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Hokkaido
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Mountain Huts in Hokkaido

Hokkaido
Backcountry Huts

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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. 

Filters

Filter by location

WNWE
Advanced

Yotei-zan Hirafu Route Ski Touring


1550m


9hrs


8.5/10


1823m

WNS
Intermediate

Shiribetsu-dake Northwest Gully


580m


2.5hrs


6/10


989m

SEWN
Intermediate

Niseko Haute Route


2000m


15hrs


7/10


1308m

SES
Intermediate

Nitonupuri Southeast Face


416m


3hrs


5/10


1076m

S
Intermediate

Mekunnai-dake South Face


1025m


5.5hrs


6.5/10


1220m

WNW
Intermediate

Nitonupuri West Face


450m


3hrs


5/10


1076m

N
Beginner

Shirakaba-yama North Ridge


675m


3.5hrs


4.5/10


959m

NNWNE
Intermediate

Iwanai-dake North Ridge


850m


4.5hrs


6/10


1086m

NWS
Intermediate

Niseko Annupuri Kita-shamen to Goshiki Onsen Loop


250m


4hrs


5.5/10


1308m

WNSW
Intermediate

Niseko Annupuri West Face Laps


345m


3hrs


4/10


1065m

SWWS
Beginner

Nitonupuri SW Hot Laps


446m


2hrs


4/10


900m

NEES
Advanced

Iwaonupuri NE Chute


550m


6hrs


7.5/10


1116m

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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.