What a breath of fresh air to hang out with Waka and Nobi for a few days. We’d been in Hokkaido, where many parts were rather busy and internationalised, and if it wasn’t for the snow, we might have wondered whether we were in Japan or not. This tour provided local ski-jo experiences, nice Japanese food, some backcountry ski touring, and lovely local guides.

Gassan Ski is a very boutique outfit that’s still in its infancy so processes are not fully cemented as yet, so the experiences can be quite flexible and Waka is so incredibly enthusiastic to ensure that you have a great time.

Rather than taking a cat shuttle, on our first day we went backcountry ski touring on Yudonosan. The approach was mellow and long before we got to some pitchier sections in the trees, and then up to the vast alpine area. It was a spectacular fine day which is rare in winter, and we could appreciate the vastness of the three mountains and the many backcountry options, and it was easy to see why people would worship these mountains. The snow was nice in the morning but by the afternoon it had gone a little sour. We got a few nice lines in which probably weren’t as pitchy as we’d like, although conservatism is somewhat common with Japanese guides and we probably should have made more suggestions to see what was feasible. It was a holiday weekend and considering the nice weather, there were lots of locals out ski touring and snowshoeing so the ski-out was very tracked.

The next day we visited two little ski-jos where we could mingle with the locals. Yudonosan was teeming considering the holiday weekend, but there were fresh lines in the off-piste areas. It’s a mostly mellow ski area and you can see our Yudonosan overview for more information and our review.

We stopped at a cute Japanese restaurant for lunch and then onto Asahi Shizenkan which was really quiet and we had the lovely tree skiing to ourselves. You can see our Shizenkan overview and review. Afterwards we visited a unique onsen.

The next day we went to another local ski area in Miyagi, Sumikawa where we had a play and took a snowcat shuttle and skinned up to the top of Mt Zao to see the rime covered shrine which was pretty cool.

Staying at Pole Pole was also a very personalised boutique experience and the interactions with the staff were so warm and friendly. See our Pole Pole review.

Just to reiterate, this was a nice tour to get away from the hordes and off the beaten path of international ski destinations, to experience the lesser known real Japan.
See our video here