This was my first experience on a guided tour and it didn't disappoint. Ken and his wife Chie were awesome hosts. For Hokkaido standards, we didn't have a huge amount of snow while we were there but at least arrived after good snowfalls. In saying this, Ken was able to find plenty of untouched and very easily accessible lines each and every day and we had a ball!

The group was of mixed abilities but Ken was able to supply a second guide after a few days in so the group could be separated in two and each could enjoy appropriate terrain. Safety was always of the utmost priority, there was never a moment that I felt as though any of the group were in a vulnerable situation.

The lodge is simply beautiful and incredibly comfortable. Ken spent plenty of his own time with us all too, taking us to dinners, bars and surrounding onsens. It really was a great all-around tour. I'll be back, thanks Ken!
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Had an amazing week stationed in Furano with Ken and Furano Snow Tours. The Element is a beautiful lodge with a nice vibe for hanging out and review the days adventure and discuss the next one.
Breakfast from their own grown vegetables each day was very nice and a good start of the day.

Ken guided us around different resorts and always found a spot with powder, even though it hadn't snowed overnight. He knows the area well, has extensive knowledge and gives advice on the off day aswell. Has safety in mind when we're riding and matches the runs to the groups level.
Helpful with making reservations for dinner, and has recommendations for everything - even when we left for our next destination on our Japan trip.

Already recommended Ken and Furano Snow Tours to friends, and would visit again.
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We stayed with Ken for his multi day tour and picked up fresh lines in powder everyday.
Ken’s tour is a great introduction to Japanese culture, food, ski areas, onsens. He is great at finding powder with minimal effort so you can get on and ride a few laps. On our trips the boot pack was never more than 5mins and a skate/walk out never more than 5mins. He worked out the best days to go to the different areas depending on the snow. He took us through tricky tree traverses to hidden powder and navigated tough no vis conditions at Asahidake mountain so we could still find good snow.
Ken’s lodge at Element is the icing on the cake. It is a high spec boutique building that is perfect place to chill out in after a day in the pow.
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Excellent trip, really impressed by Ken's lovely lodge with high ceilings, wood fire, generous rooms and fab breakfasts, as well as the stunning riding. We were two snowboarders, and 3 skiers were on the trip too and Ken guided well for us all. Great choices each day to chase the best snow and see a selection of small, uncrowded and untouristy resorts around Furano.
The Onsen were a great way to finish the day on several days and having them included was a real bonus. Ken took us to, or recommended, delicious, exciting restaurants all with just a few seats. Although a bit worried about being based outside of town that was not an issue at all, and anyway there's not much street life and you are better off having someone local like Ken to point you in the right direction.
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Our week with Furano Snow Tours was outstanding, we were there January 6-13 in 2023 and it was a fantastic week of lift-served side country and in-bounds tree lines that were barely touched. The terrain and skiing was great and our hosts and the guiding was outstanding. Ken knows the best lines at many resorts in central Hokkaido and planned our week based on the snow conditions and new snow that came to the area on the week we were there.

The hosts, Ken and Chie are awesome, the daily breakfasts were tasty, they were very helpful in organizing dinners or making suggestions to us on the nights we had a free night to enjoy our own choice of restaurant. The also made sure we knew how to explore Furano's bars and restaurants when we weren't skiing powder, dipping into the trees, eating lunch on the mountain or getting soaked in an onsen.

We had some snow during our week trip, but even on the days when it didn't dump some fresh snow, Ken monitored the weather and took us to the resort which would have the best conditions and found us the lines with fresh powder and tree skiing opportunities every day. Ken and Chie did a lot to help our group bond, with a welcome dinner on the first evening and lots of efforts to help us become tight as a group and help each other when needed.

Ken excels as a guide, host and leader, making sure we all had the right attitude and mindset to have a great day each time we went riding. Our group was a mix of boarders and skiers and the places we went were suitable for both, although skiers have it a bit easier when it comes to getting along cat tracks. The restaurants we went to for our group dinners were places you wouldn't know about if you weren't local, but they were some of the best meals I've ever had in Japan. Ken was a fantastic host, a great guide and the lodging that you stay in is purpose-built for a ski tour group with several different private rooms and in-suite bathrooms, a common area and a board/ski room for warming and drying boots/gloves and other items.

FST is a fantastic group to book your Hokkaido trip with, they really know how to do everything well and provided us with the best ski trip we could have imagined.

I recommend FST for anyone that wants a great week skiing Japow with a first class guiding operation.
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I spent a week at Furano Snow Tours in the middle of February 2019 and it was an amazing week! The accommodations were modern and upscale! Small bed and breakfast style chalet just outside of Furano. They provided a delicious breakfast each morning before heading out into the snow along with a few dinners out during the week. Lovely place to stay!!

The skiing was spectacular!! Our guide was on top of the weather each day and he decided where to go based on the weather reports. He basically found us powder every day at a different resort!! The skiing was mostly in beautiful, gladed trees that were typically just outside the ski area boundaries. Not much effort to get to but full of fresh tracks! We did one full backcountry day at Tokachidake and that was super fun and hero powder!! Oh and the onsen each night was the best way to soak achy muscles from all the pow we slayed!!

I travelled solo to Japan and my biggest concern was not knowing the ability of the group I would be riding with. I'm sure it's different from group to group but I lucked out and was with a great group of folks who all rode equally as hard!! The stoke level was very high each day and I truly enjoyed the group dynamics that developed over the week!

Be sure to bring your touring gear though. A couple guys in our group had to rent touring skis for a day and they were not cheap.

I would highly recommend a trip with Furano Snow Tours! Best week of snowboarding ever!!
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My mate (a Snowboarder) and i (Skier) had a really great time within Furano Snow Tours. The Lodging was really great. We were accommodated in the house next to Kens house. The house was build like a hotel with 4 different rooms and enough space for everyone. The constructions of the hotel were just finished in 2016 so it was very new and modern and the rooms are set up in a style i like.

Our Guide's name was Allan. he drove us around and showed us the different resorts and backcountry possibilities within the resorts. The Guiding and Backcountry program was diverse and adjusted to our needs and wishes.

Also the evening programm with the included dinners were really fun. At one evening we went out for karaokee with the guides and on our last evening we went out in a bar for dancing and drinking.

I highly recommend Ken & Allan at Furano Snowtours for people who also want a great japan experience beside the skiing activities.
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