DATES: 2025 // Jan 8-18 (JP25-1); Jan 19-29 (JP25-2) SOLD OUT – subject to change
PRICE: 2025 // $4950 CAD ($3850 USD)
PAYMENT SCHEDULE: 50% deposit secures your booking; 100% due October 8, 2024.
Japow
Ski the Land of the Rising Sun
Now Booking 2026
2026 // Combine JP25-1 and JP25-2 into a JaPOW trip of a lifetime and get a 5% discount
Jan 8-18 (Hokkaido – JP26-1): ski smoking volcanoes in Japan’s powder paradise
Jan 21-31 (Honshu – JP26-2): the world’s best tree skiing and best ryokans
Japan has formed a legendary reputation for deep powder skiing in early winter. The saying “Don’t Leave Powder to Find Powder” is common in western Canada – why leave Canada when we have the best skiing in the world? Well, Japan is a strong contender, and when you add the incredible cultural experience to the mix it rises to the top of any serious skier’s bucket list.
In 2026 we are once again offering two Japan ski trips: JP26-1 starts and finishes at New Chitose airport and explores the iconic Niseko and Furano areas. JP26-2 starts in Yuzawa, a short train ride north of Tokyo, and finishes in Hakuba town. Take your pick — or, better yet, if you can’t decide between the two, join us for both for a 3-week JaPOW trip of a lifetime.
One of the side-effects of the strong popularity of skiing in Japan has been the erosion of the cultural experience. Hearing complaints of “I was skiing tracks with a bunch of Australians” I decided to seek the advice of Japan-born Whistler-based Jun Yanagisawa. I met Jun heli-skiing in northern BC and immediately admired his gracious Japanese manners, sense of humour, and powerful elegant ski technique. Born and raised in Tokyo, Jun was an avid skier from childhood. In search of wilderness, Jun eventually immigrated to Whistler, British Columbia where he has worked for close to 30 years in the ski and tourism industry, moving between his native Japan and western Canada’s heli- and ski-touring.
I said to Jun, “Let’s do a Japan trip together, but let’s see some weird funky Japanese culture!” Jun said, “Leave it to me Tom-san!”
video by Zev Heuer 2018
In January of 2020 I ran a trip along with Jun in the Land of the Rising Sun. With a group of 15, including my wife and two kids, and a bunch of my favourite long-time clients, we based out of the town of Echigo-Yuzawa. Yuzawa did not disappoint. The Minshuku (hostel with onsen) we stayed in, Densuke, was the real deal — sleeping on futons in a room lined with grass tatami mats, with cozy Kotatsus to warm you to the bones after a chilly day on the slopes. In fact we were the very first western / Caucasian clients the Denuske has ever hosted in over 40 years of operation! The town is filled with fantastic authentic Japanese restaurants: sushi, ramen, izakay, yakatori, tempura, tonkatsu — you name it, there’s a tiny cozy restaurant that serves it. One of the highlights was walking to the train station for a visit to the “Sake Tasting Shop”. With coin-operated sake dispensers, 500 Yen (about $5 USD) will get you 5 shots of the best sake in Japan. In fact, Yuzawa is famous for its rice and sake industries.
But we came for the skiing, didn’t we? The ski hills we visited had amazing skiing and were the epitomy of quirky. Japan actually has the most ski hills by area of any other country in the world — over 350 of them! With the lull in the Japanese economy after the 80s recession, many of them have never quite recovered and consequently are relatively empty of skiers. A bad thing for the ski business, but great for skiers as lineups are short and the powder is plentiful.
One of the quirkiest has to be Tenjindaira. You get there via the local Joetsu Line train which stops at Doai Station. Doai station has the distinction of being one of the deepest train stations in the world, the northbound line requiring you to walk down (fortunately not up) 486 steps into the bowls of Mount Tanigawanike — a surreal experience to say the least and a highlight of our trip strangely enough. Tenjindaira is famous for its steep off-piste skiing: a kilometer-long ridge of steep trees takes you 450 m down into the valley to reconnect with a gondola station that could have been a set for The Twilight Zone. Tenjindaira is also known for the mountain that looms overhead, Mt. Tanigawanike. We climbed it only to find out later on that it has the reputation for being the “Most Dangerous Mountain in the World”! Actually, the fact that it’s claimed over 800 lives has more to do with its proximity to Tokyo and the dangerously loose rock on the opposite side of the mountain. It is, in fact, a gentle, enjoyable ski peak from the top of the chairlift on the Tenjindaira side!
