The perfect powder weather has arrived
Late February 2022. Unusually for Hokkaido, there was heavy snow that paralyzed transportation in many places. In some parts of Sapporo, it is difficult to remove the snow in time, and it is difficult for even a single car to pass through the back roads. It is said that not only snowfall but also strong winds have caused the ski resorts around Sapporo to be blessed with heavy snow, but the upper areas are closed and the gondolas are suspended.
For two days from February 28th to 29th, I decided to participate in the "HOKKAIDO Powder Liner" monitor tour, which guides you around the surrounding ski resorts while staying at Jozankei Onsen, which is known as the back room of Sapporo. Jozankei Onsen is a tourist attraction full of hot spring atmosphere located about 45 minutes by car from the center of Sapporo. There are large hotels and inns along the national highway, and there are many hot spring inns with a nice atmosphere around the Toyohira River.
It's a place you usually pass by, but if you use this as your base, you'll find that Kiroro, Niseko and Rusutsu are within 60km, and Sapporo International is about 25km.
Teine is also not far away. It's easy to get stuck in traffic jams on the way to and from each ski resort from the city, but from Jozankei Onsen, you can move smartly. Visiting Sapporo and enjoying the entertainment district of Susukino is a must, but it's a new combination of soaking in a hot spring, savoring the delicacies of the north, and relaxing on the slopes. There is also a lesser-known BC tour route around Jozankei Onsen, which is not included in this tour. If you think skiing in a limited amount of time is your number one priority, then there is no other place that makes more sense than this.
Already several years ago, photographers Neil Hartmann and Sho Nakata (in charge of this time's photography) and other core members have set up bases in Jozankei Onsen and have traveled to various places. Located in the middle of the triangle connecting Niseko, Kiroro, and Sapporo city, this place seems to be in good condition wherever you go. I tried it this time.
There are many candidate ski resorts, but where will you go on the first day?
This tour will be accompanied by two main guides, Daisuke Sasaki and sub-guide Daichi Terui. So far, there has been almost no day when he has skated with Daisuke Sasaki and he is out of condition. There are already signs of that in the snowfall until the day before.
Many of the participants who gathered at the briefing held the day before the tour were skating BC and powder on a regular basis, so it seems that everyone is on track.
I feel more and more excited. As mentioned above, it was the day after the stormy weather, so the two guides carefully considered their destination. We decided to go to Kiroro on the first day, referring to various information in advance and the voices of people who had been there. Depart Jozankei Onsen at 7:00 in the morning and head to Kiroro via Sapporo International Airport. On the bus, Daisuke Sasaki briefly explained why he chose Kiroro.
First, the upper part of the ski resort was closed the day before, so no one was in the powder zone. Since the wind was blowing from the southwest, it was easy to aim for a slope that was less affected by the northeast wind. The weather forecast for Rusutsu, which was another candidate, was bad, and after listening to the voices of the locals, we decided on Kiroro.
“When the wind blows in a different direction between Jozankei and Kokusai, the way the snow piles up also changes. In Jozankei, the snow was right on top of the trees, but beyond Kokusai, there is no snow on the trees. It's the wind.
Daisuke Sasaki, who found something that bothered me while riding the bus, called out to the participants. If you look at the scenery from the train window that you casually look at from that perspective, you see, it's a treasure trove of information.
It takes about an hour and a half to get on the bus and go down the lower road. When I arrived at Kiroro, the sky was slightly cloudy with light snow. It's not sunny, but I can see the slopes, so I don't think I'll have any trouble skiing. I quickly prepare to ski and climb to the top of the mountain. This time, not only the ski resort, but also the BC area accessed from the gate. Therefore, check the safety gear including the avalanche transceiver in advance. With two guides, the risk of skiing on the BC can be reduced and you can ski with relative peace of mind.
The slopes accessed from the upper part of the ski resort are covered with fine snow, probably because the snow that had fallen the day before had accumulated all day long. The first run through the trees is a moderate slope with an elevation difference of about 100m. I skate while stopping halfway to keep pace, but I really don't want to stop. When you step on the skis, you can feel the snow on the surface, and the amount of snow you receive will make the snow fluff up. It's a good book. Looking around, other participants were making turns at such speed that they almost forgot to stop in the snow, which was better than I had imagined. This is exactly the place the guide recommended.
From there, it's about 4 hours until lunch break, skiing and riding the gondola repeatedly. Most of the slopes are clean and untracked. Taste the fresh snow mainly on the tree run, which is less affected by the wind.
With a one-hour lunch break in between, it's so slippery that I get on at the last minute of 3:00 pm, when the Kiroro Gondola service ends. Was it a tour that gathered people with good skiing levels, or was it the pace distribution of the two guides? In any case, the first day of the tour was very satisfying, and I returned to Jozankei Onsen by bus.
