NISEKO, JAPAN

Proposed Itinerary: 9 day trip

Day 1 - Step on a plane and make your way to Japan. See you the next day!

Day 2 - I will pick you up at the airport in Sapporo and drive you to Niseko, its about a 2 hour drive.

Day 3 - We'll pick up a single-trip or half-day ticket to ski the back bowl of Moiwa. This backcountry basin separates Moiwa from Mt Annupri (1309m), and so we'll traverse over there and pick up a second ticket to reach the summit, a 20 minute bootpack outside of the ski area. Many descents exist on the west and north aspects, around 550-800m. We'll ski what looks best before heading down to the Moiwa-Io onsen (hot-spring). After a good soak, we'll be fresh for a 15 minute climb back to Moiwa and a final run to dinner.

Day 4 - The north side of Mt Io (1090m) features some great 300m couloirs. From here we can explore north to Waisuhorun (1020m), which features incredible tree skiing and open glades on moderate slopes, and ends at the Hanazono onsen; or head east to climb the Chisenupuri (1130m) before getting an 550m ski descent to the Chisenupuri ski area for a pickup.

Day 5 - We'll drive to the Chise ski hill to get one-way lift tickets and a 250m lift up. This day, we will ski and traverse as many peaks as we can heading westwards. From Chisenupuri there's Shakunagedake (1030m), Shirakabayama (930m) and Zenmennaidake (970m). From the summit of Shiraka we'll have a 425m ski descent to Niimi onsen, where we can soak while we wait for our ride.

Day 6 - We'll return to the Niimi to continue the hunt for summits and snow. This time we'll climb Mt Mekunnai (1190m), or Mt Raiden (1220m) . Mt Raiden is particularly special - this massive mountain sits right on the edge of the Sea of Japan, and features descents up to 1000m, the longest in the area. We'll finish the day back at the Niimi onsen.

Day 7 - Mt Yotei (1898m) is a perfectly symmetrical stratovolcano, towering over 1800m above the valley floor, and one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains (a list penned by climber and author Kuuka Fukada in 1964). We'll have about a 1525m climb, depending on where we start. We'll get a one-of-a-kind summit, and if conditions allow, a ski descent into the crater. 

Day 8 - Bonus day - we'll save this as a rest day/weather day to shuffle into the week. Or if the weather is great and no rest is needed, we can explore the Raiden-Annupuri ridge further, or explore areas like Rusutsu Ski Area and Mt Nukkibetsu.

Day 9 - We will all drive together back to the Sapporo Airport and say our goodbyes after an incredible week.