Starting in 2025 we began offering two separate itineraries. One is on Hokkaido, famous for its beautiful powder skiing on smoking volcanoes. The other is on Honshu in the Japan Alps and surrounding mountains know for steep and varied tree skiing that is second to none. We’re doing it again in 2026 with a few refinements that we believe make for the most perfect JaPOW experiences available.
2026 Proposed Itineraries
JP26-1 Jan 8-18 (11 days): smoking volcanoes and the hottest Onsens in Japan’s deep powder zone
Jan 8: Konichiwa, welcome to Japan! Arrival day on the island of Hokkaido. The trip begins at the New Chitose airport where a shuttle bus will pick you up at 10 am and transport you to Niseko.
Jan 9-11: Niseko is Hokkaido’s most famous backcountry ski area and for good reason. Yes, Niseko has exploded in popularity, but it’s still easy to find solitude from the crowds with a bit of intel.
Jan 12: We change scenes with a drive to Furano, visiting a classic restaurant famous for its Genghis Khan menu.
Jan 13-17: Skiing in the Furano area, we will stay at a high mountain ryokan (inn with Onsen) with epic ski touring literally out the door.
Jan 18: The trip ends with transport back to New Chitose airport (drop-off at 10:00 am).
JP26-2 Jan 21-31 (11 days): steep tree skiing, classic Japanese hot springs, and outstanding Japanese food
Jan 21: Konichiwa, welcome to Japan! Arrival day on the island of Honshu. The trip begins at an authentic Japanese ryokan (inn with an onsen/hot spring) in Yuzawa, which is 80-90 minutes by bullet train north of Tokyo station. Our ryokan will be within walking distance or a short taxi ride from Echigo-Yuzawa train station. The ryokan features four incredible Onsens (the best we know of in Japan), gourmet Japanese food served in the traditional style, and a choice between traditional tatami bedrooms and rooms with western beds.
Jan 22-25: Skiing around Yuzawa, a really funky Japanese town with very minimal western influence and a lot of great restaurants and close to epic old school Niigata ski resorts with steep tree and big mountain skiing in addition to classic JaPOW.
Jan 25-28: Myoko National Park. We’ll stay and a quirky yet elegant ski ryokan in this classic powder ski zone.
Jan 28-31: Hakuba Town. We’re staying at a traditional ski ryokan right in town.
Jan 31: The trip ends with a shuttle to the train station in Nagano (drop-off at 9:00 am).
What’s included:
10 nights of accommodations with two meals/day, except in Yuzawa (JP25-1 / Honshu) and Furano (JP25-2 / Hokkaido)
All necessary transportation from the trip start to the trip end
Guiding fees
Taxes on above items
What not included:
International and domestic flights
Lift tickets
Transport to trip start and from trip end locations (JP25-1: starts in Yuzawa, finishes in Haukba Town; JP25-2: starts and finishes at New Chitose airport)
Lunches
Beverages
Personal expenses
Getting to Japan: note, exact details will be shared closer to the trip date
JP25-1: We’ll pick you up at New Chitose airport Jan 8 at 10:00 am at arrivals (just outside the door by Column 5) and transport you to Niseko. Easy.
JP25-2: You need to find your own way to Echigo-Yuzawa. It’s an adventure but not too tricky. Echigo Yuzawa is reached in about 80 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo. We will be meet at our ryokan on the evening of Day 1 (Jan 21) which is walking distance or a short 600-yen / $6 taxi ride from Echigo-Yuzawa Station.
To make life easy for yourself while travelling by train you can ship your baggage by courier to the hotel. This does require you to arrive at least 2 days early (which honestly is a great idea anyhow!) See the FAQ tab for details!
Getting home
JP25-1: We’ll drop you off at New Chitose airport by around 10:00 am on Jan 18. Easy.
JP25-2: We’ll drop you off at the central train station in Nagano immediately after breakfast on Jan 31 (around 9 am). Trains from Nagano bring you to Haneda or Narita in 3-4 hrs. Again, consider having your gear shipped via courier and pick it up at the airport two days later (see FAQ section for details).
JaPOW Equipment List
PACKING NOTES
You need to bring all of the following personal equipment. Please don’t bring extra equipment. If you have any questions at all about gear please do not hesitate to contact us.
