Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)
富良野西岳43°19′ N 142°19′ Eadvanced1,331 mGuide recommended
Furano's five patrol-designated exits lead onto the forested flanks of Furano Nishi-dake, and every outing needs its own climbing-plan form handed to patrol.
Photo LIONEL-ARTS · Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Read the terrain
Forested flanks of Furano Nishi-dake around the ski area, reached through five designated exits at the top of both zones and on the ridge between them. Several lines lead back toward the lifts, and the tree spacing gets tight in places.
Watch for these hazards
- The number of people needing help in the forest beside the resort rose from 3 to 23 in fiscal 2024
- There are no lifts and no patrol beyond the access points, and search and rescue costs are billed in full
- Tight trees and creek gullies on the way back to the lifts
- Patrol can hold the lift ticket of anyone who exits without filing the climbing-plan form
Pick a route that suits the dayルート
Access Point 1アクセスポイント1
advanced
This exit sits at the top of the Furano Zone near the 1,074 m high point and the Downhill No. 3 lift. File your form at the patrol hut by the ropeway top before you leave.
Access Points 2 and 3アクセスポイント2・3
advanced
These two exits sit near the top of the H connector chair and D3 on the ridge between the Furano and Kitanomine zones.
Access Point 4アクセスポイント4
advanced
This exit sits at the 943 m top of the Kitanomine Gondola. The gondola top station has a patrol hut beside it.
Access Point 5アクセスポイント5
advanced
Sits on the ridge above the Premium Zone and is the farthest exit from the Furano side.
See the terrain in 3D立体地図
5 trip reports
What riders report from the hill山行記録
2025-12-29 · Hokkaido Shimbun
Furano Ski Area closed some of its exits to the backcountry for the 2025/26 season. The paper counts 23 people in trouble on land next to the resort in the 2024/25 season, more than seven times the 3 of the year before, and says more incidents could outrun rescue.
Read the source2025-01 · SkiTalk trip report
A January 2025 group found the usual sidecountry skied out and big glide cracks in the Premium Zone. They skinned back out from behind the Premium Zone for one decent run in flat, backlit light.
Read the source2026-04 · Hokkaido Shimbun
Hokkaido police counted 97 backcountry victims in the 2025/26 season, the most in five years, and about 80 per cent were foreign. Lost-route calls stood out, and the paper's related coverage shows Furano trialling drone searches.
Read the sourceHokkaido Police SAR record (via Hokkaido Wilds)
Two snowboarders outside the managed area bogged down in deep snow around 12:30 and could not move. Police and ski patrol brought them out.
Read the sourceHokkaido Police SAR record (via Hokkaido Wilds)
A party of six skiing outside the controlled area lost the way down in mid-afternoon. Family members raised the alarm and ski patrol found them.
Read the source
Go with a guideガイド
Furano Nishi-dake rises to 1,331 m on the western edge of the Furano basin, and the ski area covers its eastern slopes. For years the resort kept its boundary closed. It now prints designated exits on the trail map, and the 2025/26 map shows five of them spread across the top of both zones and the ridge between them.
The rules changed again for 2025/26 after the number of people needing help beside the resort jumped from 3 to 23 in a single year. The resort closed some exits, and it now wants its own climbing-plan form handed to the nearest patrol hut every time you go out. At the exit you take your skis or board off and walk through, so nobody below follows your track into the woods.
Treat it as real backcountry with a lift ride to the start. Carry full avalanche gear. Patrol also asks for a phone or radio and a device that shows your latitude and longitude, and you want someone with you who knows the gullies. Hokkaido Powder Guides and Whiteroom Tours both run guided days out of Furano.
Quick answers about Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)よくある質問
How long is a tour on Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)?
A typical tour on Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake) climbs lift-accessed; the 1,331 m summit is about 260 m above the resort's 1,074 m high point.
When can you ski tour Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)?
The touring season on Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake) runs december to March, while the lifts run.
Do you need a guide for Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)?
We recommend a certified guide for Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake) unless your group can read the snowpack and run its own rescue.
Where do you check avalanche danger for Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake)?
Read the day's bulletin from Japan Avalanche Network (https://nadare.jp/) before every tour on Furano Resort Access Points (Furano Nishi-dake).
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