One base · Niseko
8 days in Niseko
- Dates
- 23 → 30 January 2027
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Ski days
- 6 to 7
- Stay
- ryokan with onsen in Niseko
- Level
- 3/5
From €3,950per person, based on 6 skiers, excluding flights
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Japan · Hokkaido · freeride & ski touring
Japan ski trip: ski Japan’s Hokkaido powder, in a small group
A Japan ski trip to Hokkaido puts you in some of the lightest, most plentiful snow in the world, especially in January. Choose how you ski Japan: eight days in Niseko or in Furano, or nine to fifteen days on the move, following the snow across the island.
From€3,950per person, excluding flights
Our five Japan trips
Five Hokkaido trips, from 8 to 15 days, in January and early February. Choose the one that suits you.
- 8 days in Niseko · 23–30 January 2027 · €3,950
- 8 days in Furano, ski touring · dates on request · from €3,950
- 9-day ski safari · 30 January–7 February 2027 · €4,500
- 11-day ski safari · 13–23 January 2027 · €5,350
- 15 days in Hokkaido · dates on request · €7,300
Prices per person, flights not included.
Your Japan ski trip at a glance
Skiing Hokkaido · from Niseko to Furanofrom €3,950
January – February 2027
- ArrivalSapporo, New Chitose airport
- Length8, 9, 11 or 15 days
- Ski days6 to 10 (on the 8- to 11-day trips)
- Group6 skiers per guide, 3 groups at most
- Skiing level3/5 check my level
- Fitness2/5 check my fitness
- Climbsup to +800 m on skins
- Ski safariNiseko, Otaru, Furano
- Highlightlight, deep powder
Furano trip: level, climbs and programme on request.
You’ll enjoy
- a private minibus to take you each day wherever the snow is best
- skiing on active volcanoes
- the local food
- natural hot springs
- Japanese culture
Japan ski packages: five ways to ski Hokkaido
Whichever Japan ski trip you choose, you ski Hokkaido’s birch forests in a small group, six skiers per guide and three groups at most; you pick the number of days, the bases and the feel of the trip. Tell us which one appeals to you and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
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Three bases · on the move
9-day tour
- Dates
- 30 January → 7 February 2027
- Length
- 9 days / 8 nights
- Ski days
- 7 to 8
- Bases
- Niseko 4 nights · Otaru 1 · Furano 3
- Level
- 3/5
From €4,500per person, based on 6 skiers, excluding flights
Three bases · the full tour
11-day tour
- Dates
- 13 → 23 January 2027
- Length
- 11 days / 10 nights
- Ski days
- 9 to 10
- Bases
- Niseko 5 nights · Otaru 1 · Furano 4
- Level
- 3/5
From €5,350per person, based on 6 skiers, excluding flights
Four stops · the grand safari
15-day tour
- Dates
- on request
- Length
- 15 days
- Bases
- Niseko, Otaru, Furano and one surprise destination
- Level
- 3/5
From €7,300per person, group size on request, excluding flights
One base · Furano New
8 days in Furano, ski touring
- Dates
- on request
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Base
- Furano, in the centre of Hokkaido
- Style
- ski touring
From €3,950per person, excluding flights
Every trip can also be run privately for your own group, priced on the number of skiers.
Hokkaido skiing, on Japan’s wildest island
South of Russia’s Sakhalin Island and facing the Kurils, Hokkaido is the northernmost and wildest island of the Japanese archipelago. With Siberia so close, snow falls here very often, which makes Hokkaido backcountry skiing some of the finest ski touring in Japan. Laying your track in Hokkaido powder is a freerider’s dream.
This Hokkaido ski trip is a freeride and ski touring safari that takes you deep into the island’s nature and culture: its food, its geothermal hot springs (onsen), and above all the untracked snow of its finest national parks, Shikotsu-Toya, around Mount Yotei, and Daisetsuzan, at the heart of the island. Beyond Niseko, the island is largely untouched.
Also in Skieur (2023, in French): « Ski-safari au Japon à Hokkaido : le paradis ski freeride et freerando »
Ski Japan the Niseko way: birch forests, bottomless powder
In Niseko, you ski in the forest. Between widely spaced birches the powder stays cold and light for days on end: you lay a track, head back up, and lay another. Each morning the minibus drops us at the best spot of the day, chosen for the snow and the wind: Annupuri, Moiwa, Hirafu, Hanazono, Rusutsu or Kiroro.
