Chisenupuri
Chisenupuri Ski Resort Japan
Chisenupuri really stinks! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the skiing or snowboarding, but the odour from the onsen at the ski area base is hideous. Thankfully you won’t notice the sulphur smell after a while because you’ll be too busy inhaling the powder!
Chisenupuri is a little gem of a ski resort for powderhounds. The ski resort is almost deserted and only stays open because it’s owned by the army. It might be tracked out at
Niseko, but at Chisenupuri the freshies last much longer. Chisenupuri has similar powder to Niseko minus the hordes, and you can get much more snow for your dough because Chisenupuri is dirt cheap. For about ¥3,100 you can get a lift ticket, lunch and an onsen at the hotel. Or for about ¥2,000 you can grab a 4 hour lift ticket.
Chisenupuri is called Chise for short as “nupuri” means “mountain” in the Ainu language, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. The ski area is spelt “Chisenupurri” by some folks.
Chisenupuri Ski and Snowboard Terrain - Lift Serviced
Chisenupuri has a little ropetow but this is only used by the army boys. The terrain is mainly serviced by a fast double detachable hooded chair (yes you read that correctly!) for which there are never ever any lift lines.
The ski resort has only 281 metres of vertical drop. There is one groomed beginner run which is dark green in places, as well as two ungroomed runs suitable for strong intermediates. The real joy of Chisenupuri starts in the off-piste areas and thankfully you won’t find any ropes, fences or menacing ski patrollers to prevent you from heading into the trees. The off-piste will be appreciated by advanced riders, but considering the low angle slopes, powderhounds on their L plates will particularly love Chisenupuri.
Even more powder elation can be found in the side-country to the skiers’ left of the resort. This ungated out-of-bounds area is marked as “proceed at your own risk”, and as with all backcountry skiing, it is advisable to carry avalanche gear. This area has lots of moderate pitch lines that are short but very sweet, and then you’ll need to take a long traverse to the right, staying above the river. When the stench of sulphur becomes stronger, you’ll see clouds of rising steam. Somewhere in amongst all the steam you’ll find the snow bridge across the hot springs that leads to the car park of the hotel. A two minute walk and you’ll be back at the base of the lift.
Backcountry
Fresh lines last a long time at Chisenupuri, but if you need more freshies you can earn your turns by hiking up into the alpine of Chisenupuri Peak (an hour plus). This area is rather exposed and visibility can be a cow in bad weather, so it’s best to only tackle the alpine in fine weather. From the top there are a variety of descents including a run to Niimi Onsen or Iwanai.
If you head back down towards the chair lift there are a few cliffs, so you can pop off to your heart’s content (and if you do the other sort of popping off, no one will be the wiser!). Speaking of strange smells, hopefully your powderhound nose will be able to sniff out any sulphurous thermal vents.
Chisenupurri Snow
The snow quality can vary from pretty good to sublime, and whilst no one has bothered to measure the amount of snow fall per season, it’s likely to be in the vicinity of that of
Niseko United. In other words Chisenupuri is one of the snowiest resorts in the world and frequently gets big dumps. The snow is sometimes so deep that you’ll eat a bowl of powder for breakfast.
The top elevation of Chisenupuri ski resort at 831 metres is a little higher than Moiwa. The top elevation is significantly lower than Niseko (at 1,300 metres), but considering Niseko has a vertical drop of one thousand metres, all of Chisenupuri is higher than the lower parts of Niseko United. Using this logic you could probably make reasonable assumptions about the typical snow quality at Chisenupuri – awesome!
Where is Chisenupuri?
Chisenupuri is close to the town of Rankoshi, and is the next ski area over from
Moiwa which is next door to
Niseko. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Hirafu to Chisenupuri.
If you don’t have your own wheels, catch a taxi, or
Black Diamond Tours do ski tours here from Niseko. They generally spend the morning riding the lift accessed terrain, and then weather permitting, go hiking up to the peak. The tour includes transport from your
Niseko accommodation, a lift ticket, lunch, and an onsen. Backcountry gear rental is available.
Chisenupuri Accommodation
At the base area of Chisenupuri is an old hotel that is classically Japanese. The accommodation is basic but traditional, and yummy breakfasts and dinners are included in the package.
Considering there’s nothing else to do at Chisenupuri, most visitors to Chisenupuri stay in
Niseko accommodation and commute.
Facilities and Services
The Chisenupurri facilities are completely no frills. There is no ski school (unless you come dressed in army fatigues), no ski or snowboard rental, no kiddies’ facilities, and definitely no day spa. Chisenupuri has a simple rest area building with basic bathroom facilities and a couple of vending machines. Otherwise you have to brown bag it.
Alternatively head to the hotel cafeteria where you can feast on ramens and the like. The hotel also has segregated hot pools; a must do at the end of the day.
Why Ski or Snowboard at Chisenupuri?
Chisenupuri offers simplicity, no crowds, and plenty of powder. For any powderhounds heading to Niseko, Chisenupuri is a lust-do.
Chisenupuri wins a couple of Powderhounds.com awards for the
best skiing in Japan, for the uncrowded slopes and highest likelihood of freshies.