Japan is one of those prized ski destinations that doesn’t need much of an introduction. I’ve wanted to go for years now after hearing countless stories of unbelievable powder skiing, delicious food, and a great experience in the country’s biggest cities. After a group of friends made the trek two years ago for a extended ski vacation, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a repeat trip in 2026. Last time around they found a lesser known resort that has since gained more popularity. Located near Asahikawa in Hokkaido, Asahidake Ropeway has a single tram that rises about halfway up its namesake volcano. Its the tallest of its kind on the north island and is most known for its consistently high snow totals and steeper powder gullies. We’d wind up staying near this resort for the majority of the trip, but it would be quite a long journey before we strapped into skis for the first time. For now, we all raced to finish work and embark on the 12 hour flight from San Francisco to Tokyo.
Due to the time difference, my Friday evening flight to from SF arrived in Japan nearly 24 hours later. After a quick train ride, I arrived in Shinjuku to meet with my group at an airbnb in the city. We only had about a day and a half before flying to Hokkaido, so we opted to head out that night to explore the local scene. The first stop was in Golden Gai, a small section of Shinjuku with a ton of tiny intimate bars lining tight alleyways. Each of these bars had just enough space for about 5-6 people with bar-side seats only. We opted for some delicious Seafood Ramen in a 2nd floor unit before heading downstairs for hot sake at our own private bar. It was a great time, but we opted to head back early to prep for the next day of exploring the city. After a quick run and a visit to a cute local coffee shop, we took a train downtown to see more of the city on foot. On the way we walked through a gorgeous park dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, some fish markets with great sashimi rice bowls, and the famous Shibuya street crossing (apparently the busiest crossing in the world). I’d like to spend more time in Tokyo and other mainland cities in the future, but for a single day we really did explore quite a bit of the city. Before heading back we also took a stop for Omurice, a popularized Japanese Omelette with gravy over rice. Similar to the rest of the stops so far, the food was excellent and very different from Japanese food you would see back in the states.
Before I knew it, Monday arrived and we woke up early to make our flight to Sapporo for the next leg of the trip. We picked up a big van & one SUV to fit all 9 of us plus gear. Our final destination that day was in Asahikawa, but we also had the whole day to explore Sapporo while we had the chance. Lucky for us, our trip aligned with the city’s famous Ice & Snow Festival. All throughout the city there were absolutely massive snow and ice sculptures along with street vendors and live music. Some of the highlights were house sized snow sculptures depicting historic buildings and figures. We were also introduced to the local beer of choice, the ‘Hikkaido Classic’ version of Sapporo which was only offered on the north island. After the city visit, we went back on the road towards Asahikawa and finally arrived at our next airbnb. This was a much smaller city but also had it’s own ice festival in town that lined the street across from our stay. We had another four nights at this spot, so we opted to head to bed for the night ahead of our first day of skiing.
I was incredibly excited to begin our first day on snow and woke up early to pack and shop for food. The numerous convenience stores nearby were the source of our fuel for each day and blew away my expectations. We stocked up on pastries, onigiri, candy, sandwiches, fried chicken, and beers almost every morning and night. Everything tasted great and was pretty cheap for what we were getting. On the way over we packed in the van and gorged on some breakfast for the ride. When we arrived at Asahidake Ropeway it was a complete whiteout. While we were in Hikkaido it stormed nearly everyday, with nearly four feet accumulating over our four day stay. For now we would take the resort’s single tram halfway up its namesake volcano. Each ride only costs about 10 US dollars and served access to some spectacular side-country terrain. However, getting to these zones proved to be quick tricky. When we got out of the tram we were greeted with high winds and a nearly complete whiteout. Three brave souls in the group stuck out front and guided the rest of us through some sketchy fumeroles while traversing across the mountain. We were slightly above the treeline so the area was pretty barren otherwise and made navigation difficult. After about a half hour we finally arrived to the set of gullies marking our descent for the day. Anticipation grew for the whole group as we were about to ski down for the first time of the trip and test out the famous Japow we traveled across the world for.
