Had a couple of days guiding with Kieren.
First day was perfect sunny weather which we used to get to the peak which I recommend. Although snow was a bit slushy especially down low, Kieren still managed to find the best spots and his experience of the mountain and guiding itself is top notch.
Second day weather was a bit hit n miss but tried to make the most of it anyway and finished off with a trip to the local outdoor Onsen.
Can’t recommend Kieren and Tenjin highly enough, but come prepared in skill level and equipment.
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This is one for those who want to have a chance to get the amazing lines.

Dinner at the lodge is not why you stay there.

Coffee at the lodge is not why you stay there.

Slack country runs that blow your mind are why you stay there.

The people involved also make it a fantastic journey.
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Kieran and his guides provided for an epic 3 days guiding around Tenjin. Highlight was summiting and scoring epic lines on Tanigawadake! Fantastic rooms, food, staff and service at his lodge also.
Highly recommend for experienced boarders.
Can’t wait to visit again next year!
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I am a regular visitor - this is not my first time at Tenjin, and it won't be my last. I've seen Tenjin on snowier days, but despite the warm weather and the relative lack of fresh snow (by Tenjin standards), we found pockets of great untouched powder, all within easy access from the backcountry gate. Tanigawadake is a dangerous mountain, but Kieren knows the area extremely well and plans his routes in great detail, with lots of attention given to safety. Every tour I've ever been at in Tenjin was safe, enjoyanble, and fascinating enough to want to come back. I certainly will, and I can't recommend this place enough.
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Kieren was an excellent guide, very patient, safety was his top priority while trying to get us the best lines with the deepest pow. He has a great knowledge of the area and I will be coming back to test it some more.

The lodge is a comfortable, relaxed, social environment that has everything that you need. It isn't luxurious but has everything that you need.

I definitely recommend Kieren's guiding and the lodge. I will be back!
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We booked a week of private guiding with Kieren and stayed at Tenjin Lodge. We were a group of 4 experienced skiers.

We were hoping for epic pow, but unfortunately got epic sunshine and bluebird the whole week. Of some comfort, albeit little, the whole of Japan was the same and no new snow fell anywhere this same week. So just unlucky.

Despite this, Kieren was excellent as a guide and proactively looking to find us the best conditions. Each night and morning he presented various options for us to choose. He was/is extremely knowledgeable about the area surrounding Tenjin Lodge and this made our stay and the lack of pow still a fantastic trip.

As Tenjin is reknown for it’s steep terrain (which is very true!) and tendency to avalanche, it was very important to us that Kieren’s knowledge of the mountains and his mountain safety were up to scratch. From the initial contact to enquire about the trip through to the daily guiding and in situ activity, we thought Kieren was excellent. He’s a safe and diligent operator who also has a great sense of humour and great guy/guide to have with us. We were very appreciative by his manner even in less than ideal conditions (read ice, crud, slush etc) as he never showed any lack of enthusiasm and was always willing to ‘go’.

Having been a Japanese snow guide myself in previous years, I know first hand when lack of motivation hits in poor conditions and after weeks on the snow guiding various people, it can be very hard to get up and out every day especially when it’s sun and icy. Kieren looked at every day optimistically and never pressured or tried to steer us in a direction that would make his life easier.

All up, I can highly recommend Kieren and his team at Tenjin Lodge for their professionalism, commitment, value and all round good attitude/vibes.

Looking forward to getting back.....with some deep deep pow!
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Spent three day's on a guided Backcountry tour with Kieran at Tenjin and wish I'd stayed longer!
Great lodge, friendly atmosphere and epic skiing.
Will definitely be back!
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We booked the Tenjin package really short-term after we spent a week skiing in northern Honshu, because of the really good reviews on this website.
Overall we can confirm the recommendation as a powder heaven with steep and wide mountains.
Unfortunately it was raining on our day of arrival everywere in Japan, even on the high mountains. It was the first rainy day of the season! So all powder was gone and the snow was covered with ice.
Our two guides, Brandon and Kieren, the owner of the lodge, did everything to find the best spots in this conditions so we still had beautiful days of skiing. It was slightly harder with variing snow, but we could see the amazing potential of this resort, so we have to come back one day!

The lodge and staff was really nice and a very international powder community. It was a refreshing mix of ryokan and hot bath with international food and guests to sit together after a long day of skiing.

Many other guests have been there multiple times and we can understand why.
Surely we get better conditions next time as the mountain is a real powder magnet. Kieren found a good spot for his lodge and knows how to make your trip unforgettable.
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The trip was amazing. I highly recommend Tenjin lodge to all backcountry enthusiasts that are looking for something different from the mainstream resorts. Keiran and the team were fantastic - the lodge has a warm family communal feel and was a great place to socialize with other westerners. Very easy to arrive via train and the staff are nice enough to help out with a lift from the station if you have lots of gear.

Keiran is a decent Aussie bloke (getting rarer and rarer in to find in Japan) and really takes a personal interest in ensuring that his guests are not just happy, but also enjoying the skiing/riding. He is highly experienced with the local terrain (I believe 2nd to none for a foreigner) and takes safety seriously whilst still taking on the appropriate level of risk to ensure an awesome time.
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Thanks Kieren and all at Tenjin for very memorable three days. First and foremost, the professionalism and local knowledge of Kieren is unbeatable for anyone planning on visiting the Minakami area and other hills close by. Safety is, and should be a priority for all of us, and for this quality we both highly appreciated having Kieren leading the way! particularly as we are not young chargers any more. We could see he was wanting to let rip at times, but he duly accommodated our initial caution in the deepest snow we have seen or skied, and no matter how you ski the shallower stuff, it is a completely different skill set in that waist to chest (and above in parts) deep environment. We got lucky in some ways as the snow during our visit was unbelievable for us to see and ski (over 2m in 3 days) and Kieren put us on the goods every day possible and encouraged us to have a go, which for us unfortunately we thought was not Tenjin itself (closed too much snow!) ), but Kagura and Hodaigi which had never heard of, but now we rate as two of the best places we have skied in Japan (we have skied over 20 different Japanese hills). Spent the final day skinning up a creek way below Tenjin which was hard going in 30 to 60cm of blower and soft below that! but a couple hours of good hard slog was truly enjoyable as was all of the trip to Tenjin Lodge. Thanks mate.
The lodge itself was fun, efficient and friendly, and this was due not only to the staff, but also the other guests (mostly repeat regulars). True lodge feel.
Having missed an opportunity for a Tenjin hike, of course we will have to return :) and highly recommend this tour guide and lodge. Great experience.
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