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Hokkaido
Ski Touring

Safety

Resources

Mountain Huts in Hokkaido

Hokkaido
Backcountry Huts

Etiquette

FAQ

GEAR SHOPS

A Quick Note for Snowboarders

Quite a few of these routes have fairly long forestry-road approaches, which may make things a little frustrating on a snowboard on the way down. They’re long enough and flat enough that they’d most likely require putting the snowshoes back on (or splitting the board).

To make things easier, I’ve included a ‘Snowboard Friendly’ filter on the route reports below. The logic behind marking a route snowboard friendly is that according to my (hazy) memory, the route was more or less decently steep all the way from the top back to the car/trailhead.

Do note, however, that while I’ve longboarded half way around the world, I’ve never snowboarded in my life. So don’t hate me if I’ve marked a route as ‘Snowboard Friendly’ and you find out halfway into a 3-hour walk downhill that actually, you’d rather strangle me and see this entire page burn in the hot fires of hell.

Snowboarders

Hokkaido Backcountry Ski Touring: A free resource

GPS route maps, downloadable GPS route files, photos, and more. A repository of open-source Hokkaido backcountry ski touring information in English. 

Here in Hokkaido, backcountry ski touring routes are right on our doorsteps. Even from central Sapporo City, super fun backcountry skiing routes exist less than an hour away by public transport. Some even have mountain huts only accessible by ski. This page is an ever-evolving database of Hokkaido’s winter mountain offerings accessible by ski or snowboard. 

Featured Areas

 

Niseko Range (incl. Mt. Yotei & Mt. Shiribetsu)

Easy-access low-elevation powder

Highlights: Deep-powder tree-skiing, very easy access, international resort vibes, volcano crater skiing, lift-access backcountry options, great onsen.

Tokachi Range

Central Hokkaido big-mountain powder

Highlights: Easy access to the alpine, deep-dry powder, active volcanic steam vents, serious big-mountain lines, committing chutes, 2000m+ peaks, great onsen.

Route Search and Filter

Filters

Filter by location

NSE
Intermediate

Kokusai to Teine Ski Traverse


650m


10hrs


7.5/10


1023m

ESNW
Advanced

Daisetsuzan Higashi-dake


1300m


10hrs


7/10


2067m

ESN
Intermediate

Kiroro 1107m & 992m Peaks


750m


5.5hrs


6/10


1107m

NENE
Beginner

Yunai-yama


250m


3hrs


3.5/10


501m

NENWWE
Intermediate

Sandan-yama Higashi-no-tani


730m


3.5hrs


6.5/10


1748m

NWN
Intermediate

Furano-dake Nishi-shamen


500m


4hrs


6.5/10


1400m

NW
Advanced

Biei-dake Karasawa Sagan Ridge


1450m


9.5hrs


8/10


2052m

ES
Intermediate

Ashibetsu-dake Hanmen-yama Winter Ridge


1000m


6.5hrs


7.5/10


1377m

SWWN
Intermediate

Biei-fuji Karasawa Ugan Ridge


1410m


8hrs


7/10


1880m

SN
Intermediate

Ansei Crater (Kamihoro Valley)


500m


4hrs


6.5/10


1600m

SSESW
Advanced

Shiribetsu-dake South Face


650m


4hrs


6.5/10


1107m

ENE
Intermediate

Iwanai-dake NE Ridge


950m


4.5hrs


6/10


1085m

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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.

Hokkaido Backcountry Ski Touring Routes Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

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.