Konichiwa! To anyone who is heading to Japan I wanted to share some general information on the ski resorts and backcountry policies as I was able to interpret them. I just spent a month in Japan skiing, mastering the art of the Japanese Onsen (hot spring),
sampling fine food and then skiing some more.
Avalanche ‘Control’ in ski resorts
There is little if any avalanche ‘control’ conducted at ski resorts in Japan comparable to what we are used to in Canada. Most ski hills do not open avalanche terrain and try to manage avalanche hazard by preventing people from being exposed to the risk. If
you leave the organized piste to ski trees or open bowls there will likely have been NO avalanche control. E.g. We encountered touchy soft slab conditions where a small - otherwise low hazard avalanche - could sweep a skier into an open creek. And we also
skied (and at times avoided) large aggressive terrain immediately adjacent to resorts where we were responsible for making all of our own hazard assessments.
Accessing the back-country from Ski Resorts
The Japanese have very strict rules around skiing only where you are supposed to ski. They have established groomed runs and for the most part - you are not allowed to duck rope-lines to ski trees adjacent to the runs or ski below the gondola. If you do -
you may encounter unmarked cliffs, open creeks and uncontrolled slopes where a small avalanche can sweep you into such obstacles. And - you may lose your pass for the day / season if a ski-patrol gets upset.
However, many resorts are developing policies to open up the back-country and off piste areas.and these rules change rapidly. Each resort seems to have a different policy and set of procedures. One resort had changed its policies in the 2 weeks we skied there. I
will try to outline what I have learned below. In all cases - skiing with Avalanche rescue gear (Beacon / Shovel / Probe) and also a creek / cliff rescue rope is essential. If in doubt about the policy - try to find an english speaking staff to help explain
it.
General Hazard / Snow and Avalanche conditions
Although locals claim there is a lower than normal snow levels we found incredible ski conditions. We still had to ski trees with care as the low density snow hides rocks / bamboo / trees. The creeks present a considerable hazard - particularly since they
tend to have very steep sidewalls and are slow to freeze given the widespread onsen (hot) water. Carrying a small rope kit (or 2) in a group is essential.
We managed Windslab and Storm Slab avalanche problems - which tend to settle out quickly. It snowed 10-30cm nearly every day in Hokkaido while we were there while Hakuba tended to have alternating snow events with clear weather. Winds come from the W/NW and
load the S/SE/E quadrant and often overlay sun crusts. Wind increase rapidly with elevation and whiteout conditions above treeline are best avoided.
A Persistent Sunburst interface exists in Hokkaido down 80-200cm in the snowpack between the early season snow and the snow of the past 2 weeks (called Dec 17th). Test pits on this layer showed variable results. This layer produced a size 2.5 avalanche late
in December in Asahidake on a South aspect with 1 involved.
Conditions update on Hokkaido Japan.
I spent the week before christmas and the week of Jan 4-10 exploring a few of the Hokkaido’s back-country and lift-accessed back-country in numerous regions in Hokkaido.
General conditions / logistics information of popular ski resorts
Tomamu
This resort is located in central Hokkaido and seems to be less popular with foreigners than some of the other resorts we visited. Its great for the day you go from Furano to New Chitose. I spoke to one English Speaking patroller who told me that the hill
does not ‘allow’ people to ski back-country but that “what we do is up to us if we left the resort”. Like all resorts - we would be responsible for any rescue costs. They have an “experts only” yellow arm band that allows you to ski off piste. There was
no formal gate system to access the adjacent back-country.
Kiroro
This resort boasts some of the deepest snowpack in Hokkaido & is learning to accommodate the interest of foreign skiers who want to ski backcountry. They have a new - and very confusing - system to access the back-country found at the Mountain Center. You
must file an intentions report and show a ‘pass’ to a gatekeeper when leaving the resort.
Kamui Ski Links (150-750m)
Kamui Ski Links is a small but seemingly great resort a half hour from Asahikawa that offers great skiing - and back-country - when it is stormy up high. We did not ski here - but heard reports of good back-country that is popular with local enthusiasts.
Furano (250-1200m)
Furano is another large and well developed resort located in central Hokkaido. There is some off-piste and back-country skiing available here - and this is where we found some of the best slack-country long lines. Notably - the previous policy of dis-allowing
off-piste and back-country skiing has been changed. Complete your intentions form with the ski patrol at one of the 2 mountains.
