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Backcountry · 山スキー

Tour the volcanoes beyond the lifts

Hokkaido has 25 touring zones in this guide, from day tours above Sapporo to the ski-to-sea lines on Rishiri. Most are volcanic cones with open alpine faces above birch and fir. The snowpack here is deep and often unstable after storms, so start with a certified guide and the day's avalanche bulletin.

25 backcountry zones

A snowboarder straps in beside a skier on the wind-scoured upper slopes of Asahidake

Backcountry

Asahidake

43°40′ N 142°51′ E2,291 m

旭岳Perfect Zero / Flickr
Snow covers Fuppushi-dake above the blue water of Lake Shikotsu on a clear winter day

Backcountry

Fuppushi-dake

42°43′ N 141°22′ E1,102 m

風不死岳Inlet Masu / Wikimedia Commons
The Furano Ropeway climbs over snowy forest on Furano Nishi-dake with the Furano basin below

Backcountry

Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)

43°19′ N 142°19′ E1,331 m

富良野西岳LIONEL-ARTS / Flickr
A snowboarder in red rides powder between snow-loaded firs on the west face of Furano-dake

Backcountry

Furano-dake

43°24′ N 142°38′ E1,912 m

富良野岳Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
The Asahidake Ropeway climbs above rime-coated forest on the way to Sugatami StationRay Eldath / Unsplash

From the journal5 min read

How do you ride the Asahidake Ropeway backcountry safely?

The Asahidake Ropeway lifts you to 1,600 m on Hokkaido's highest volcano in about ten minutes, and from the top station nobody patrols anything. We read the town's warnings, the Hokkaido Wilds routes and the police numbers to show where the good snow is and where people get lost.

Hokkaido43°27′N 142°39′E
Read the story
A skier turns through powder among bare trees on Haruka-yama above Otaru

Backcountry

Haruka-yama

43°07′ N 141°06′ E907 m

春香山Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
A snowboarder in yellow trousers carves through birch trees on the northeast ridge of Iwanai-dake

Backcountry

Iwanai-dake

42°55′ N 140°31′ E1,085 m

岩内岳Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
A skier in an orange jacket plunges through powder on Karifuri-dake

Backcountry

Karifuri-dake

43°02′ N 142°43′ E1,323 m

狩振岳Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
A ski tourer climbs through birch trees on the northern ridge of Konbu-dake

Backcountry

Konbu-dake

42°43′ N 140°39′ E1,045 m

昆布岳Rob Thomson / Hokkaido Wilds / Publisher's own site
A skier descends a steep snow slope below the rocky summit of Kurodake

Backcountry

Kurodake

43°42′ N 142°55′ E1,984 m

黒岳Rob Thomson (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
A skier in red carves across open snow on the traverse from Muine-yama

Backcountry

Muine-yama

42°56′ N 141°02′ E1,464 m

無意根山Rick Siddle (hokkaidowilds.org) / Publisher's own site
A skier in red throws up spray in the birch forest on Mt. Yotei's Kimobetsu route

Backcountry

Mt. Yotei

42°50′ N 140°49′ E1,898 m

羊蹄山Rob Thomson / Hokkaido Wilds / Publisher's own site
A snowboarder drops toward the clouds on the Niseko range with Mt. Yotei across the valley

Backcountry

Niseko Range

42°53′ N 140°36′ E1,134 m

ニセコ連峰Jun Kaneko / Flickr