Lifts and skin climbs give you long runs in open terrain, in powder that is both light and deep. Depending on the weather, we favour tree skiing or the volcanic summits. A day of heliskiing or cat-skiing can be added at extra cost, to be booked 8 to 10 months ahead.
Hokkaido backcountry skiing: a volcano at the top of the skin track
Most of our Hokkaido backcountry skiing starts from the lifts; skins take you away from the tracked-out snow, or up a volcano when conditions allow. Weather permitting, we climb Mount Yotei (1,898 m) on touring skis, a cone so perfect it is known as Ezo Fuji.
On the multi-base trips, Asahidake, the roof of Hokkaido (2,291 m), waits for you in the centre of the island: the cable car, a skin climb between the fumaroles, then a long, wide-open run.
After skiing
Onsen, ryokan and the Japanese table
In Niseko you stay in a ryokan whose onsen is fed by hot springs; on the multi-base trips, a hotel facing the marina in Otaru, then a welcoming place to stay in Furano, with its own onsen. Twin rooms and breakfast throughout.
In the evening, Japan takes over: you unwind in the onsen as the snow keeps falling, then sit down to the refinement of traditional Japanese cooking. A private minibus handles every journey on the ground.
Each evening, over a bowl of ramen and a glass of sake in a small izakaya, we relive the day: the runs no one can stop talking about, and the storm we’re watching for tomorrow.
Still undecided?
Set our trips side by side, or let us suggest three to suit what you have in mind.
Our Hokkaido ski trip, base by base
New trip
Furano, eight days of ski touring
On this trip you stay in Furano all week and head out ski touring every day, on the volcanoes in the centre of the island, among the birches and in the powder. Furano is also the third stop on our nine- and eleven-day safaris.
Our articles take you onto the terrain: Mount Furano on touring skis, Tokachidake and Asahidake.
Tell us when you’re coming and how many of you there are, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
- Length
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Base
- Furano
- Dates
- on request
- Price
- From €3,950 per person, excluding flights
- Level and programme
- in preparation
What’s included
Included
- Ryokan and hotels rated four-star by Japanese standards, twin rooms
- Breakfast on site
- Guiding by our mountain professionals, six skiers per guide
- Private minibus and airport transfers
- Lift passes
- Avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe
Not included
- Flights to Sapporo New Chitose (allow around €1,200 from major European cities)
- Lunches, dinners and drinks
- Cancellation and repatriation insurance
- Touring skis, skins, ski crampons, helmet and clothing
- Tips and personal expenses
Payment: 30% deposit on booking, balance no later than two months before departure, by bank transfer or card. Single rooms are available at a supplement of €125 per night on the 8-day Niseko trip, and on request for the 9-, 11- and 15-day trips and the 8-day Furano trip. Full details of the services are set out in the contract.
Hokkaido in pictures
Photographs from our trips to Hokkaido.
A word from our founder
In Hokkaido you ski between widely spaced birches, in powder that stays cold and light for days, and the evening ends in an onsen while the snow keeps falling. Weather permitting, a skin track takes you up a volcano. The trip suits skiers at ease off-piste in deep snow, with a little ski touring behind them, who want to taste Japan as much as its snow.
Boris Malesset, ski instructor since 1996, off-piste professional since 2001, based in Val d'Isère since 2005, holder of the French BEES, the Swiss Level 3 ski instructor patent and the Austrian Schiführer diploma
What our travellers say
“Boris had crafted a fun and varied trip to exploit the best opportunities for experiencing Japan’s famous deep-powder snow, for ski touring with spectacular views of Asahi Dake volcano range and free-riding through so many scenic landscapes.”
Alain J. · Hokkaido · Google review « On a découvert le Japon, la Japow ❄️ et surtout une expérience incroyable où chaque jour est différent. … Comme un onsen traditionnel entre deux runs de poudreuse bien fraîche. Juste magique. »
Translated from French: We discovered Japan, the Japow ❄️ and above all an incredible experience where every day is different. … Like a traditional onsen between two runs of really fresh powder. Just magical.
Jean-Louis W. · Hokkaido · Google review, 2026 « Ça vaut le voyage pour les 7 jours de poudreuses, les découvertes d’itinéraires loin du monde, tout en sécurité, les petits dîners dans les auberges typiques, les bains traditionnels (onsen) le soir. »
Translated from French: It’s worth the trip for the 7 days of powder, discovering routes far from the crowds, all in complete safety, the little dinners in traditional inns, the traditional baths (onsen) in the evening.