Niseko United (30-1310m)
The Niesko complex is the most popular resort system in Hokkaido. Comprised of four ski resorts: Hanozono, Grand Hirafu, The Niseko Village and Annupuri Kokusai Resort. We did not ski here - but I’ve heard that there is a well organized system of gates to
access the back-country adjacent to each of the Niseko resorts. Many of those lines involve long traverses back into the resort. Due to the number of foreign skiers (largely Australian) skiing these gates I’ve been told it gets skied out very quickly. They
produce a daily avalanche bulletin and list of which gates are open.
http://niseko.nadare.info
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niseko.nadare.info
山麓6時-8 度結晶雪降雪40cm 静穏、モイワ800m-11度風弱く降雪40cmふきだまりなし、見返り740m-10.8度南西0.9m/s、アンヌプリ1150m-12 ...
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http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-daily-snow-weather-reports/niseko-now
Skiing in Daisetsusan National Park
When skiing back-country in Daisetsusan National Park all back-country skiers are required to sign an intentions form / route plan. These are located at the onsens / visitor centers / hotels adjacent to the trailheads of popular areas like Tokachi-dake / Furano-dake
/ Asahi-dake and many others. Inquire locally if unsure. The forms are in Kanji - but here is the translated order:
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Date
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Time of Entrance
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How many Days
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How many People in Your Group
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Name
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Home city
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Climbing Mtn or Skiing?
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Equipment Checklist:
<> phone, <> map,
<> 1st aid, <>Beacon,
<> radio, <>GPS,
<>warm clothes
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Your return Time
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Comments to complete on your return
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Tokachi-Dake / Furano-Dake
There are 3 zones: the 3 degrees zone, the tokachi-dake zone, and the low entrance to Furano-dake. This region is pure back-country. Although there is a story that one area was gladed so that the Prince could enjoy the back-country skiing in the park back
in the 70’s. Fabulous onsen’s are to be found.
Kurodake
Kurodake - Located in the Onsen town of Sounkyo on the North-Eastern end of the Daisetsusan National Park - is a backcountry paradise. Unfortunately, it closes down for the height of the ski season for ‘maintenance’. I’ve heard that there is simply too much
snow. It will be closed from Jan 4th - Feb 4th, 2016. This ‘resort’ is not patrolled and there are great back-country lines adjacent to the resort - but be sure not ski below the resort or into any steep ravines.
Asahidake - Daisetsu San (1900-2200m)
Asahidake or Daisetsu San is the highest mountain in Hokkaido and is located in the North-Western end of the Daisetsusan National Park and is accessed from an Onsen town of the same name. This is where we encountered some of the deepest powder I have ever
seen. This area is accessed by a single Tram and has 2 cat roads down with numerous back-country lines through short steeper sections.
Hakuba Conditions report
I spent 8 days back-country skiing in the Hakuba Region Dec 27 - Jan 3. We found that in spite of the extremely low snow conditions - we were able to find good to great skiing on all days. On all days but one, we used the lifts to access back-country
ski areas above the piste and then used the lifts to download the lower mountains.
When we were there - there was about 20-60cm of snow at base resorts, Around .8-1.2m at 1700m and 80-200cm above 2000m depending on wind scouring / loading. Conditions have improved slightly in the week since we left & the forecast is set to snow over a meter
in the next week. Have fun.
Ski resorts in the Hakuba region have more developed policies for accessing / leaving the back-country than in Hokkaido. Similarly - each ski area has its own method for accessing the back-country and strategy. Skiing the trees off piste in bounds is not
allowed in most resorts and you can lose your pass. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules of each resort. I briefly include what I learned from the 3 ski areas we visited.
The best conditions report of all the regional resorts comes from the Happo-one snow report.
http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-daily-snow-weather-reports/Hakuba-Now
There is a Japanese Avalanche bulletin - but is in Japanese. You can get a sense of the Hazard rating.
http://nadare.jp/alert/index.html
Tsugiake Ski area.
This is one of the most versatile ski hills in the region for back-country skiing. From the top of the ski hill most folks access the regions tree runs and upper bowls via a cat road at 1600m. Note: The S slopes above this road until the first switch-back
MUST be avoided as part of a permanent closure. where they threaten the Cat Road - in other words - the zone from the skin-up spot to the first switchback are permanently closed.
Happo-One Ski area.
This resort tolerates folks leaving the resort at the top of the lifts to access the Happo-one ridge. Avoid ducking ropes in the ski resort. The gondola and upper lifts are prone to shut down in moderate winds. Skiing big lines to valley bottoms demands good
hazard assessment, conservative terrain use and sufficient snow to the roads.
Cortina / Norikura Ski areas.
This is one of the few resorts in the region that seemed to allow off piste tree skiing in bounds. Given the low snow conditions - we were only able to ski here one day. There are gates to leave the resort into the back-country.
Enjoy your explorations and be in touch if you have any more specific questions.
Best,
Cece
Cecelia Mortenson
ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide / CAA L2
Aspiremountainjourneys.com
778-266-0650