7 NIGHTS I 6 DAYS RIDING
JAPAN SNOWBOARD TOURS
Hakkoda, Mt Iwaki & Aomori Spring
Pack your snowshoes or split board and get off the beaten path with us in Northern Honshu. We’ll spend a week exploring the regions’ best backcountry zones and secret resorts. Our guides are going to show you why this region receives its legendary reputation as possibly the holy grail of snowboarding in Japan. This is a virtually undiscovered backcountry area that is blessed with lots of snowfall, has absolutely no crowds, and freshies galore. On this tour you will spend 6 full days riding with our guides in the Aomori region, and get the opportunity to do 3 guided backcountry days where we explore the legendary Hakkoda and Mt Iwaki.
HAKKODA
Hakkoda attracts riders who appreciate the joys of deep powder, off-piste riding and the backcountry. If you get to experience riding Hakkoda at its best, you’re in for one of the best snowboarding experiences of your life. The Hokkoda area is serviced by a single ropeway with a couple of ungroomed runs, and rest is one huge off-piste paradise with 654 metres of vertical drop. We use the ropeway to gain some quick vertical and then it’s all leg power to the top. We’ll use snowshoes or splitboard to reach the peak, then we’ll begin our descent. The scenery at the top Is incredible. You’ll get to descend through the Juhyuo (snow and frost covered trees), and then ride deep, untracked snow all the way back to the base of the ropeway. Expect long descents, face shots, and some of the best turns of your life. Once we reach the bottom, it’s time to do it all again.
MT IWAKI
To reach Mt Iwaki, we will take the gondola from Aomori Spring resort then hike to the peak of Iwaki-san. Once we’ve reached the top, there are many faces and bowls to explore on the way down. This area is a powder factory and a total playground, with small to medium sized drops, wind lips to slash, wide open areas to lay down high speed pow turns and tight trees to challenge.
SNOWFALL & CONDITIONS
The annual snowfall statistic for these areas is unknown, but a guesstimate would be around of 14-20 metres per season. Due to its northerly position, the snow quality is much lighter and dryer than most other Honshu ski resorts. These areas are known for their frequent big winter storms particularly in January. The infrequent bluebird days keep the crowds away which results in lots of fresh, untracked snow.
SMALL GROUPS
When we are on mountain, we keep our group size to a maximum of 6 people per guide for a more personal experience. This ensures you get the most out of your time with us, and keeping the group size small means less time waiting and more time riding powder!
WHERE WE STAY
Our base for this tour is Aomori Spring Resort. This is a backcountry tour where you get to have the luxury of staying in a 4* ski-in/ski-out hotel. You’ll have access to all the necessary amenities, such as drying room, onsen, bar, buffet breakfasts and dinners with local Aomori produce, and access to one of the best parks in Honshu, complete with a 22ft halfpipe. This medium sized resort is not on the usual tourist path. What you can expect here is great tree riding, deep, untracked snow and no crowds.