northern japanese island Hokkaido famous for its vast amounts of the lightest and fluffiest snow known to man. In the snowiest years, resorts corresponding to Niseko, Rusutsu and Furano can receive as much as 17m of white material. For comparison, the annual average of the long-time favorite of the British Jizera Valley is from 4 to 6 meters.
Over the past 10 years, this deep cover has attracted filmmakers, photographers and an increasing variety of British and… North American skiers to what many consider the holy grail of powder skiing. However, access to areas away from the ski slopes has all the time been a gray area – some resorts actively implement the ban, while others turn a blind eye.
This was actually the case three years ago after I was last there, but quite a bit has modified since then. Many key centers have clarified the situation and in a single case are offering a guide service to take you to previously prohibited areas. Rusutsu is renowned for its well-placed trees, but prior to the 2014/15 season, anything apart from tracked courses was technically not allowed.
Hokkaido’s snowiest resort, Kiroro, has taken a really clear-cut approach. International Marketing Assistant Mark Wyckmans says, “We want to create a sustainable backcountry culture from the very beginning.”
This implies that in case you ski away from the slopes, it’s essential to go through certainly one of the backcountry access gates. In Japan, in case you are backcountry skiing, it’s best to complete a route plan and submit it to your local police office and forestry department.
While the situation in Hokkaido is less gray, it remains to be not black and white. However, one thing is definite – the attractiveness of Hokkaido is growing. Rob Stanford from the Warren Smith Ski Academy, who has been running courses in Niseko for 10 years, says: “We have noticed that demand is increasing 12 months by 12 months, and this season we organized two trips for the primary time – 35 people in the primary week, 42 within the second. “
Source: Henry Druce, The Telegraph
