9 Day Hokkaido Japan Guided Backcountry Skiing
Day 0 - Arrival in Hokkaido!
- Pickup by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- Group dinner, staying in Furano for the night.
Day 1 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 2 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 3 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 4 - Ski and Travel Day
- Breakfast at hotel / Air BNB.
- Ski laps in Hokkaido, half day.
- Drive to Niesko. Cultural day! Enjoy the amazing and unique Japanese culture.
Day 5 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 6 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- We'll end the trip with a team dinner to celebrate!
Day 8 - Travel day
Today is our last day, we'll all fly home today after an amazing trip full of awesome skiing!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Advanced Resort Riding Skills - Including off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions.
- Intermediate Touring Experience - Including efficient gear management and skinning, transition technique, with 20+ days of backcountry experience.
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week
Ski/Split Touring Gear
- Alpine Touring Ski or Splitboard Setup - No snowshoes
- Alpine Touring or Splitboard Boots
- Climbing Skins
- Touring Backpack - with pockets for avalanche gear
- Adjustable Touring Poles
- Avalanche Beacon
- Avalanche Shovel
- Avalanche Probe
- Headlamp
- Lodge Slippers Clothing & Accessories
- Technical Outerwear (jacket, bibs/pants)
- Multiple Midlayer Options
- Gloves
- Helmet
- Goggles
- Beanie
- Baseball Cap
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Water Bottle / Hydration Pack (2L)
- Lunch and Snacks
Know Before you go
Blackbird Mountain Guides offers both scheduled group programs and private programs.
Private programs are simply above and beyond what Blackbird Mountain Guides currently has scheduled. Scheduled courses are not always less expensive. Before booking a trip with Blackbird Mountain Guides, clients are encouraged to review the differences between these types of programs, and to decide what works best for them.
SCHEDULED PROGRAMS
Scheduled Programs have fixed dates, itineraries, objectives, curriculum, and costs. They typically appeal to solo individuals or small groups or who are looking to share the cost of their program with a larger group. Correspondingly, scheduled programs are less expensive for smaller groups (1-2), and they provide the opportunity to meet others with similar interests. If you have a large group (3+), Scheduled programs will often be more expensive. They can fill up quickly, and scheduling flexibility is obviously limited.
Scheduled programs will have advertised dates. All scheduled programs can be run as private programs with private dates/rates as well.
PRIVATE PROGRAMS
Private programs have scheduling freedom. They typically appeal to those who would like some flexibility in planning their own trip or course. In this regard, Itineraries and objectives can be tailored to suit current conditions as well as client goals. Private programs are normally less expensive for larger groups (3+). If you have a small group (1-2) private programs will be more expensive.
Day 0 - Arrival in Hokkaido!
- Pickup by Blackbird Mountain Guides.
- Group dinner, staying in Furano for the night.
Day 1 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 2 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 3 - Central Hokkaido Ski Day
Day 4 - Ski and Travel Day
- Breakfast at hotel / Air BNB.
- Ski laps in Hokkaido, half day.
- Drive to Niesko. Cultural day! Enjoy the amazing and unique Japanese culture.
Day 5 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 6 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- Team Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7 - Niesko
- We’ll cover ski mountaineering skills if not previously covered.
- Ski touring in Niesko. We’ll choose the location based on the snow conditions. This day will be used to assess movement skills and find terrain that challenges us and allows us to use ski mountaineering skills.
- We'll end the trip with a team dinner to celebrate!
Day 8 - Travel day
Today is our last day, we'll all fly home today after an amazing trip full of awesome skiing!
Here are the skills and fitness you'll need for your course:
- Advanced Resort Riding Skills - Including off-piste terrain in challenging snow conditions.
- Intermediate Touring Experience - Including efficient gear management and skinning, transition technique, with 20+ days of backcountry experience.
- Strong Fitness - Able to spend a long, active day outside, moving uphill at 1,000’ per hour for durations of 1-1.5 hours between breaks. Participants should be able to hike 8-10 miles, climbing 2,500 - 3,500 vertical feet throughout the course of the day. People with strong fitness typically have a strenuous workout 3-4 days a week
Ski/Split Touring Gear
- Alpine Touring Ski or Splitboard Setup - No snowshoes
- Alpine Touring or Splitboard Boots
- Climbing Skins
- Touring Backpack - with pockets for avalanche gear
- Adjustable Touring Poles
- Avalanche Beacon
- Avalanche Shovel
- Avalanche Probe
- Headlamp
- Lodge Slippers Clothing & Accessories
- Technical Outerwear (jacket, bibs/pants)
- Multiple Midlayer Options
- Gloves
- Helmet
- Goggles
- Beanie
- Baseball Cap
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Water Bottle / Hydration Pack (2L)
- Lunch and Snacks
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Awesome Experience
“Taking this course with Zeb was the best decision! He was extremely friendly, relaxed and knowledgeable and answered all our questions with great patience.
An Exceptional Course
“I took an AIARE 1 with Blackbird and couldn't recommend it more. The knowledge gained was well-worth every penny, and then some."
Too Good For Words
Just took the "lift-assisted" Avalanche Rescue course, and it was a fantastic opportunity to act out more realistic rescue scenarios. It was a great refresher and learning experience. Our instructor Evan was knowledgeable and a lot of fun. Highly recommended!
An Incredible Weekend!
Completed AIARE 1 w/ Blackbird. Instructors were very knowledgeable, experienced, patient, attentive, and down-to-earth in relating to clients across a wide spectrum of ability. Highly recommended. Great group of people!
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