Niseko Yuki Yama Tour
The Niseko Yuki Yama Tour is ideal for those who want to use human power to explore the backcountry near some epic ski resorts in the Niseko area, but also get a bit of assistance from the lifts at times.
"Yuki Yama" is Japanese for snowy mountain, so the tour is aptly named for this peak bagging trip!
The Niseko region is famed for being the snowiest part of Hokkaido, with huge quantities of powder snow and endless backcountry. Touring equipment is a must on this tour, allowing the group the freedom to push further into the backcountry to get the freshest lines available every day. Weston and Moment ski/splitboard backcountry rentals are available, with skis or splitboard, poles and skins. Just bring your own boots and you'll be covered for the rest.
Although the group will have the freedom to hike, the aim of this tour is to do it the smart way and utilise the lift systems to get easy elevation and a few quick laps before you'll put on the skins and push out along ridge lines to explore what can be found with short hikes.
Based over 7 nights staying a short walk from Hirafu Village at Always Niseko, the group will be chasing the bountiful storms rolling in from Siberia. Each day will be spent touring with or without using the lifts to explore the best of these amazing resorts:
Niseko;
Rusutsu;
Kiroro;
Moiwa; or
Kokusai. The Niseko Yuki Yama Tours provide the best of both worlds - the vibrancy of the Hirafu village of Niseko along with the ability to get away from the Niseko ski resort to chase powder.
The group will explore some great zones including the Goshiki Onsen area, Yoichi-dake behind Kiroro, as well as climbing iconic peaks like Mt Yotei and its sister mountain Shirebetsu-dake when the weather is favourable.
Ability Level & Fitness
Advanced to expert in powder (touring experience required)
You must be able to ski/board the whole mountain in all conditions confidently at speed and have advanced ability in powder, through trees in steep terrain and in variable conditions. Snowboarders in this level are able to keep speed in flat sections by planning ahead as well as hold a solid traverse line and be able to hop up and manoeuvre in a way as to not slow down the group.
You must have a very good level of fitness and be able to hike for around 1 to 4 hours total per day.
You must have had a decent amount of experience using touring equipment (multiple backcountry touring trips over 1 or more years). The idea of these tours is to use the lifts for their vertical bump, smash the easy pow then use our touring gear to go further and further away from the lifts in search of more fresh lines. On some days we will not use the lifts at all – it’s all up to the group and the conditions.
If this tour isn't quite the right fit, check out the summary of other tours offered by
WhiteRoom Tours.