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1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan

1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan
1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan
1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan
1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan
1-day Backcountry ski tour in Shirakawa-go (Gifu), Japan

Local JMGA-certified guide Ryuta will lead you on a delightful 1-day of backcountry skiing in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, providing a stunning backdrop and gorgeous scenery, all in the Japanese region of Shirakawa, Gifu.

Private

+1 Day

Jan, Feb

Intermediate

Intermediate


Highlights

  • Ski and snowboard around a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage site!
  • Improve and learn more backcountry skiing techniques
  • Indulge in the local traditions and history of the area
  • Enjoy the steep slopes and deep snow in the alpine area and beech forest!

Description

Join me on this 1-day expedition of backcountry skiing through Japan's fresh powder and uncrowded secret trails while enjoying local culture and traditional Japanese scenery here in Shirakawa-go.

Shirakawa Village is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known as a place in Japan with the highest amount of snowfall. There is a wide variety of ski runs and trails, as well as many amazing idyllic and quiet spots.

We meet at 8am in Takayama, before we head off to Shirakawa. We will decide on a location to ski somewhere between Shirakawa and Hirayu, depending on the conditions, as this takes up most of the morning and middle part of the day, finishing at 3pm.

As mentioned, the scenery around Shirakawa is absolutely breath taking, as the picture-perfect mountains lead down to beautiful lakes and valleys, all in absolutely pristine condition. As this is backcountry skiing, there are very few people in the areas we will go, making for a more peaceful ski!

Hopefully after this day you will be inspired to come back and discover more of this alluring part of the world.

Visit Japan and you will not regret discovering this beautiful place – book now to experience!

I also offer a backcountry ski tour in Tateyama, Toyama, here!

Alternatively, I offer Myoko backcountry splitboard guiding, here!

Price includes

  • Guiding fee

Itinerary

Day 1: Meet and ski

– Meet up at Shirakawago Bus Terminal or nearby accommodation

– Ski until afternoon

 

Details

More info

Skill Level: Advanced, required to be able to ski on advanced slope.

Fitness Level: Need to be fit enough for 3-4 hike-ups per day. Cumulative Hike-up altitude per day is 800-1,000 m

Previous Experience: Backcountry skiing experience

The following items are available for rent by prior arrangement (price for rental in brackets).

-Beacon (JPY 2,000), probe (JPY 1,000), shovel (JPY 1,000), backpack (JPY 1,000), snowshoes (JPY 2,000), poles (JPY 1,000). All 6 items (JPY 6,000)

Meeting point

Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal or nearby accommodations

About the guide

Guide profile image

Ryuta

4.7

(10)

Mountain Guide

I live in Gifu prefecture in Japan, which is famous for Shrakawago UNESCO World Heritage Site and also becoming famous as the backcountry skiing / snowboarding arena known for its DEEP snow and STEEP terrains.

I am a JMGA certified mountain guide, also certified in Wilderness First Aid. Following my competition years in snowboarding, I became a guide because I liked backcountry snowboarding and wanted to propose safe and fun trips to clients, where I can share my experiences and joys that I felt in the mountains. I spend the winter exploring new backcountry terrains and spend rest of the year climbing mountains. I have accomplished a snowboard descent from the summit of Denali in 2013.
My motto is to guide “safely and fun”, and therefore I aspire to guide small groups. I value the time I spend with each of my guests and this way I can spend more time communicating with clients and for clients to get to know each other better.

I believe that mountain climbing experience should not just be about standing on the summit but also enjoying the nature on the mountain as a whole, learning about the history, and getting a taste of the culture. Shirakawago, in Gifu, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you can also enjoy onsen and local cuisine.

Whether it be walking in the mountains, touching the snow, rock, grass or water, or hiking, canyoning, rock climbing, or backcountry skiing, I believe that experiences in the outdoors will enrich your life. Japan is a country of 4 distinct seasons, blessed with rich and beautiful nature. Let’s have fun together in this nature, using all your 5 senses, moving your bodies and feel the rhythm of the nature and of the Earth. I would love to share my outdoor experiences with you and I endeavour to guide in a way to connect people to people, and people to nature in the natural rhythm of the nature.

Languages

Japanese | English

Certificates

JMGA

Ask questions

What people are saying about Ryuta

jason

Can't really put into words. We might never snowboard again as the day out with Ryuta was the greatest day of my life! Besides the fact we rode bottomless powder, Ryuta as person made us feel like family. He is a outstanding snowborder, very knowledgeable in the the backcountry, i never, i mean never felt unsafe. If you ever get the opportunity to ride with him you'll no what I talking about. Thanks so much explore-share and Ryuta!!

Luke

Thank you for an amazing experience! The best lines we've seen in Japan. Ryuta is by far the most experienced, professional guide I've ever met. And a great guy. I can't wait to go riding with him again.

Eddie

Gerson

Ryuta was extremely knowledgeable and professional, we had a great time.

Jeff

I am a 50 year old good skier. I enjoy challenging terrain but not a ton of backcountry experience I ski with my very good 15/18 year old daughters who ski just about anything they can find. We all rented a guide together for the three of us. Our guide picked us up at our hotel, and we arranged in advance to rent backpack, snow shovel and avalanche beacon through this guide service for an extra fee. He drove us to norikura where there are far fewer crowds than Happo one or cortina. We used lifts to access perimeter terrain that was otherwise out of bounds without a guide. It was extremely helpful to have a guide because there is no way we would have found the lines he took us to without him. We spent time on both norikura and cortina which are connected and skied the most incredibly light / deep powder I’ve ever seen in my life. Some runs were open glades and other runs were through beautiful forested areas. Snow was routinely waste deep and often chest deep with face shots. It was so dry that despite being virtually submerged in powder, I was only wet from my own sweat! We skied in early January and we were told that the snow was better than normal for the time of year. We laughed when our guide said some of the snow was “moist” as our home mountain in the Pacific Northwest is often very wet and heavy snow. There was no comparison- the Hakuba snow was remarkable. Our guide did a lot of photography and videos for us and shared them at the end of the day. Plenty of pictures worth framing. If anyone is traveling to Japan for a powder day, this guide service was worth every penny.


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