Central Hokkaido Tour

• Fully guided & hosted
• Return airport transfers with Resort Liner
• 10 nights twin/triple share accommodation at North Country Inn, Furano
• 8 days worth of lift passes and guiding in the Central Hokkaido region
• 1 rest day (option free ski or cultural experience day)
• Welcome dinner at North Country Inn
• Farewell dinner in Furano town
• Daily cooked breakfast
• Onsen (hotspring) tour
• Whiteroom merch

• Single share accommodation – ¥7500 per night
• Avalanche gear rental
• Ski or Snowboard rental
• Add on a pre or post tour travel package – click here for more info 
• Don’t want a rest day? Add on additional guided days in a resort or backcountry you love or get our advice.

NOTE: Avalanche safety gear is compulsory for all our tours. Please advise us upon booking if you have your own gear or will need to ren

IS THIS TRIP FOR ME?

Ability Level – Advanced in Powder

You must be able to ski the whole mountain with confidence and at a reasonable speed in powder, through trees and in variable conditions. You must have a good level of fitness.

Snowboarders in this level are able to keep speed in flat sections by planning ahead as well as hold a solid traverse line and be able to hop up and manoeuvre in a way as to not slow down the group.

Groups are split up into ski/board/ability levels and some groups we will be doing some hiking (traversing/boot packing) to get to the goods. Skins or split-boards are not required but if the group has touring gear or wants to hire we will happily take you deeper into the backcountry.

Please make an honest assessment of your abilities whilst keeping fitness in mind as to not slow the group down.

Furano Ski Area
Furano isn’t a ski town, it’s a country town that happens to have its own ski area. Things are changing as word gets out how good the ski area and it’s backcountry is but it’s still relatively quiet most days and when we take you down into town you’ll experience an authentic Japanese night scene with lots of restaurant and bar options. On the mountain you’ll enjoy some of the best tree skiing in Hokkaido, with various backcountry access points leading you to steep faces, glades, and gullies full of fresh pow. The cold temperatures in Furano keep the 9 metres of annual snow light and dry and when its on, it is quite simply the best. Add to this the distinct lack of crowds and express lifts that take you to the top of 3.5km runs in a little over ten minutes and you have a recipe for leg burning skiing and boarding. Furano is where Whiteroom began so you’ll experience it as a local while you stay here with us.

Tomamu
Tomamu strikes a cord with all who ride its mountains. With some of the best lift accessed powder skiing in Hokkaido you’ll want to come back for more. Mt. Tomamu at 1239m, offers skiers and snowboarders a wide variety of runs catering to all abilities. With 11 lifts, Tomamu has some great options. It also offers skiers and boarders an awesome park and various off-piste sections, as well as some great backcountry which makes it truly special and one of our favourites.

Kamui Ski Links
Kamui is a small ski resort set on its own, 1 hour north of Furano. With 7 lifts accessing a network of wide open cruisers as well as powder filled trees and gullies, you’ll feel like your riding your own private mountain as crowds here a virtually non-existent – unless school kids on the beginner lifts count. Combine that with one of Japan’s most open ski area policies and there is enough here to suit every kind of skier and boarder.

Asahidake
Asahidake is one of the most popular touring locations in Hokkaido, due to the easy access to above tree line terrain given by the Ropeway at the bottom of the volcano (top height 1600m) and the fame of the mountain itself, which at 2290m is the highest in Hokkaido. Short hikes are often required along the ridges at the summit and there is the option of hiking around the volcano. Expect chutes, alpine bowls, massive pillows and epically deep powder. Once at the bottom, all roads lead to the Ropeway. A post ski onsen here is a must!

Tokachi Sahoro Resort
Sahoro is a resort full of surprises. From short fun shots between the lifts to a short book pack hike to Mt Sahoro where you can enjoy a long gladed run down to the road. With its newly expanded terrain it’ll sure put a smile on your dial! It’s well protected too and is a good option when the weather has come in.

