trips to the summit of the massive Mt Yotei, although these can only occur on fine days, which are somewhat rare in the peak of winter.
Heli Skiing Niseko
Niseko Heli Skiing is ichi-ban because it offers the perfect combination of the best powder in the world and the ultimate lift, a helicopter! Unlike a couple of other Japan heli skiing outfits that offer very lame helicopter accessed skiing, Hokkaido Backcountry Club offers “real” heli skiing that includes qualified backcountry guides and some fabulously steep terrain and long runs. The heli skiing is on Shiribetsu-dake adjacent to Rusutsu Resort and only half an hour drive from Niseko (transfers between your accommodation and the staging area are included). Check out the information, video and reviews on the HBC Heli Skiing.
As all that abundant powder doesn’t fall from clear skies, it comes as no great surprise that the heli skiing has to work around the windows of fine weather when the helicopter can fly.
Niseko Cat Skiing
If you’re not even sure what this cat skiing caper is all about, you can find out more on our snowcat skiing overview page. Niseko has a handful of tour operators that offer cat skiing and cat boarding and you can check out the Niseko cat skiing page for some comparisons.
Weiss Cat Skiing is located at the former ski resort of Weisshorn next to Hanazono. The snowcat skiing is absolutely perfect for intermediate and low-end advanced riders or those fairly new to the joys of powder. The terrain has lots of wide open runs where you can let it rip as well as some generously spaced trees! This provides a great opportunity to practise the art of powder riding in fresh snow and without pressure.
Chisenupuri Cat Skiing operates at the former ski resort of Chisenupuri and is ideal for those learning to ski or ride powder in the trees or more open spaces. For any apprentice powder hound heading to Niseko, Chisenupuri cat skiing is a lust-do! As the cat skiing is unguided, it's also great for advanced riders who want to explore and rip at their own pace.
The main target market of Weiss and Chisenupuri are not the advanced or expert rider who is looking for steeps and leaps. Advanced and expert riders should check out the Rising Sun Cat Skiing outfit, that offers steeper runs (with some pillows and mushrooms) in real backcountry terrain rather than on an abandoned ski resort (as with Weiss cat skiing). The day cat skiing packages include transport to and from your Niseko accommodation.
Or Iwanai Cat Skiing at the Iwanai Resort near the coast offers long runs and views of the ocean when it's not dumping with snow! Iwanai cat skiing is a great all-rounder outfit, particularly for advanced riders. Transfers from your Niseko accommodation are included as part of the package.
Shimamaki Snowcat Adventures offer 2 day cat skiing trips. The terrain includes some steeps and a combination of trees and alpine, and plenty of Hokkaido powder. The cat skiing is 2 hours south of Niseko and transport from your Niseko accommodation is included as part of the package. More information here….
Tours to Nearby Resorts
There are various ski resorts nearby that don’t receive as much skier traffic as Niseko, so they’re great to visit for a day trip to chase the powder. Nearby resorts include Rusutsu, Kiroro, Moiwa, Sapporo Teine and Sapporo Kokusai. If you want to get the most out of these resorts, it’s best to go on a day tour with a Niseko guide who can provide transport and show you all the best powder stashes.
Propeak offer private guided tours to Kiroro, Rusutsu, Moiwa and Sapporo Kokusai for up to 6 people. You can have guiding or include some powder tuition.
Rising Sun Guides offer private guided trips from Niseko to nearby ski resorts to ride the sidecountry.
WRTs also offer various private Niseko guided day ski tours to nearby resorts. Get together a group of like-minded riders.
Black Diamond Tours offer the Powder Hunter program which are for PRIVATE groups that goes to the most ideal location each day depending on the snow, avalanche and weather conditions. Potential tour locations include the Niseko Back Bowls as well as Rusutsu, Kiroro, Sapporo Teine or Sapporo Kokusai. The guided tours include off-piste and sidecountry terrain.
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