CLOTHING
- Wool or synthetic socks and liner socks
- Long underwear top – synthetic or wool
- Light fleece or wool sweater
- Wind shell – nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type jacket
- Waterproof breathable jacket
- Warm insulated jacket – down or synthetic
- Long underwear bottoms – synthetic or wool
- Multipurpose stretch nylon or ‘Schoeller’ type pants
- Waterproof breathable pants
- Warm hat – wool or synthetic
- Brimmed cap for sun protection
- Face warmer – scarf, neck tube or balaclava (optional)
- Light gloves – wool, synthetic or leather
- Insulated gloves or mitts with waterproof outer shell
- Spare gloves or mitts
- Handkerchief for blocking the sun (optional)
SNOW SAFETY EQUIPMENT
- Avalanche beacon with good batteries (and spares)
- Shovel
- Probe (2.8 m or longer preferred)
TRAVEL EQUIPMENT
- Skis (100 to 125 mm in the waist recommended) or split board (a powder board of course!)
- Ski strap
- Ski or snowboard boots
- Poles
- Climbing skins
- Skin wax (or a candle)
- Binding repair kit to fix your personal travel setup
- Ski helmet (optional)
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT
- Pack (25-30 litres will work fine, but you’ll want something larger for getting to the Wada Goya mountain hut)
- Sunglasses (both orange and dark lenses help a lot for travel in all conditions)
- Goggles (orange lenses)
- Sunscreen and lip cream (SPF 30+)
- Head lamp with good batteries
- Insulated water bottle or thermos (1-2 L)
- Lunch bag or container
- Personal blister kit (i.e: Leukotape-P and Compeed/Second Skin blister pads)
- Pocket knife (optional)
- Camera (optional)
- Binoculars (optional)
- Prussik cord – 5m x 6mm (optional, for contributing to emergency toboggan construction)
APRES SKI, HOTEL/RYOKAN, ETC.
- Duffle bag to contain your clothes in your room
- A larger backpack to get to the Wada Goya mountain hut (e.g. 40-45 L)
- Shoes
- Comfortable clothing for travel as well as some nice clothes to wear to the restaurants
- Personal medications and toiletries
- Ear plugs
- Reading material
- Chargers & adapters for electronic devices (Japan AC power is 100V and should work to power your device chargers, see this page for details)
- You should have some Japanese yen in cash in advance or exchange maybe 20,000 yen or so at the airport as there are still many places that a credit cards are not accepted in Japan.
NOTE THE FOLLOWING ARE PROVIDED:
- Pillows, duvets, bed linen and towels supplied at the Ryokans and hotels
- Slippers at the Ryokans are available
GROUP GEAR (SUPPLIED BY THE GUIDES)
- Altimeter
- Map and compass
- GPS
- Snow study kit
- Snow and/or bush saw
- First aid kit
- Emergency tarp
- Emergency toboggan
- Group repair kit
- Radio & satellite phone
Snowpack and Climate
Expect a LOT of snow and mild temperatures in the negative single digits Celsius.
Our JaPOW trip provides options for both Classic and Relaxed paced groups.
- Expect mostly pure backcountry skiing, with the addition of lift-accessed touring to alpine and treed ski runs as well as inbound skiing on the deepest JaPOW days when the backcountry hazard is high
- Tours range from near sea level (ca 200 m ASL) to 1200+ m ASL
- Touring days are up to 8 hours and often there will be options for early return. Total vertical can really pile up if we use lifts to get bumped back up into the alpine
- Non-glaciated terrain
- Easy ski mountaineering (bootpacking, etc.)
- Steep tree skiing
- Deep powder skiing
Staff
Photos of our staff can be found on our Guides and Partners page.
Tom Wolfe (Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA) has been guiding since moving to Canmore in 1995, the place he calls home with wife, son and daughter. He guides year around, with winters being a mix of ski guiding at lodges, heli-ski operations, and remote backcountry destinations throughout western Canada.
Conrad Janzen (Mountain Guide IFMGA/ACMG) – Conrad started climbing and skiing in 1994 on a Yamnuska Mountain Adventures Semester in Canmore, Alberta. Following this he attended the University of Calgary, graduating with a Degree in Kinesiology and a Minor in Outdoor Pursuits in 1999. Conrad has been guiding climbing, skiing and paddling trips since 1997 throughout the mountain regions of Alberta and British Columbia, into the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and occasionally guiding international trips as well. In addition to setting up private guiding adventures for individuals and groups, Conrad has guided for a variety of outdoor companies including Canadian Mountain Holidays , Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, and the Alpine Club of Canada. He is also part of the Parks Canada Visitor Safety team in who create daily avalanche hazard bulletins, carry out highway avalanche control, and provide the mountain rescue services in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks.
