Gassan, Zao & Night Ski Tour
If you are up for an adventure and looking for something different, this tour ticks those boxes.
After the first night staying at Zao Onsen, the tour kicks off with a guided day of in-resort and off-piste skiing at the
Zao Onsen ski resort. Your local guides will show you the secret powder stashes around the resort as well as the best place for lunch.
Then it's off to
Gassan ski resort. Gassan is one of the snowiest places in Japan, with over 30 metres of snow falling annually. So much snow falls here, they don't open the ski resort until April! So the
only way to access the goods here during Jan to March is via snowcat or ski touring. You and your group will have exclusive access to the snowcat where you will do up to 3 runs (only 1 included in price) of around 400m of vertical per run, skiing/riding the deep powder in the trees. At the end of each lap you can traverse back to the cat for the next run. For the more adventurous groups who have touring gear, there are opportunities to combine the cat with some hiking to gain longer vertical descents. There is also the opportunity to do some touring runs without the cat. Ultimately the decision will be up to your group as to how adventurous you want to get!
In the evening of this day you have the option to do some night powder skiing at a local ski area.
Group Type
These tours are for private groups only i.e. you cannot join a group as a solo traveller. However the good news is that the minimum group size is just 2 so you and a friend can have this whole experience to yourselves. But why not share it with up to 9 other friends because it becomes more affordable with a larger group, particularly the snowcat skiing component of the trip. You can
make a booking request to get a quote for your desired trip duration, group size and number of cat runs.
Lodging
Whilst at Zao Onsen you will stay at an old-style traditional Japanese ryokan or at Yamagata if you would prefer more of a modern-style hotel.
At Gassan Ski Resort you will stay at
Gassan Pole Pole Farm Villa. All villas have a living room, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The villas have plenty of western comforts.