Pette's secret powder trips in Japan
Follow the snow!
The idea behind Pette's secret powder trips is simple: go where the snow is best and there are the fewest other skiers.
Throughout the week, the group (Petten and his Japanese guide friend + max 8 clients) travels around the northern parts of Japan's main island, Honshu, skiing in approximately 3-4 different ski resorts. These resorts are typically located in the prefectures of Iwate, Aomori, Akita, or Yamagata. These areas have far fewer skiers compared to well-known regions like around Nagano or Hokkaido. However, if snow conditions dictate, we may move to Hokkaido or further south to areas like Yuzawa or Nagano. And sometimes we might ski in Fukushima area also.
We book hotels with the option to cancel 3-7 days before arrival. If we see that snow conditions and weather are poor in one area but significantly better elsewhere, we may switch to another region in Japan at the last minute. Sometimes we've even moved from the Nagano area to Hokkaido when the weather in Nagano became unseasonably warm.
Pette's excellent local knowledge combined with Japan's powder treasure trove sets the stage for an amazing week!
Pette Halme
Pette's secret powder trips in Japan
Program of the week
The group has two cars/minibuses to go wherever the best snow conditions are each day. Driving distances from hotels to ski resorts range from 15 to 75 minutes. Usually, we stay at two different hotels during the week, spending 3-4 nights in each. We prefer not to change accommodations too frequently—after all, this is a vacation, and we want to minimise stress!
Flights and ground transport
From Tokyo, clients travel to their destination either by plane or train, depending on the location. Sometimes the final destination is confirmed at the very last minute, so it's advisable not to book onward connections until confirmation is received from the guide.
Depending on the destination, the guide picks up customers from either the train station or airport, and the week is spent at various locations using two rental cars. At the end of the week, customers are transported to the most convenient place (airport or major Shinkansen - train station) for their return journey to Tokyo.
Passport and visa
Finnish citizens do not need a visa for trips to Japan. If you are citizen of some other country, please check the requirements for your country in the local Japanese embassy or consulate.
Difficulty level
You can handle varying snow conditions both on the slopes and off-piste. You're capable of doing short, under an hour-long ski tours once or twice a day.
Equipment
On these trips the basic principle is to ski powder in ski resorts and use lifts as much as possible. However, all participants must have touring bindings and climbing skins with them so that we can access untouched areas once the snow near the lifts has been skied out.
- Equipment allowing ascents by muscle power (skins, snowshoes, or splitboards)
- Snow safety equipment
- Off-piste/free-ride insurance
Price
Price includes
- 7 nights accommodation in 3-4 star hotels in double / twin rooms. The names of the hotels will be announced later in the fall. Prices include breakfasts daily, and sometimes dinners.
- 2 guides for 6 days.
- Lift passes for 6 days.
- All expenses for two rental cars for 7 days.
- Transportation from the train station (e.g., Morioka) to the hotel and back, either by taxi or guides' cars.
- Snow safety training day in Helsinki in autumn 2024.
- Carbon footprint offsetting fee.
Price excludes
- Flights.
- Train/bus journeys from the airport to the nearest major train station (for example, Morioka in Northern Japan). These typically cost around 80 - 100 euros each way.
Accommodation
The names of the hotels will be announced later in the fall once they are booked. Many traditional small hotels in rural Japan cannot be reserved until August / September.
We aim to reserve Japanese-style ryokan hotels, but this is not always possible. The most important aspect is the location for skiing. We always stay in comfortable 3-4 star hotels with pleasant onsens (Japanese hot springs), breakfast included, and sometimes dinners as well.
Attached are photos of the hotels we used last winter.