BDTs Lift Assisted Backcountry Tours (Suited to Advanced+)
Black Diamond Tours offer lift accessed backcountry tours at ski areas near Niseko. Dubbed the Powder Hunter Tours, these guided backcountry tours chases the best powder and conditions for the particular day with a variety of potential destinations that head to off-piste and resort side-country locations.
This tour is only open for
private groups i.e. you pull together your own group.
The island of Hokkaido is battered with relentless light, dry snow from December to March every year but the challenge is knowing where to go each day. Factors like gate closures, variable weather, strong winds, poor visibility and distinct micro-climates mean that KNOWLEDGE IS POWDER! The
PowderHunter offers you direct access to BDT's unrivalled experience. If the weather and snow are stable, the first option is to get into the Niseko Back Bowls, but if the winds are strong they’ll head to
Rusutsu or
Kiroro or Moiwa for incredible gladed powder skiing; if it’s not snowing in the Niseko area and BDTs need to take advantage of another weather pattern they’ll go a little further afield and over a mountain pass to
Sapporo Kokusai or
Teine Highland.
Avalanche Safety Equipment: Provided at no extra charge for all guests on all PowderHunter day trips. Please let BDT know in advance if you do not have your own!!
Uphill Travel: The lift assisted backcountry trips are primarily lift assisted to access the backcountry, yet touring gear is still required for this trip e.g. skis with touring bindings & skins, split boards or snow shoes. Hiking is kept to a minimum.
Flexibility: In addition to total flexibility to head to any ski area within reach of Niseko on the day of your trip, BDT can usually change your trip to a backcountry tour if weather conditions are better suited to that. If they are able to make this adjustment, there may be some cost difference but BDT will refund / charge on site as necessary to make the change.
Tour Details
All tours begin with your guide picking you up directly from your accommodation and taking you to your destination in one of BDTs comfortable 4WD drive vehicles (feel free to bring music along for the ride). Once at the hill, they will arrange lift tickets (Niseko excluded) and get straight down to business. With their guides leading the way you can expect to stay ahead of the curve all day long and not drop into any dead-end gullies. Japan is particularly suited to guided trips as there is no off-piste signage and many of the best runs end on narrow trails that weave their way back to the main courses but there are also plenty of places where a mistaken turn will leave you with a long walk out.
If you have any questions or want to check availability, please
make a booking request.
Powder Hunter Destinations
Included below is a brief description of some (but not all) of BDTs' options on powderhunter trips. Please note they don`t accept bookings for specific resorts so they can let the weather dictate where they should go on the days of your trip; however they do accept requests and the decision is ultimately up to you & your group so if there is somewhere in particular that your group would like to visit then they'll be happy to accommodate. **Requested destination must be within day trip reach of Niseko ie. maximum 2 hours travel time each way.
Niseko Back Bowls Tour
Great Untracked Powder |
...and more untracked powder |
..and more with a few trees |
For those looking to access some of the steep and deep on offer at Niseko, this tour goes beyond the resort boundary ropes taking you into some of Niseko's pristine "slackcountry". Sometimes a short walk may be required at the each end of a run however in general there is very little walking required as this is not a full-on backcountry tour. Most of the terrain is lift accessed with a traverse in/out of the run.
Rusutsu
Incredible tree skiing |
Deep deep powder |
this is a must do for powder hounds |
Rusutsu is a little gem and perfect for powderhounds. A ski trip to Niseko would not be complete without at least one day to Rusutsu. If you have not ventured to Rusutsu before then a guided tour is highly recommended, otherwise you might find yourself wasting the first day finding only a couple of the great hidden treasures Rusutsu has to offer. Prepare yourself for one of the best days of skiing in your life!
Sapporo Kokusai
Lift access.. |
..to fabulous terrain... |
...and untracked powder |
Sapporo Kokusai is a small local ski area located near Sapporo. Whilst the on-piste ski area itself is quite small, there is some incredibly diverse terrain located within the resort boundaries and just outside the resort.
Kiroro
Kiroro has great lifts.... |
..stacks of untracked powder... |
...for all levels of ride |
Located a stone's throw from Niseko (about 45 minutes), Kiroro is a relatively unknown Hokkaido resort but blessed with some of the most consistent powder conditions on the island. Positioned just off Hokkaido's west coast, Kiroro is the first resort to catch the good stuff from arriving Siberian storms. Rusutsu may offer a wider selection of gladed powder terrain while Kokusai and Teine are home to the steeps but Kiroro comes through with some of the most reliable snow conditions and a great selection of off-piste lines to keep you busy all day long.