Soon enough we made it to the treeline and the storm mellowed out. Avalanche conditions were our main hazzard of the day so we opted to stick on low angle terrain for the first lap. Then we finally started skiing down one by one. The snow was about knee deep and almost immediately we were all enamored by the impossibly soft and light snow flying up behind each of us on the way down. We didn’t quite have first tracks, but it was nearly empty and the skiing was phenomenal. When we arrived at the flats about 800 feet from the top of the treeline we opted to transition back into skins and head back uphill for lap two. This skipped the tram and made for some more efficient laps of incredible tree skiing. After gaining some more confidence we opted to ski down the main gully, which was a tiny bit steeper and more filled in than the tree lined ridges adjacent. This was the clear highlight of the day and we were all hooting and hollering while making easy turns in pairs on the way down. After three laps we made our way back to the resort and to our van for the travel back. Before the day ended, we made our soon to be daily tradition of stopping by an Onsen on the way back to the Airbnb. These public bath houses all were equipped with hot tubs, saunas, and cold baths. We split into groups and cycled between hot & cold baths every few minutes. After a long day of skiing, I cannot describe how good we all felt after this kind of recovery. Our muscles felt relaxed and aches were smoothed over as we excited feeling light and clean. On our way back we were still feeling the stoke, enjoying some Hikkaido classics, and blasting music in the van. When we finally arrived in the city, we visited an Izakaya in an intimate setting and were served by a sole host & chef. He only spoke a tad of english so when we asked for a recommendation he laughed and gave us all a taste of Shirako (turns out this is a cod sperm sack dish).
The next two days were quite stormy and we were feeling quite tired as a group from the cold & windy day prior. We opted to head towards a different resort local to Ashikawa called Kamui Ski Links. This surprisingly large resort (2nd to Niseko in size) had a comforting east coast feel and was packed with locals. The first day we skied mostly in bounds and had some great snow conditions. It was a nice change of pace to get a ton of vertical skiing in and made us all a bit more confident for the days ahead. However, by the 2nd day heading to the resort I was itching to explore the backside of the resort. This uncontrolled area was famous for its great backcountry powder and relatively easy access back into the resort. After a quick warm up lap, we headed to the summit and crossed the resort boundary into the backside bowls. Our first descent was off to the left side of the resort and made for some fantastic turns into a large gully. This section was just a bit crowded and we opted to skin back up to explore the mountain summit and terrain further from the crowds. Luckily for us, this turned out to be a great decision. Once we arrived at the treeline below the summit there was a ~500 ft slope with untouched powder stretching out in all directions below us. Immediately my eyes focused on a huge natural step down feature at the top of the bowl. We took turns launching off the lip of this thing and flew down the rest of the bowl in knee deep powder. These were the best turns of the trip so far and we made a quick transition at the bottom of the bowl for more laps in this zone.
At this point we still had a group of nine, which made for some tricky group dynamics. My buddy Hokaj and I were quite fit and could hike up the ~500 ft hill in under 15 minutes. Some members of the group were pretty adamant that we all stick together so at the top of the first lap we were forced to have a confrontation of the plan for the rest of the day. This was a new and uncomfortable experience for me as we all had pretty different expectations of the risk & objectives for the day. Ultimately we opted to all stay within eyesight but split our separate ways and stay in close radio contact. Even with the brief conflict we still managed to get in four good laps for the day and each was a fantastic time. In the end we all stuck together for the final lap down the front side of the resort right after closing time. As tradition we ended the day with a spectacular Onsen experience and made our way back to the city. That night we met up with two other groups we knew from college and SF to enjoy a great BBQ dinner in Asahikawa. The next day would be our last in the city, so it was a bittersweet night back at the airbnb.
After four days of continuous snowfall the skies briefly cleared for our last day in Asahikawa. Our group opted to get back to the Asahidake Ropeway, which had the highest snow totals in the area and was generally less crowded than the larger Ski Links resort in town. Hokaj and I knew we wanted to carry forward our fast approach and opted to skip the tram in favor of skinning directly up the resort. Our intention was to arrive super early, but by the time we made it to the skintrack the tram was just starting to turn for the morning. Knowing this we blitzed up the groomer for about a mile and a half before traversing sideways into the resort sidecountry. Immediately upon exiting the groomer we were greeted with chest deep powder and a completely untracked landscape. We knew we might just get one of the best powder days of our lives but it would cost us an absolutely crazy approach cutting through a trench of snow. Luckily we loaded up on convenience store snacks and took turns plowing through the endlessly deep snowpack. While one of us was trucking away at max heart rate, the other would catch their breath, reload on snacks, and prepare food for the leader ahead. We alternated four or five times while started to make upward progress slowly and steadily. By the time we made it up the hardest gully section we could start to see the first skiers arrive from the tram up ahead. The rest of our group was still traversing to the zone, so we opted to make our way down the first lap. Finally we found ourselves back in the gully proper and we were greeted with an unbelievably deep and untouched field of snow. I went down first and the experience was unlike any other day of skiing in Japan or anywhere else I’ve been to date. The snow was truly chest deep and each turn submerged by whole body while snow flew overhead. The slope was steep enough to fly down the mountain with no care for speed checks or any bump in terrain. Hokaj followed me down and I could briefly see him disappear into the snow as he bounced down the hill in perfect rhythm.
