Lifts & Terrain
Asahidake Ski and Snowboard Terrain Asahidake is unpatrolled back-country skiing and is heaven on sticks (or a board) for any powderhound. Most of the ski area is an off-piste paradise that is suitable for advanced and expert riders and those that love tree skiing. Asahidake only has a couple of courses (as the Japanese like to call them), however rather than “runs” they are really trails or cat-tracks.
The top part of the mountain is somewhat open with short steep pitches in places. There are also some rocks in case you feel the need to huck. This flows into some nicely spaced tree skiing where you can pick a line that takes your fancy. After you’re 2/3s of the way down, it’s advisable to stay on the trails because it flattens out and there’s an area that leads to a creek which is treacherous to cross. The long trail can be somewhat frustrating in a
Groundhog Day type of way, but at least it allows some recovery time.
Lift The mountain is serviced by one rope tow (cable car) which only leaves every 20 minutes. You can only get in about 10 runs for the day, so it makes for a relatively leisurely day of skiing.
Likelihood of Fresh Tracks Asahidake receives an abundance of snowfall estimated at 14 metres per year on average, so the powder is topped up regularly. Generally the ski area is very uncrowded so you don’t have to share the fresh lines with many others. The limited lifting capacity of the mountain also controls the numbers of riders on the hill. As there is only one lift, the freshies disappear very quickly in the areas near the top of the lift, but as you fan out further, there are still lots of fresh tracks on obvious lines at lunch time. And if you’re prepared to traverse or go for a hike, there are freshies for days.
Many who have visited Asahidake have also found it uncrowded with plenty of room in each cable car ride. However I’ve read one blog that suggested that occasionally this is not the case, and that the cable car can get full necessitating a long wait. It sounds as though you should try and get to Asahidake before any other powderhounds discover it! And when you can, avoid Tuesdays and Fridays because there are more day trippers from Furano on these days.
Lift Tickets Asahidake doesn’t accept credit cards for lift ticket purchases.
If you stay at the Shirakaba-so Hostel in Asahidake, they have a fantastic deal for a two-day lift ticket.
Snow and Weather Conditions The abundant white stuff is typically dry “Hokkaido powder” which is well maintained because Asahidake is at a higher elevation than other Hokkaido ski resorts. The relatively treeless area at the top is commonly wind affected, but once into the trees it generally becomes light and fluffy. The Powderhounds have only experienced one day that was an exception where the powder was quite heavy and hard going, even in the trees.
Temperatures can be cold (we had one shivery day at minus 27 degrees) but considering that the trip up is warm and most of the trip down is protected, it’s generally not a problem.
For the Beginner / Intermediate This is definitely not a mountain for beginners, and even though 50% of the runs are classified as intermediate, this is probably not an intermediates mountain either. The rating refers to the trails, and whilst intermediate riders could stay on the trails, this would not provide enough variety.
For the Family/Kids There are no specific facilities for children, and considering the lack of gentle slopes, Asahidake would not be considered a family mountain.
For The Shredder There is no terrain park or pipe, only a few natural drops for a bit of excitement.
Advanced Ski and Snowboard Terrain The advanced ski and board terrain is anywhere in the off-piste areas between the trails. There are some expert zones in here, but any tricky lines are very obvious. If you take the very short hike up the hill to the right from the cable car, all the runs from here on the skiers’ left are a case of all runs lead down. Many of the lines on the skiers’ right lead down, but some either flatten out or end in a closed-in valley where you’ll be hiking in very deep snow for a while. Scope out a line from the cable car.
Trail maps and signs have various warnings regarding avalanche risk and recommendations not to ride off the trails. Any rescue required off-piste will be at your own cost. Of course, assess the risk for yourself but we can’t imagine anyone would ski at Asahidake and actually stay on the trails.
Expert Skiing and for the Powderhound There are no super steeps or gnarly chutes at Asahidake and only the occasional drop-off, but most expert riders are very happy just playing in the powder.
There is plenty of terrain for powderhounds that is accessed from the cable car, but if the freshies have run out, a hike or skin up to Mt Asahidake will provide some more joy. We found quite a few cracks in this area, and in limited visibility there may not be adequate notice of their impending arrival, so take care!
Guided tours of Asahidake are run by Hokkaido Powder Guides at a cost of 19,000 Yen/person (includes transport from Furano, lift tickets and safety equipment). They also provide guiding only if you’re staying locally. You can choose whether you want guiding in the “off-piste” areas only (ie no hiking) or whether you want to go backcountry to reap more rewards.