The Japanese Powder Dream - January 2025

Elemental Adventure • 21 February 2024

If you're looking to kick off 2025 with the powder skiing experience of a lifetime then you're going to want to hear what we've got planned. Any keen skier will tell you that Japan is a place that is deeply revered and capable of delivering mind-melting quantities of snow.

Face shots are hard to avoid when the snow is already waist deep...

Whilst Japan is a powder skier's dreamland, it's also a place bursting with culture, offering a totally unique ski experience. From sensational food to ancient hot springs and fascinating local traditions the non-skiing activities are almost as impressive as the skiing itself.

Hokkaido is not the well-kept secret it once was, so we designed this trip to give our guests the best possible chance of first tracks. Local Japanese guiding, early lift access, support people and vehicles are there to enable us to be in the right place at the right time - at the front of the line. This is why, in January 2025 we think this is the ultimate Japanese ski trip to Hokkaido.

Our trip will run two departures of 12 guests around the Niseko area, with each one spanning six ski days and seven nights, plus the required travel time. Our aim is simple - seek out and ski the deepest snow available. To do this we've enlisted the help of one of the best Japanese ski guides in the business, an old friend of Elemental Adventure, Jun Yanagisawa.

Avoiding the crowds and finding the deepest snow possible is second nature to our guides

With the likes of Rusutsu, Kiroro and Iwanai all within striking distance of Niseko, each day's ski location will be determined locally by our guides to ensure we're hitting the best zones given the conditions. Creating a such a fully customised skiing experience would be hard to match on a regular trip.

Our plan is to incorporate a flexible mix of resort skiing, ski touring and cat skiing. Due to a combination of the frequent blizzards that create Japan's all-time snow conditions and limited landing zones, we do not plan to feature any heliskiing, but might offer this as an option if conditions favour.

Breaking trail in deep powder is hard work, but the turns you are rewarded with are worth their weight in gold.

When it comes to accommodation we'll focus on local authenticity to give a real sense of what Japan is about. That's not to say the accommodation won't be high quality, but the trip will be driven by adventure rather than luxury. In order to maximise ski time the days will start early and in some cases end late and with ski-touring a feature, fitness will be a pre-requisite.