Pippu
A quiet mountain and a good option when the storms are coming in. Plenty of trees to ski through, good pitch and no people off-piste. This is a great mountain when everywhere else is busy or clapped out due to low vis or high winds.

and more…
There are a few other resorts we visit on the Central Hokkaido Tour but we’ll keep them under wraps until you join us!

This itinerary is an example. The tour will be run largely by the weather and each day will fit around where the best conditions are. This is the beauty of such a tour.

DAY 1
(arrival and check-in day)

Upon landing at Sapporo’s Chitose Airport you’ll be transferred by Resort Liner coach service directly to the door of North Country Inn. That night we’ll host you in the North Bar where you’ll meet our team who will run you through the tour, weather and answer any questions you have.

(NOTE: If you wish to organise rental ski/SB equipment it is advised that you try to arrive with enough time on the arrival day to be fitted – seek advice from your consultant)

DAY 2 – 4
(snow days)

After a hearty buffet breakfast, you’ll suit up and be issued any avalanche rental gear then we’ll take you through our safety briefing. We usually spend the first two days guiding you around one of our favourite mountains – Furano. We’ll get our feet and hunt out some powder stashes. After the first day of skiing, we’ll celebrate with a delicious Japanese Welcome Dinner Party.

Day tour to Kamui Ski Links. Departing in the morning, we will spend a day exploring the trees and backside of Kamui. We may stop on the way back to soak in a secluded volcanic onsen. Your guides will take you out in town to experience a delicious meal. Furano is known for its fresh local food.

Travel to Sahoro to enjoy an awesome day of secluded tree skiing and a sneaky road drop! Tonight we will take you out to another of Furano’s many delicious restaurants.

DAY 5
(optional cultural / rest day)

Rest those legs or head out and hike the peak to show you some of the more hidden areas of Furano. Finish one of the days with an amazing onsen night tour. Ask our guides for their recommendations for dinner – there are some great local restaurants a short walk away or down in town.

DAY 6 – 10
(snow days)

Rise early for the drive to Asahidake. Your guides will show the goods of the highest mountain in Hokkaido, Asahidake 2290m. The ropeway does most of the hard work taking us to well above the tree line at 1600m. From there you’ll spend your day exploring the powder-filled ridges and chutes from the lift.

Head to Pippu and get the goods amongst the trees. No crowds here – just you and the powder. We can organise transport for yourself or the whole group. Or if you’re too tired eat in. It’s all up to you!

Tomamu day tour. Today, your guides will show you around the resort hill of Tomamu with its awesome powder, short hikes and deep north-facing backside. There is some great skiing and boarding to be had here. At the end of the day, you can check out the bizarre indoor wave pool and maybe have an onsen.

Ski your last day in Furano. We might hit our favourite lines or take you on a mission into the backcountry. Get those vocal cords warmed up for our all you can drink karaoke dinner party!

DAY 11
(check-out and departure day)

After all that it’s time to say goodbye to your new friends and transfer to Sapporo’s Chitose Airport with memories to last a lifetime!

The whole tour was great, we loved the opportunity to gain some experience with backcountry on split boards. Greg is an amazing guido! He had remarkable area knowledge and was able to read conditions perfectly. He took us on fantastic adventures and was always thinking 10 steps ahead! I felt very safe with him as a guide. The season was light on but Greg found us fresh pow every day! Amazing!

– Jess Odgers 2020

Powder! Jeff was excellent. He took us to the powder and was patient with all our demands!

– Colin Rehkugler 2020

Greg (Guide) was amazing. His love for snowboarding is bigger than mine and he went out of his way, again and again, to make sure our trip was as good as possible. The best guide I have ever seen – and I have met plenty.

– Soeren Brunsgaard 2020

The tour was great. Ryan was fantastic with his guiding. He was always considered in what we tackled and always listened to the group and tried to incorporate our wishes. Please pass on my regards and thanks to Ryan, he certainly was a highlight of the trip.

The accommodation at Niseko and Otaru was great, no problems there. The only issue was having to go down 2 flights of stairs at One Note to the showers after a day on the slopes. The knees are not what they used to be. No problem really.

