BC Caravan | Skiing on good snow at the right time in the right place | Hokkaido

A wandering guide who travels around the backcountry across Japan

As the name suggests, BC Caravan is a guide service that provides guidance while caravanning in the backcountry, giving it a travel-like feel. In a narrow sense, backcountry refers to wilderness, mountains behind buildings, and unexplored areas, but in a broader sense, it refers to natural environments that people do not normally enter

BC Caravan is a small group guide service that guides you through Japan's backcountry not only with backcountry snowboarding and skiing, but also with outdoor activities such as SUP (stand-up paddleboarding), mountain climbing, and camping during the green season

During the snow season, he hunts for powder from the end of December to mid-March, and from March onwards, when the weather becomes more stable, he enjoys dynamic turns on the big runs that are unique to the backcountry. His unique stance as a "wandering guide" travels the backcountry to visit attractive faces all over the country

BC Caravan's extensive guided tour menu

"Skiing on good snow at the right time, in the right place. We want to share that wonderful moment with the other members of the group. To that end, our guides not only act as safety managers and guides, but also as coordinators of harmony within the team. We look forward to receiving guide requests from people whose timings are right wherever we go," says representative Kawada Hisanori

He has 15 years of experience as a BC guide and has a wealth of experience and multi-level guiding skills in snowboarding, mountain climbing, canyoning, rafting, and SUP (stand-up paddleboarding). With the experience of developing his own routes since his early days as a guide, he combines information gathering and research with reading topographical maps to find tour routes that will give the most enjoyment to his guests

With Kawada at the center, BC Caravan offers a variety of guided tours, including Backcountry Guides for experienced backcountry skiers who visit various regions during business trips, Private BC Guides for exclusive use, as well as Snow Caravan planned tours and Tateyama Backcountry tours in the fall and spring

What I value

Kawata says,
"I travel around Japan's backcountry skiing with the concept of skiing on good snow at the right time in the right place. Rather than deciding on a specific route, I guide by choosing the best location based on the weather, conditions, and the group of participants on that day.

In addition to maintaining and improving teamwork while on the mountain, we always strive to maintain a good atmosphere during the tour so that guests can continue to connect with each other in the future

Backcountry snowboarding and skiing are one of the travel tools that connect you with the local people and the local climate. While respecting the local guides, as a visitor guide I try to guide from the same perspective as the participating guests to make their trip a better experience."

Guide Area

Main guide area	Hokkaido: Around Asahikawa and Furano / Nagano Prefecture: Around Hakuba / Toyama Prefecture: Mount Tateyama
Other areas	All of Hokkaido/Northern Tohoku (around Mt. Iwaki, Mt. Moriyoshi, and Mt. Iwate)
Representative name (guide qualification)	Naoki Kawada (JMGA Mountaineering Guide Stage II, JMGA Ski Guide Stage II, JAN Avalanche Worker Level 1)
Main guide name (guide qualification)	Naoki Kawada (JMGA Mountaineering Guide Stage II, JMGA Ski Guide Stage II, JAN Avalanche Worker Level 1)
Number of guides	1 full-time staff member (including 1 qualified guide) When support is needed, we outsource it to a qualified guide
Guide Ratio	1 guide: 5-6 guests
Percentage of guests	Skiing/Snowboarding (4 vs. 6) / Men and Women (6 vs. 4)

rental

Snow Safety Gear	Beacon Probe Shovel (Ant)
backpack	Something that can accommodate skis or snowboards (Yes)
Skiing	Skis with touring bindings (none)
Climbing gear	Climbing skins (no) Snowshoes (yes)

Fee

1DAY	◆ Northern Hokkaido (Asahikawa/Furano) BC Guide 16,500 yen (tax included) ◆ Hakuba BC Guide 15,000 yen (tax included)
others	◆Tateyama BC Guide 2 days 30,000 yen (tax included) 3 days 45,000 yen (tax included) *In addition to the guide fee, we ask that you cover the guide's expenses such as lift fees. *All tours are for experienced BC hikers only, but guides for BC beginners are available through private guides or organized tours.

The actual tour content

	First time participating	BC experience	The most difficult
Activity time	Approximately 4 to 5 hours (including training)	About 6 hours	Approximately 6 to 8 hours
Total altitude difference	400-600m (depending on the route)	600-1200m (depending on the route)	1200-1800m (depending on the route)
Average hike time	Approximately 1 to 2 hours (depending on the itinerary)	Approximately 3 to 5 hours (depending on the itinerary)	Approximately 5 to 6 hours (depending on the itinerary)
Slope Contents	A relatively open, slippery slope with a gradient of around 25-30 degrees. There is no uphill climb, or only one	Open runs and tree runs with a gradient of around 30-35 degrees. Tour routes that are connected by climbing back up 2-3 times, and long lines	We will guide you to long routes that require good skiing ability. Past examples: Tsugaike - South side of Mt. Korenge - Futamata, Tsugaike - Sarukura - Yari Onsen - Futamata, Renge Onsen day trip bathing tour (Tsugaike - Hakuba Norikura - Renge Onsen - Kijiya), Yukikuradake with overnight stay at Renge Onsen, Tateyama day trip double cirque tour (Murodou - Kuranosuke Cirque - Yamazaki Cirque - Murodo), Raichoso - Mt. Masago - Kuranosuke Valley - Kurobe Dam, Murodo - Shishidake - Miyama Valley - Kurobe Dam, etc. *The most difficult tours are only for heavy repeaters.

address	15 Nishikicho, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido
Tel	090-1137-8536
Mail	Inquiry form: https://www.bc-caravan.com/contact/　　 Reservation form: https://www.bc-caravan.com/booking/
Web	https://www.bc-caravan.com/backcountry-tours/
Social Media	bccaravan 　  bccaravan

*The information posted is current as of August 2025