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Daisetsuzan Backcountry Topomap Companion Site

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Posted on Dec 7, 2023
by
4
Hokkaido Wilds Favicon
Posted on Dec 7, 2023
by
0 4
This is the companion site to Daisetsuzan Backcountry, the English-language ski map for the Daisetsuzan National Park 大雪山国立公園 in central Hokkaido, Japan. The Park is a vast, remote, wild string of alpine peaks. It includes popular backcountry zones such as the Tokachi Range 十勝連峰 at the southern end of the Park, and the Daisetsuzan Mountains 大雪山系 at the north. These areas offer direct access to the alpine, with a number of trailheads very near treeline, accessed wither by road or ropeway. The powder skiing at mid-altitudes can be some of the best in Hokkaido, active volcanic steam vents dot the landscape, and long spring tours offer up some truly expansive terrain. Looking for other backcountry ski routes in Hokkaido? See our full list here.

Featured image skier: Mathieu Jaudon.

Last updated Nov 18, 2025

Safety

Mountain
guides

Etiquette

GeoPDF MAP
(Avenza)

Backcountry
Ski Hire

Filters

Filter by location

SN
Intermediate

Ansei Crater (Kamihoro Valley)


500m


4hrs


6.5/10


1600m

SE
Intermediate

Antaroma-dake Spring Ski Touring


467m


3hrs


5/10


2194m

SWE
Advanced

Asahidake to Nakadake Onsen Loop Ski Tour


762m


9.5hrs


8/10


2290m

WN
Beginner

Asahidake Volcanic Steam-vents Ski Touring


165m


1.5hrs


4.5/10


1780m

NW
Advanced

Biei-dake Karasawa Sagan Ridge


1450m


9.5hrs


8/10


2052m

SWWN
Intermediate

Biei-fuji Karasawa Ugan Ridge


1410m


8hrs


7/10


1880m

W
Intermediate

Dairoku-yama Northern Ridge Ski Touring (beta)


965m


6hrs


7/10


1216m

WSW
Intermediate

Dairoku-yama Southern Approach


1040m


7hrs


7/10


1459m

ESNW
Advanced

Daisetsuzan Higashi-dake


1300m


10hrs


7/10


2067m

NWN
Intermediate

Furano-dake Nishi-shamen


500m


4hrs


6.5/10


1400m

NE
Intermediate

Furano-dake’s Giant Ridge Ski Touring


400m


4.5hrs


6.5/10


1500m

NS
Advanced

Kaun Bowl


490m


4hrs


6.5/10


1700m

Purchase Online

Wilderness Sports (AUS)
Further Faster (NZL)
Beacon Guidebooks (USA)
Amazon.co.jp
Backcountry Books (UK)

BUY DAISETSUZAN BACKCOUNTRY (IN-STORE)

There are a number of local stockists of the map in Hokkaido. See the list below.

If you’re a retailer, guide operation, accommodation provider, or other organization in or out of Japan wanting to stock Niseko Backcountry, then please get in touch (rob@hokkaidowilds.org / TEL: 080-4228-6132).

Store Location Google Maps
Alpine Backcountry Yamabe (Furano) Click here
Asahikawa Ride Asahikawa Click here
Rhythm Furano Furano (Kitanomine) Click here
Rhythm Niseko Niseko Click here
Whiteroom (Furano) Furano (Kitanomine) Click here
Whiteroom (Niseko) Niseko (Hirafu) Click here

PRODUCT GALLERY

NON-PROFIT INITIATIVE

Daisetsuzan Backcountry was developed in consultation with several local central Hokkaido stakeholders – local guides, skiers, ski patrol, and avalanche prevention folk.

Proceeds from HokkaidoWilds.org’s wholesale portion of the map go to the Hokkaido Wilds Foundation. Funds are regularly donated to volunteer and non-profit initiatives dedicated to sustainable, safe, and responsible access to Hokkaido’s great outdoors (read more here).

In 2024, we donated 1,450,00yen (US$9,500) to the Hokkaido outdoors. Details here.

