Japan Ski Snowboard Camp

Our accommodation starts in Niseko on January 31. Check out is February 8.

The bedrooms are two per room (there are two triple rooms) and very comfortable. We’re in a central location and close to everything. It’s clean and modern, has two lounges, laundry machines, WIFI etc. We’re surrounded by good restaurants, bars, onsens (hot springs) and the chairlifts are a short walk.

Wherever you are flying in from, your final destination is New Chitose Airport (CTS) on January 31. Check in to our lodge is from 3pm. PLEASE ARRIVE at the airport by 7pm or earlier. Midday is best. The last bus to Niseko leaves the airport at 7:45pm. We will arrange your bus transfers and send you the full details. If you miss the last bus, you can take a taxi, but it’s quite expensive for you.

We will depart Niseko on February 8. Check out of our lodging is 10am. Please make sure your flight out of Chitose Airport is scheduled to depart from 12pm (noon) or later since the first bus of the morning leaves our accommodation at 8am and arrives at Chitose at 11am. If your flight is very early in the morning, you can take a bus the night before, eliminating the need for an expensive early morning taxi.

For most countries, you simply need a valid passport to enter Japan. Please make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months on your arrival date.

Bring all of your regular ski/snowboard gear (as you would for Whistler). Also, bring warm base layers and a face-mask since it’s cold and powdery.

For some of the runs, we highly recommend you bring your transceiver, probe, shovel.  If you don’t have any of this gear,  you can rent them in Niseko for approx. $40/day including backpack.

The rental gear at the resort is very good and up to date. Powder snowboards / powder skis are about $50-60 per day.

Work on your cardiovascular ( we mean it) so you’re ready for some of the hikes we do.

Free WIFI is available at our ski lodge and most of the on-mountain restaurants. It’s everywhere.

Niseko is a small, snowy town located at the base of a huge volcano in the north island of Japan. There are 4 ski resorts on the volcano. This small town has a great vibe and is usually covered with tonnes of snow and big snow banks. The population is smaller than Whistler and there are plenty of great restaurants, cafes and bars all a short walk from our ski lodge. The town will keep us busy and entertained in the evenings. Even the local convenience stores (called ‘com-bini’) are full of surprisingly great food, fun snacks, interesting drinks and alcohol too. The local convenience store is about 150m from our lodge.

The main ski resort close to our ski lodge is called Hirafu. It is connected to 3 other resorts which combined, makes plenty of options for fun skiing and snowboarding. The alpine is big, there are tonnes of tree runs as well. It has a good mix of everything. If you’d like to know more about it, just google it and check the images.

We spend most of our time skiing / snowboarding off-piste and in the trees. The terrain is really fun..!

Across the valley from Niseko ski resort is the most beautiful, snowy volcano ever – Mt Yotei.

If the weather is right on one of the days (we need a sunny day) then hiking and riding the volcano is very doable and a great option! We can put you in touch with some local guiding companies.

A trip to Japan isn’t complete without a visit to Tokyo… You are all welcome to spend some time in Tokyo before or after the camp. We recommend staying in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. I (Turner) will also give you some ideas of some good places around Tokyo to visit like Electric City, Asakusa Temple etc (depending on your tastes).

Your $1500 CAD deposit is due now. It is non-refundable.
Your final payment is due by October 1, 2024.
We do not offer refunds after October 1, 2024.

For these reasons we HIGHLY recommend that you purchase Trip Interruption / Cancellation Insurance. This will cover the cost of your camp in case you need to unexpectedly cancel or if a medical emergency interrupts your camp. It’s easy to purchase and very good peace of mind.

Flights, travel insurance (required), lunches, dinners