Sapporo Teine Ski Resort
Sapporo Teine is a great little ski resort located close to
Sapporo. It is frequented by beginners yet it also caters really well to day-tripping powder hounds who want powder lines that are steep, deep and cheap.
Sapporo Teine is made up of two small areas, Olympia and Highland. Sapporo Teine
Olympia was the site of the bobsled competition for the 1972 Sapporo Olympic Games and it still has various reminders of a bygone era. The Teine Olympia ski area offers delightfully mellow slopes for beginners as well as night skiing.
Further up the mountain is Sapporo Teine
Highland. At 1,000 metres above sea level, the ski area offers spectacular views of Sapporo and the ocean, and whilst standing at the top of one of the black runs you may suddenly develop vertigo. The Highland Zone features some of the steepest in-bounds terrain in Japan.
Pros and Cons of Sapporo Teine
Pros
- Sapporo Teine has some steep off-piste and slackcountry terrain (a rarity in Hokkaido), so it should be on the Hokkaido bucket list for any powder hound.
- The slopes are north facing so the Hokkaido powder remains pristine, and the pow is commonly bottomless.
- The locals know about Sapporo Teine, but many of the international visitors that invade Niseko are oblivious. It’s not a secret powder hound ski area, but it doesn’t get tracked out as quickly as some of the big name destination resorts.
- The views from the top are very nice.
Con
- Powder hounds will only be interested in the Highland zone of the ski resort which is rather small.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- There is no on-mountain accommodation but its proximity to the vibrant city of Sapporo is a plus.
The sidecountry tree skiing and bowls are very tasty, but to get to the fresh it may require significant traversing to get in and out.
Sapporo Teine Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Sapporo Teine is incredibly well suited to novices and upper end beginners. On the contrary, intermediates are not well catered for at Teine. Like many Japanese ski resorts, there are only a handful of on-piste advanced runs, but these are wonderfully steep.
The real excitement for advanced and expert riders can be found in the off-piste and side-country areas where you can revel in the awesome Hokkaido powder. The vertical drop is only short, but the ride is very sweet.
The Teine Highland cable car that was built for the 1972 Winter Olympic Games was an institution of Sapporo Teine. It’s unfortunately been put out to pasture (but sort of fortunately considering it looks like it was built in the early 60s not the 70s!). Sapporo Teine has a super modern gondola that connects the two ski areas and a fast hooded quad that services the full vertical of Highland. At the other end of the spectrum are some pre-historic double chairs that should also be put out to pasture.
Where is Sapporo Teine?
Sapporo Teine is located 20km northwest of the city of
Sapporo in the Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan, a drive that takes about 40-45 minutes. If you don’t have your own wheels or on a
guided tour, there are a few transport options to get there. You can take a train and bus combination, or catch a taxi.
Sapporo Teine Accommodation
Sapporo Teine doesn’t have on-mountain accommodation. You could stay at one of the many
Sapporo hotels to enjoy the buzz of this big city. For convenience, you may want to choose a hotel near the major subway stations such as Odori, Susukino or Sapporo.
Otherwise you can stay in the quaint town of Otaru (37km away). If you have a car you could stay at the
Grand Park Otaru, a lovely hotel offering great views of the sea and the mountains. Alternatively the
Dormy Inn Hotel is really close to the Otaru train station. You can catch a train to Teine station and then a bus to the ski area.
Ski Resort Facilities
The base areas of both Highland and Olympia have well developed facilities that include cafeterias and lockers. Equipment rental is readily available and the rental outlets have standard and performance skis and snowboards. Ski or snowboard lessons in English can be provided in a private format.
Sapporo Teine is reasonably well set up for families. Childcare is available for kids aged 1-6, and there is a kids’ park where little tackers can go tubing or sledding (or sledging as the Japanese sometimes call it!).