Freeride and ski touring around Honshu, Japanese Alps

Enjoy this 10-day tour with the best skiing that Japanese Alps have to offer: Myoko, Hakuba, Nozawa, Tenjin, and our favorite smaller freeride resorts on the island!

Japan Alps

10 Days

Jan - Mar

High

Intermediate

Description

On this tour, we will spend 10 days skiing around the best spots in the Japanes Alps across Honshu. We will cover of the most well-known destinations, such as Myoko, Hakuba, Nozawa and Tenjin, but also smaller and more hidden freeride resorts on the island.

During the trip, we will be ski touring around 30% of the time, and using lifts to access slopes for freeriding the rest of the time. You can expect to ski around 10,000 downhill vertical meters a day, as runs are from 500 to 900m in vertical drop. The hardest backcountry day can take from 4 to 6 hours (1500m elevation gain), but the pace and total elevation gain can be adjusted to the needs of the group.

We will be staying in lodges in Myoko area, and we will move to Tenjin for the last few days. Besides skiing, we can also enjoy some of the countless onsens in the village to relax after an intense skiing day, and also have fun on a karaoke night!

To ensure safety, the itinerary also includes an Avalanche Awareness Presentation and an Avalanche Rescue Practice.

Please get in touch with us if you want to join this freeriding and ski touring trip in Honshu, Japan! It will be our pleasure to guide you. You can request to join one of the scheduled group dates, or if we have capacity we can also organize a private date for your group.

In case you are interested in another destination in Japan, you can check this amazing Powder Ski Trip in the Niseko and Sapporo Area.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Transport during the trip

Price details

Price Includes:
Guiding
Ski Passes
10 Nights of Accommodation (Myoko and Tokyo)
Transportation in Japan
Avalanche Training Session
Not Included in the price:
− Avalanche Equipment (Backpack, Beacon, Probe, Shovel) we can ship these from our Hokkaido base for 90 EUR per trip)
− Rental of Skis and Boards (Kaestle free touring skis, Nitro boards, Gara split boards we can ship these from our Hokkaido base for 200 EUR per trip)
− Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners
− Flight ticket to Tokyo (Europe to Tokyo costs around 800 EUR)
− Travel & Cancel Insurance (approx. 100 EUR)

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Tokyo, Japan

We will get you to our lodge, set up the equipment and take you to dinner.

Day 2: Madarao + Tangram / Evening: Avalanche Awareness Presentation

Two interconnected resorts offer easy access to freeride skiing with the potential of short hikes to some longer backcountry lines. After skiing, you will learn how to navigate safely through backcountry terrain so we can go ski touring in upcoming days.

Day 3: Seki Onsen + Avalanche Rescue Practice after skiing / Evening: Onsen

Seki receives up to 20 metres of snowfall a season. Powder skiing gem with two lifts, one of which is the famous Pizza Box. Great backcountry options. You will be sharing the resort with other locals and a few foreigners who'll go off the beaten path in order to reach it.

We will practice beacon searching after skiing.

Day 4: Backcountry day in Mt. Myoko area

Fancy skiing inside the crater? Let's do it!

Day 5: Lotte Arai or other resorts in the area / Evening: Karaoke Night

Lotte is the most modern out of Myoko resorts. Fast lifts take you up to the main bowl, only a short hike away from an epic powder line. Plus, the backcountry of Lotte is a whole different playground.

Day 6: Unguided day in the resort or a Day Off

Our guests are asked to cover a one-day ski pass if they decide to ski on this day. You can enjoy the Myoko Kogen area unguided, take the day off and chill, eat famous soba in town or visit a shrine in Nagano.

Day 7: Nozawa Onsen / Evening: Onsen

Nozawa Onsen offers some great lines straight from the lift-accessed ridge. You will end up right on the slope, ready for another run. After skiing, we will check one of the countless onsens and sample hot buns in the streets of this historical village.

Day 8: Backcountry day in Mt. Myoko area

Backcountry day in an undisclosed, surprise destination!

Day 9: Akakura Onsen

Ski as many laps in powder-filled trees as you can possibly handle.

Day 10: Happo-One

We will pay a visit to the famous Hakuba Valley and ski some of our favourite lines with the longest vertical in the area in this resort - which is still out of sight of crowds heading to the main Hakuba resort

Day 11: Flight back home OR Optional stay in Japan for more days

* Please note that DAY 1 of each trip is your arrival to Japan. Flights to Japan from Europe take 2 days (due to time difference). If you need assistance with your flight booking, feel free to ask us.