Diane S. · Hokkaido · Google review
In the press
Skieur · Franck Charton · 15 October 2026
« Hokkaido : Plongée au cœur de la sibérie nipponne »
« On skie entre le feu et la glace ! »
Translated from French: ‘You ski between fire and ice!’
Franck Charton · Boris Malesset and PowderWeGo named in the feature
Read the feature (in French)They skied with us
Léa Bouard
Svalbard, 2025 · Hokkaido, 2026
“Hard not to be happy with all this powder in my face”
See their post from the trip@bouard_lea124K followers
Suzie Marachet
Japan, 2026
“Almost forgot to share the deepest powder day of my life in Japan”
See their post from the trip@suziemarachet359K followers
Tom Lafaille
Japan, 2026
“3 mythical volcanoes for the first 3 days in Japan.”
See their post from the trip@tomlafaille24K followers
Instagram follower counts as of 26 October 2026
A standard you can feel
You ski with BEES-qualified ski instructors specialising in off-piste, and/or UIAGM mountain guides. Six skiers per guide, a briefing every morning, avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe provided, and we know when to turn back.
Japan ski holidays: your questions
What is the best month to ski in Japan?
January and February, in the heart of the season, when Hokkaido’s snow is at its lightest. Our 2027 departures run from 13 to 23 January (11 days), 23 to 30 January (8 days) and 30 January to 7 February (9 days); the 15-day safari and the Furano trip are arranged on request. Our article on the best time to ski Hokkaido goes through the season month by month.
How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?
Per person and excluding flights, our Japan ski holidays cost from €3,950 for 8 days in Niseko or Furano, €4,500 for 9 days, €5,350 for 11 days and €7,300 for 15 days on the move; prices for the 8-day Niseko trip and the 9- and 11-day trips are based on a group of six skiers; for the 15-day trip and the Furano trip, group size is available on request. Add the flights to Sapporo New Chitose, around €1,200 from major European cities, plus lunches, dinners and drinks. Single rooms are available at a supplement of €125 per night on the 8-day Niseko trip, and on request for the 9-, 11- and 15-day trips and the 8-day Furano trip.
Where is the best place to ski in Japan?
For us, the place to ski Japan is Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost island, where Siberia is close enough to bring frequent snowfall. Around Niseko, the minibus drops you each morning at the best spot of the day: Annupuri, Moiwa, Hirafu, Hanazono, Rusutsu or Kiroro. The multi-base trips then move on to Otaru and Furano, in the centre of the island, from where you head out to ski Asahidake (2,291 m); weather permitting, we also climb Mount Yotei (1,898 m).
What level do I need to ski Hokkaido with you?
Technical level 3/5: you are comfortable off-piste in deep snow and have already done a little ski touring. Fitness level 2/5: moderate effort over several hours, with climbs of up to +800 m. You ski mostly from the lifts; skins take you away from the tracked-out snow or up a volcano.
How do I get to Hokkaido from Europe?
You fly into Sapporo New Chitose: allow around €1,200 from major European cities, as flights are not included. We meet you at the terminal exit, then the minibus reaches Niseko in about two and a half hours. The Tokyo – Sapporo flight lands in the late afternoon; depending on your connections, a night in Tokyo on the way out can be useful.
What does the price include?
Twin-room accommodation with breakfast, guiding, the minibus and airport transfers, lift passes and safety kit (avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe). Flights, lunches and dinners, drinks and insurance are at your own expense.
What kit should I bring?
Your touring skis (at least 100 mm underfoot, 110 mm recommended), skins, ski crampons, poles with powder baskets, a helmet and suitable clothing. Plan on two bags: a travel bag and a ski bag. Need help finding the kit? Drop us a line.
How do I book?
Ask us for a quote and we’ll reply within 24 hours. We can hold a place for you while we settle the details together; the booking is confirmed with a 30% deposit, with the balance due no later than two months before departure.
Useful before you go: Hokkaido Tourism Organization · Niseko avalanche information · Japan Meteorological Agency.
Request a quote
Tell us when you’re coming and how many of you there are, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
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Trip8 days in Niseko · 23–30 January 20279-day tour · 30 January–7 February 202711-day tour · 13–23 January 202715-day tour · dates on request8 days in Furano, ski touring · dates on requestPrivate trip for my group
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