Niseko's reputation as the home to some of the best powder skiing on the planet is well founded. With an average snowfall of over 15 metres a year and a variety of resorts boasting world-class lift accessed terrain, it's very reasonable to expect a taste of the deep dry Hokkaido powder if you make it all the way over here. But if you're unlucky with the weather (rare) or don't have an experienced guide to show you the best spots on the mountain, you might find yourself stuck in other people's tracks wishing you had a bit of extra local knowedge.
That's where Hokkaido Backcountry Club come into play. Their experienced guides have years of experience in the region, first-class safety and avalanche training, and can match your level of riding with the right terrain that ensures you'll get the best out of the Niseko backcountry.
They offer Hokkaido's only helicopter-accessed backcountry riding on 1107m ShiribetsuDake, where you'll find some of the steepest, deepest, driest turns in Hokkaido (assuming that's what you're after!). Other heli options include a three run big mountain intro - great for those looking to have their first taste of heli-sking, and private group tours, where you'll have two professional guides at your disposal and virtually any option available to you (pending weather conditions). Expect more faceshots than you can count and the kind of turns that will leave you smiling for days.
For the more budget conscious, you can try HBC's snowcat or snowmobiling tours, which are a slightly slower but equally fantastic ways to explore. Describing the backcountry sled tour, HBC write that "there are no groomed trails and no easy ways out. You will be worked to exhaustion, and you will love every minute of it!" Sounds good to us!
To book a heli-skiing, snowcat or snowmobiling tour, contact the Ki Niseko concierge at concierge@kiniseko.com.
Guarantee yourself some turns like this one! Image: hokkaidobackcountryclub.com