Comments | Queries | Discussion

4 thoughts on “Daisetsuzan Backcountry Topomap Companion Site”

  1. paul wright

    I am a swiss guide with super fit wife, and we are ski touring in Hokkaido for first time 10 feb to 7 march
    we have booked 11 feb to 22 feb in airbnb in kutchan near niseko
    then we hit the road going to furano etc and no fixed plans. we have a rental car ( not sure what size) but were happy to team up with any other ski tourers
    paul wright pwow.wright@gamil.com

    Reply
  2. Lucas

    Hey,
    are there any guides left in Furano around Feb 19th and the 3th of march?
    We would be a group of 2 guys.
    Thanks in advance 🙂

    Reply
    1. John Strong

      Hi Lucas,

      Im traveling solo to Japan in earlier Feb, if you’d like to link up and hire a guide together. I’m an expert skier, whose been touring for the past 9 years. If you’re interested, feel free to shoot me an email at Jfstrong@gmail.com

      Best,
      John

      Reply

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About
Hokkaido
Wilds

Conditions

In deep winter in the Tokachi Range, expect to enjoy beautiful, dry, cold, deep powder at or around the treeline. Generally, the alpine in the range in deep winter (December to mid-March) has low visibility and high winds (see more detail here).

Spring (mid-March till early May) brings more clear-sky days, allowing for longer, higher-altitude forays into the high peaks.

Up to 1,500m: Dependable powder conditions in winter can be expected up to around 1,500m (about 400m above treeline) in altitude in the Tokachi Range.

Beyond 1,500m: Above 1,500m in winter, skiers should expect highly wind-affected surface conditions, hardpack snow, and rime.

Avalanche Bulletins

There are currently no daily recreation-oriented avalanche bulletins in central Hokkaido.

For sporadic observations and snowpack stability commentary, check the Furano Avalanche Center‘s Facebook page and website.

You can browse individual contributions to the Japan Avalanche Network‘s Tokachi Range page here (mostly in Japanese).

Parking

Most trailheads in the range all have plenty of plowed parking. Note, however, the following.

> Hakuginso Parking
This applies to Sandan-yama and Maetokachi-dake. Park to the east side of the parking area.


> Furano-dake Parking

Furano-dake’s backcountry skiing start point (the T-intersection of Routes 966 and 291 here) has very limited parking.

For Furano-dake, we recommend the following: 1) get to the trailhead early (by 9am, the small parking area can be full); 2) if cars are backed up, consider skiing elsewhere; 3) avoid parking on the road, and if you do, spend 10 minutes or so digging out the snowbank so your vehicle isn’t taking up too much of the lane; 4) don’t park overnight on the road or in the parking lot.

Printable Maps

TOKACHI RANGE – 150dpi     (PDF, 23MB)

TOKACHI RANGE – 300dpi     (PDF, 70MB)

Download may take some time

Download may take some time

BADGE by @joekkaido

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Hokkaido Wilds Foundation

We’ve got affiliate links on HokkaidoWilds.org to help fund the Hokkaido Wilds foundation.

The Foundation gets a small commission on sales from affiliate links, but we only link to stuff we think is worth checking out for people keen on the outdoors in Hokkaido and Japan.

The Hokkaido Wilds Foundation is a fund where 100% of funds are donated to Hokkaido volunteer groups involved in sustainable, safe, and responsible access to the Hokkaido outdoors.

Learn more here

ADVANCED FILTERS

Filter by location

About Filters

REGION: The general mountain/geographical region the route is in.

BEST MONTH(S): Time of year a route is suited to visiting. Some pop all season, some are more limited.

DIFFICULTY: How strenuous a route is, and how technical it is. Full details here.

FREERIDE/SKITOUR: Very subjective, but is a route more-of-a-walk-than-a-ski or the other way around? Some routes are all about the screaming downhill (freeride), some are more about the hunt for a peak or nice forest (ski-tour). Some are in between. 

MAIN ASPECT: Which cardinal direction the primary consequential slope is facing, that you might encounter on the route. More details here.

ROUTE TAGS: An eclectic picking of other categories that routes might belong to.

SEARCH BY LOCATION: You can find routes near your current location – just click on the crosshairs (). You may need to give permission to HokkaidoWilds.org to know your GPS location (don’t worry, we won’t track you). Or, type in a destination, such as Niseko or Sapporo or Asahikawa etc.

Please let us know how we can make it easier to narrow down your search. Contact Rob at rob@hokkaidowilds.org with your suggestions.

Daisetsuzan Backcountry Topomap Companion Site Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

0

Navigation

D

0

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.