I was incredibly stoked after this first lap and we both were ready to sprint up the hill for a second go. Our group was just getting ready for their first descent, but this time around the skin track was already set and we blitzed up in time to meet them before the downhill. Now it was time for a proper party lap and we were all over the moon with the lucky snowpack. We formed into pairs and floated down the gully just as before. We all took turns capturing footage of each other making turns. Each time one of us would sink down to nearly shoulder depth and it made for an experience like no other. I brought QST 106’s which floated well enough, but for the first time I was jealous of my friend who brought fat 4Frnt & Moment skis that could surf down effortlessly. Once we got to the bottom the crowds started to increase slightly and I was glad we were able to get out early to establish the skin track. The next two laps were just icing on the cake and we opted for different gully variations each time. For the final lap, the clouds started to clear almost completely and soon the guarded volcano summit opened to view. Sadly myself and two others were scheduled to break from the group and meet some college friends in Niseko. We got to the parking lot and saw Asahidake in its full glory, wishing we had the chance to summit this trip. Meanwhile the rest of the group took a last lap on the tram and got some incredible views of the upper mountain up close. I’m sure we’ll be back one day and I can only wish we will be lucky enough once again to experience this mountain in its full glory.
Even though we had to leave, the three of us were still over the moon excited for the road trip ahead to Niseko. We took the group SUV and traveled south towards Otaru first. This small costal city was hosting its annual ‘Light and Snow’ festival, which had hundreds of lamp sized snow columns with lights centered inside. After parking we made our way towards the city’s central canal, which was packed with visitors and lined with tons of snow and light sculptures. It was incredibly difficult to find a place open for food but we finally made it to a Sashimi restaurant for a fantastic dinner. Shortly after we had to make it back on the road, as our final stay was still about an hour or two out in a Niseko Hostel. We arrived to find a small house packed with other guests, small rooms, and a shared communal space for food & bath. The next day would be our last on skis, so we opted to pack in the schedule as much as possible. First up was a trip to Mt. Yotei, which was a perfectly symmetric and picturesque volcano across from the resort. Our college friends had been in Niseko for the last couple of days and showed us some spectacular footage with the clear weather from the day prior. However the temperatures rose dramatically overnight and we were met with wet snow & a thick fog down low. After the last day of once in a lifetime powder, I didn’t mind this change in snowpack at all. Instead I enjoyed what we dubbed the ‘spirit forest’ vibes of sparse deciduous trees covered in a monotone fog. Three of us skinned up to the treeline and maybe a few hundred feet higher before opting to turn around for the day. It was time to meet up with our friends and we were just glad to step onto the famous volcano while we had the chance. The descent was surprisingly great for the first thousand feet or so before the snow got prohibitively heavy for good turns. Regardless it made for an easy descent and we were back at the trailhead in no time.
After a tricky & expensive taxi ride, we finally made it to the resort for the afternoon and in time to meet up with the rest of the group. With the gloomy weather and dubious snow, we had a quick bite to eat and only planned on a couple laps before heading out for the day. Instead once we got on snow it turned out to be more fun than we expected. We wound up skiing until the resort closed and the soft spring like snow was a great end to the trip. Our flight back to Tokyo and then SF was at noon the next day, so we finished the last night with a bang in Niseko. The resort town is full of travelers, mostly from Australia, and the night was a dramatically different experience to the rest of the country. We got some sake & izakaya nearby before bar hopping way too late into the night. Before we knew it we stumbled back into the Hostel and crashed for the last night of the trip. Of course the morning was rough, but we were gifted with a beautifully scenic drive through the mountains and lakes of South Hokkaido towards Sapporo. We stopped for one last connivence store to grab curry buns and fried chicken before parting at the airport for Tokyo. It was hard saying goodbye to my friends as we waited at the gates and reminisced on the fantastic 9 days we had just experienced. My whole ski career I’ve heard stories of Japan’s epic powder and I was nervous in the lead up of whether or not it’d really live up to the hype. Fortunately we lucked into one of the best weeks I could imagine and I am incredibly grateful to have shared it with such a cool group of friends. I’m sure we’ll be back one day, but for now I’m content with this being the highlight of my powder skiing career.
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