Details

Accommodation

Instead of using a hotel and having our crew spread out all over the place, we rent a house close to Akakura Resorts to create a nice and family-like atmosphere. We will pay a visit to local izakayas, restaurants, bars, and karaoke.

Our house is a similar style to the one on our freeride camp

More info

To join the Honshu trip we reuquire participants to have previous ski touring (or splitboarding) and freeriding experience. Our trip is both for skiers and snowboarders and we have guides for both disciplines. We will suggest a group for you based on your skill level. You should have reasonable level of fitness to be able to follow itinerary (no activities are mandatory, you can always take more days off).

Meeting point

Tokyo

FAQs

How will accommodation be handled?

Instead of staying in a hotel and having our team scattered, we opt to rent a house near Akakura Resorts to foster a cozy ambiance. During our stay, we plan to explore local izakayas, restaurants, bars, and enjoy some karaoke.

Who is this Honshu Trip for?

For the Honshu Trip previous ski touring (or split boarding) and freeriding experience is necessary.

You should have a reasonable level of fitness to be able to follow the itinerary (no activities are mandatory, you can always take more days off).

What's included in the price?

Included in the price are:

Guiding

Ski Passes

10 Nights of Accommodation (in Myoko and Tokyo)

Transportation within Japan

Avalanche Training Session

What is not included?

Additional Costs (Not Included):

Avalanche Equipment (Backpack, Beacon, Probe, Shovel) - available for shipping from our Hokkaido base for 90 EUR per trip

Rental of Skis and Boards (Kaestle free touring skis, Nitro boards, Gara split boards) - can be shipped from our Hokkaido base for 200 EUR per trip

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinners

Flight ticket to Tokyo (Europe to Tokyo costs around 800 EUR)

Travel & Cancel Insurance (approx. 100 EUR)

What is the guide-to-client ratio?

The guide-to-participant ratio will be 1:6

About the guide

-Vojta Lim & Guides

4.9

(41)

Mountain Guide

Hi, I’m Vojta, welcome to our profile! We are a small and specialized guiding company based out of the Czech Republic, dedicated to offering freeriding and ski-touring trips mainly to Japan and Norway. We run powder camps and tours across the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu in Japan. In March every year, we move to arctic Norway and run Ski and Sail expeditions around Lyngen Alps. We started as a group of friends guiding in Japan in 2013 and we still beleive you should feel like you are riding with friends on our trips. The tours are flexible with the single purpose of skiing in the best snow and finding the best lines possible. We have strong area knowledge of the terrain and go the extra mile to provide you with an unforgettable experience. Our trips not only include skiing, but also delicious food and local culture as you improve your skills as a backcountry skier or snowboarder.

On our trips, you will be guided by Czech and Slovak UIAGM Mountain guides & Ski Guides (Robert Vrlák, Peter Koteles, Daniel Menšík, Vojta Lím, or Tomáš Prajzler)

If you don't find what you are looking for, get in touch, we will be happy to help and welcome you on board!

Languages

English | Czech

Request more information

What people are saying about -Vojta Lim & Guides

Dominic

Awesome experience, sailing between amazing isolated backcountry tours. Definitely a fantastic week!

Taneli

The skiing trip encountered several issues, starting with unmet itinerary promises such as night skiing and the advertised average of 10,000 vertical meters of skiing. Despite a smooth booking process and excellent pre-trip information, the trip's delivery fell short. The guide we had was notably unprofessional, affecting the group's experience negatively due to his behavior and lack of fitness. Also, the inability to choose between advertised group levels and the inclusion of unfit participants further marred the experience. The house we hade provided comfortable accommodations, yet disparities in lodging quality between the groups without price adjustments was not fair. Breakfast was a highlight and the Sherpas staff was really nice. Overall the trip, despite its potential, was ultimately disappointed due to significant shortcomings in execution and leadership.

Trevor

Great all round trip with great guides.

We had a fantastic ski and sail trip with Sherpas Ride! The views and ski lines were memorable. Vojta kept us safe and smiling the whole trip!

I had a fantastic time on the Sherpas Ride ski and sail trip in Norway. The weather was challenging but Votja figured out how to make the best of it, keeping it fun and safe. The other clients in our group were great people. I would happily adventure with Sherpas Ride again.