The welcome dinner and farewell dinner especially were good experiencing some genuine Japanese cuisine. As for improvements, there is none really. The snow, accommodation, group was all great.

I will certainly be recommending Whiteroom.

Thanks Whiteroom for an epic trip.

– Andrew Sutton 2019

Awesome trip all around! Ronan was so helpful answering questions before booking and coordinating details of the trip. Julian and Taneli were AWESOME! They went above and beyond to make sure we found fresh powder every day, which was no small feat considering there was a stretch of 2-3 days when it didn’t snow. Appreciated them coordinating group dinners, ‘onsending’, and ‘cultural’ 7-11 stops making sure we had fun off the slopes too. Overall an awesome experience and can’t say enough positive things about it!

– Lisa Wilson 2018

The tour was great fun and surpassed expectations. Special mention needs to go out to Zeno who was absolutely awesome and managed to be both professional and safety conscious while fun loving and with an infectious enthusiasm for showing us around these great mountains. He really made the difference between a good tour and a great tour.

– Paul Mollard 2018

It was good wholesome fun with Julian and Taneli, two very professional guides and good fun to hang out with!

– Simone Kaiser 2018

Dear Paul I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the Ski trip with Whiteroom Tours enormously, a great bunch of Guest’s and you should be proud of your Crew! Ken, Daniel and Jason were terrific.The Program was well thought out, i.e. the Mountains we traveled to and the two Dinners, I can recommend your Co. anytime! Kind Regards

– Erich Aldinger

Hi Paul,

Katy and I (and Charlotte and Iain) have returned home today (sadly). We would like to thank you for making all of the arrangements for our Japanese skiing trip, all of which worked very smoothly.

The Furano-based skiing was sensational and we were very happy with the guides that you arranged, spending days with each of Ken, Jason and Dan. The day at Asahidake was certainly a highlight, but there were a lot of great days in Hokkaido. Plus it was a fun group to mix with, and the apres-ski was great too.

And we loved Nozawa Onsen, especially the Jon Nobi – that was a great recommendation. The weather was not so kind for that part of the trip, but it was a great village to be spending some time in when not skiing.

Thanks again,

– Paul

Hi Paul , Hey mate just wanted to say thank you so much for an amazing time away. Well done on coordinating such awesome conditions!!!!! It was pretty hectic leaving and I didn’t have a chance to express my appreciation for such a great job done (just made the bus after hitting the dam run numerous times). I trust all is well with you and your still smashing fresh pillows!!!! All the best mate, and good luck with the engagement/wedding. Regards

– Matt Martin

Hi Paul Just returned from Furano on Saturday and apart from leaving my mobile in Narita it was a great trip. Just wanted to let you know what a great few days we had with Ross McSweeny as our guide – looked after us very well and gave lots of assistance with skiing tips Ross is a great assett for your tours.

– Keith

Hi Paul, Just got back from our Central Hokkaido Tour. Thanks for everything, it all went smoothly and Ken and Ross were great to ski with. Hope to go again next year and will be in touch if I do. Regards

– David Bartley

NORTH COUNTRY INN

In Furano, we are staying at North Country Inn. It is conveniently located between the two sides of the ski hill giving you access by regular free shuttle to the Furano side before anyone else! It has both traditional Japanese and Western-style rooms with ensuites. Shared onsen style bathing is also available. Facilities include 2 dining restaurants, winery, lounge/bar with satellite TV, foreign exchange, wireless internet, souvenirs, common laundry, ski hire, and regular guest shuttle to the ski lifts.

Getting to and from Furano is easy with the included Resort Liner coach transfers. You’ll be dropped directly and North Country Inn. Please ensure you check with your consultant before you book your flights so that they line up with the available transfer times. 

Once you’ve booked onto the tour you will receive our Trip Info Brochure packed with loads of useful information to help you plan your trip to Japan. 

View our full Terms & Conditions / COVID Policy here.