Satoshi Kawano – born and raised in the Powder Belt of Niseko, Japan, Satoshi will join us as our local fixer and driver for JP25-1
Aaron Bryant – A Canmore native, Aaron is working his way through his ACMG ski guide courses and will join us as an assistant and driver for JP25-2.
Q- Can you remind me what meals are provided?
A – all breakfasts and dinners are provided
Q – How about lift tickets?
A – Lift tickets are not provided in the trip price. This is because of the uncertainty around how much we’ll be using the lifts, something determined by conditions and objectives.
Q – How do I get from the airport to the trip start location?
A – For our Hokkaido based trips, there are many different options to travel to Sapporo from either Haneda or Narita. Jetstar, Japan Air and Air Nippon Airways (ANA) are three with Jetstar being a quality budget airline. Pickup is at 10:00 am at New Chitose airport (at arrivals, Post 5). You can also make your way to Niseko on your own (hotel / ryokan TBA).
For our Honshu based trips, from either Haneda or Narita you can take the train / Shinkansen (bullet train) to Echigo-Yuzawa train station, which takes as little as 2 hrs (or a bit more depending on your timing). The choice of whether to fly to Narita or Haneda comes down mainly to your connections, cost of tickets, and efficiency of travel. Train from Haneda is only a bit shorter than Narita (30-60 minutes) so take this into consideration when looking at the total travel time. First night is at a beautiful Ryokan a short walk from Echigo-Yuzawa train station. Check-in is after 16:00.
Q – I don’t like the idea of traveling by train with all my luggage — is there any other option?
A – Japan has an outstanding luggage transport service so you don’t have to drag your luggage along with you while traveling by train. For $25-50 per bag you can drop it all off at the airport and find it waiting for you at your destination (and vice versa). Visit Yamato / Black Cat Luggage Services. Yamato doesn’t guarantee delivery in less than 2 days, sometimes 3 days if the weather is poor. So this option is mainly for those of you arriving a couple of days early to do some sightseeing around Japan (which is highly recommended anyhow).
Q – Can I do laundry at the hotels we’re staying at?
A – Yes, various options from coin operated laundromats to laundry service exist depending on the specific hotel.
Q – Should we have avalanche training before joining this trip?
A – We recommend that guests have taken an AST-1 course prior to this trip. If you regularly take part in professionally guided trips each year then you should have the basic skills of performing a companion rescue. If in doubt, contact us. We offer AST-1 and AST-2 courses at the start of each season (November-January typically).
Q – How will I get to the airport at the end of the trip?
A – Hokkaido trips: On the last morning of the trip, Jan 18, there will be two shuttle departure times. An early shuttle will depart at 7:00 am and a later shuttle will depart at 8:30 am. We will drop you off at New Chitose Airport (included in trip price) — early shuttle will arrive around 10:00 and the later one by 12:00 noon. This gives you time to fly back to Tokyo and catch an evening flight home. If you need to get to the airport sooner (e.g. the night before) the there are shuttle and taxi options. If you want to stay the night in Sapporo an express train is available for a cost of about 1000 yen and takes 35-40 minutes.
Honshu trips: We will drop you off at the Nagano central train station after breakfast (around 9:00 am; included in trip price). From there you can catch your train to Haneda or Narita airports.
Luggage: if you don’t wish to travel with your luggage then consider forwarding your bags using Yamato / Black Cat Luggage Services. Note they require at least 2 days to ship bags so be sure to leave enough time.
Q – Do you have any other travel tips?
A – We recommend you fly with your ski pack as a carry on and your boots as a personal item. Take as much of your ski clothing and gear (e.g. transceiver, sunglasses, etc) as possible in your pack but be sure to put your probe and shovel in checked bags or you might have trouble at security. You can bring multiple pairs of skis with you — we can accommodate lots of gear in storage and for transport — but of course the less you have the easier it is to travel.
Q – What happens if I have a gear problem (e.g. bindings break, skis get lost, etc.)?
A – There are options to rent or purchase gear in Japan. Not ideal, but also not likely a catastrophe either.
Q – Can I bring my FRS radio transceivers to Japan?
A – Japan has strict laws about radio devices. Be sure to check that yours is legal. We can’t advise any further than that.
Our standard booking conditions apply. Please read our Payment & Booking Conditions fine print carefully.
DATES: 2026 // Jan 8-17 (JP26-1); Jan 18-27 (JP25-2)
PRICE: // $5250 CAD ($3950 USD)
PAYMENT SCHEDULE: 50% deposit secures your booking; 100% due September 1.