The fun after returning to the inn is the hot spring. In front of the large public bath, you can see the mountains of Jozankei. The hot water is so relaxing that the tiredness of the body after skiing many times can be relaxed. While thinking that hot springs and skiing are inextricably linked, I take care of my body after skiing during the day. The benefits of using Jozankei Onsen as a base are enough.
Strategy meeting for the place to go on the second day. Niseko is next
In the evening there was a briefing on where to go the next day. On the first day, I had a guide on the nice slopes of Kiroro, so no one should have any doubts about where to go. On the second day, we decided to visit Niseko, where the weather is expected to be fine, although snow clouds will remain early in the day.
On the second day, I left the inn before 6:30. The distance to Niseko is a little longer than Kiroro on the previous day, but the travel time is almost the same as Kiroro, which is a winding mountain road, and I arrived at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu at 8 am.
The ski resort is in a snowstorm and visibility is very poor. Snow looks good, but the weather is worse than expected, and the faces of the participants tend to be cloudy. Yoichi Watanabe, a photographer, came there. He participated as a guest guide this time. With his appearance, who knows every corner of Niseko, the guide Daisuke Sasaki
"Let's ask Yoichi-san to be our guide today
!!
"
Head to the lift "Center Four" which can be said to be an icon of the ski resort while playing with each other. First of all, let's drop the famous course "Super course". In Niseko, there are almost no ropes that separate the courses in the ski resort, so you can ski freely anywhere. The snow that had piled up since last night was all powder, and no matter which way you slid your skis, the fresh snow would fly up. You can hear the voices of joy from the locals here and there.
As I did so, the snow fell so sideways that I could not see the surrounding scenery at all, but after I finished sliding, it began to settle, and in a blink of an eye, the blue sky spread out, and Mt. The participants could not hide their surprise at the weather conditions on Briefing Street the previous day, when they said that the weather was generally fine, although snow clouds remained early in the day. All of a sudden the best conditions with good snow and good weather came. The guest guide, Mr. Yoichi, saw how the weather cleared and suddenly he moved faster.
"Let's all skate the powder together at this timing."
Call out to me and slide towards the gondola all at once. While gazing at Mt. Yotei towering in front of you, everyone enjoys fresh powder all the way down. It's not easy to ski in such good conditions. It was a moment when all the participants could share this feeling.
While moving from Grand Hirafu to Niseko Hanazono Resort, I went down to the base while crushing the points where the powder could slide. Halfway through, the wind picked up and the lift to return to Grand Hirafu stopped, so at the end we returned from Hanazono to Grand Hirafu by a loop bus, ending the second day. Afterwards, return to Jozankei Onsen and end the tour.
Tour summary. A Jozankei Onsen Stay with Only Possibilities
The two-day tour hit powder both days.
This is all due to the guide's discerning eye. Guidance covering not only the selected ski resort, but also which slopes have fresh snow and whether you can ride comfortably at each ski resort is highly satisfying. There is no doubt that one of the factors that makes it easy to hit the powder is that there are many ski resorts to choose from from Jozankei Onsen, which is my base. Over the past two days, I experienced firsthand how the situation is completely different from Jozankei just by crossing one mountain pass. If it's an area where you usually slide, you can make a vague prediction, but it's still difficult to hit it accurately in a place you visit once or twice a year.
If you add not only ski resorts but also BC tours to your selection, your chances of skiing powder should increase dramatically unless you get really bad weather. Especially if you're new to Hokkaido, or if you want to make sure you have a good experience in a limited amount of time, it's quick and easy to ask a guide.
Jozankei Onsen offers a variety of lodging types, from luxury hot spring inns to long-established inns and condominiums. Jozankei Onsen Stay is a Sapporo-style stay that is different from the lively Sapporo city stay. I would like you to incorporate it into your skiing plan this winter.
Photo/ Tsutomu Nakata
Check the tour report movie
Also held this season! Powder hunt in Jozankei with Daisuke Sasaki, recruitment of monitor tour participants
While staying at Jozankei Onsen, we have started recruiting tours this year to select ski slopes in Sapporo Kokusai, Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro, etc. according to the conditions of the day. The guide for this tour will be Daisuke Sasaki, an international mountain guide, as was the case last season.
This tour is entitled "Jozankei Onsen Stay Monitor Tour".
・Those who have BC or side country experience, or who can move and downhill without needing help from others in BC or side country
・Those who can answer the questionnaire after the end of the trip
is a condition of participation.
Departure dates are January 13th and February 17th, starting at 66,000 yen for 3 days and 2 nights, and starting at 88,000 yen for 4 days and 3 nights (2 people per room).
Recruitment will end as soon as each course reaches its capacity, so if you are interested, check it out.