Sapporo Teine
Sapporo Teine Ski Resort
Sapporo Teine is a great little ski resort located close to
Sapporo. It is frequented by beginners yet it also caters really well to day-tripping powderhounds who want powder lines that are steep, deep and cheap.
Sapporo Teine is made up of two small areas, Olympia and Highland. Sapporo Teine
Olympia was the site of the bobsled competition for the 1972 Sapporo Olympic Games. Olympia still has the old Olympic flame tower as well as various other reminders of a bygone era. The Teine Olympia ski area offers delightfully mellow slopes for beginners as well as night skiing.
Further up the mountain is Sapporo Teine
Highland. At 1,000 metres above sea level, the ski area offers spectacular views of Sapporo and the ocean, and whilst standing at the top of one of the black runs (that they call red runs!) you may suddenly develop vertigo. The Highland Zone features some of the steepest in-bounds terrain in Japan, with one of the steep pitches used for the Olympic GS course.
Sapporo Teine Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Sapporo Teine is incredibly well suited to novices and upper end beginners. On the contrary, intermediates are not well catered for at Teine. Like many Japanese ski resorts there are only a handful of on-piste advanced runs, but these are wonderfully steep.
The real excitement for advanced and expert riders can be found in the off-piste and side-country areas. Heading out of bounds is strongly discouraged although the patrollers don’t seem to mind if you duck a rope (at your own risk) and revel in the awesome Hokkaido powder. The vertical drop is only short, but the ride is very sweet.
The Teine Highland cable car that was built for the 1972 Winter Olympic Games was an institution of Sapporo Teine. It’s unfortunately been put out to pasture (but sort of fortunately considering it looks like it was built in the early 60s not the 70s!). Sapporo Teine has a super modern gondola that connects the two ski areas and a fast hooded quad that services the full vertical of Highland. At the other end of the spectrum are some pre-historic double chairs that should also be put out to pasture.
Where is Sapporo Teine?
Sapporo Teine is located 20km northwest of the city of
Sapporo in the Hokkaido Prefecture of Japan, a drive that takes about 40-45 minutes. If you don’t have your own wheels there are various transport options to get there. You can catch a shuttle bus from various Sapporo hotels, take a train and bus combination, or catch a taxi. Transport can be packaged up very economically with a lift ticket and the option of ski or snowboard rental.
Sapporo Teine is 105km (2 hours) from
Niseko. If the crowds have tracked out Niseko, Sapporo Teine is a potential alternative for a day trip. You could hire a car in Niseko and drive yourself, or
Black Diamond Tours sometimes do unguided or guided tours of Sapporo Teine that include transportation from Niseko.
Sapporo Teine Accommodation
Sapporo Teine doesn’t have any on-mountain accommodation. Either stay in
Niseko accommodation or at one of the many
Sapporo hotels to enjoy the buzz of this big city. For convenience choose a hotel on or near the Hokkaido Resort Liner bus route, or near the major subway stations such as Odori, Susukino or Sapporo.
Facilities
The base areas of both Highland and Olympia have well developed facilities that include cafeterias and lockers. Equipment rental can be included in a transport and lift ticket package, and they also have performance skis and snowboards for hire. Ski or snowboard lessons in English can be provided in a private format. The rate for a one on one private lesson for 4 hours is ¥24,000 (2011 rate).
Sapporo Teine is reasonably well set up for families. Childcare is available for kids aged 1-6 at a cost of ¥3,000-¥3,500 per day, and there is a Kids Park where little tackers can go tubing or sledding (or sledging as the Japanese sometimes call it!).
Why Ski or Snowboard at Sapporo Teine?
Sapporo Teine is cheap and cheerful and in close proximity to Sapporo. It can get a little busy in the Olympia beginners area on weekends, but on weekdays in particular, powderhounds won’t have to compete hard for freshies. The locals know about Sapporo Teine, but most of the international visitors that invade Niseko are oblivious. The slopes are north facing so the Hokkaido powder remains pristine, and commonly the pow is bottomless. Combined with the steep terrain, Sapporo Teine should be on the Hokkaido bucket list for any powderhound.
Powderhounds.com has provided Sapporo Teine with two “
best ski resort in Japan” awards for the steeps and the slack-country (easily accessed backcountry).
Tour Operators, Packages & Tours
 |
Black Diamond Tours - Multi Resort Tours
Combine Niseko with a couple or several other great ski areas in Hokkaido. Travel with the experts who can take you to secret powder stashes not commonly accessed by the masses.
|