Asahidake Hokkaido
The Asahidake Ski Resort in Hokkaido Japan is a haven for powder hounds, but it’s not really a resort. It’s essentially a backcountry ski area that has the luxury of being partially serviced by a cable car (the Asahidake Ropeway). Asahidake potentially has some of the best powder in the world, and there are times when the waist deep powder is completely drool worthy for a powder hound.
Ski Asahidake Japan - Pros and Cons
Pros
- Asahidake Ski Resort scores lots of snow and the powder is generally of amazing quality.
- The Asahidake ski area offers plenty of variety and both alpine and tree skiing.
- Asahidake Onsen accommodation provides reasonably good value for money.
- The village isn’t called Asahidake Onsen for nothing and there are great hot spring baths for an après ski soak.
Cons
- All that powder doesn’t fall from blue skies and the weather at Asahidake is often foul during the peak of winter. Visibility may be low, the snow in the alpine may be wind scoured, and high winds can close the ropeway.
- Asahidake Ski Resort is not for beginners, intermediates or those that can’t ride off-piste.
- On fine days in peak season, the queues for the ropeway can be horrendous. You might not score a lot of vertical in a day if you plan to lap the ropeway.
- The bottom third of the ropeway accessed terrain is rather mellow and many sidecountry lines don’t run fall-line which necessitates some shuffling across flats or skinning/snowshoeing. Some snowboarders may hate Asahidake, especially if they don’t have a guide.
Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective
- Asahidake offers amazing powder riding for those who are prepared to at least work a little bit for their turns.
- Access to some of the best terrain and fresh tracks requires a guide or excellent route-finding nous.
- Although very quiet, the tiny Asahidake Onsen village has no hint of “resortification” and provides a chance to immerse yourself in the quirky Japanese culture.
Asahidake Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The Asahidake ski area is smokin’ – literally considering that Asahi-dake is an active volcano with lots of fumaroles emitting steam and gas (so it’s a little stinky at times!).
The Asahidake Ropeway (cable car) provides access to 500 vertical metres of terrain and four groomed mellow trails, but this is definitely not a ski area for beginners or intermediates. These trails are really just cat tracks to facilitate egress from the off-piste playground, much of which consists of lovely tree skiing. The zone under the Asahidake Ropeway tends to get tracked out reasonably quickly because it’s so easily accessible. If you’re willing to earn your turns a little, you can head wider where there are freshies just begging to be ripped up.
There are even more fresh lines further afield or above the ropeway in the alpine areas of Asahi-dake. If you love to earn your turns, you’ll be in powder heaven.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Asahidake" subcategory="Activities Ski Tours"]
Asahidake Snow
Asahidake has an abundance of powder with an average of about 14 metres of snow per season, but no one really bothers to put too much emphasis on measuring the amount of snow because there’s so much of the white stuff. Asahidake is pretty much the crème de la crème of the powder that Hokkaido skiing is renowned for. This is the highest mountain in Hokkaido (see the Hokkaido snow stats for elevations) so the snow is kept super cold. And unlike Niseko, Asahidake is not near the ocean, so the powder isn’t just dry; it’s often sublime!
Where is Asahidake Ski Resort?
The Asahidake ski area sits on Mount Asahi (no relationship to the beer!), and some folks refer to Asahi-dake as Mt Asahidake, but that’s a bit like calling an “ATM” an “ATM machine”!
Asahidake is part of the Daisetsuzan National Park, and the ropeway sits at the top of Asahidake Onsen, a village with a small collection of hotels with onsen baths.
Asahidake is situated in Central Hokkaido, about 1 hour east of the city of Asahikawa, and approximately 60-70 minutes from Furano ski resort depending on road conditions. You can head to Asahidake on a guided multi-day tour or a day tour from Furano, so that you have a guide to show you the best way to navigate the ski area.
Asahidake Accommodation
Asahidake Onsen is a small village that consists of a handful of hotels and a couple of hostels. The Asahidake accommodation is dotted along the road below the ropeway building.
Evening entertainment generally consists of dinner at your hotel. The Asahidake nightlife is so sedate that it’s almost non-existent unless you make your own fun with your duty free alcohol or beers from the vending machine, so you’d probably only want to stay in the village for a maximum of 3 to 4 nights.
Considering the fickle weather, staying in Asahidake attracts the risk that you’ll be sitting in an onsen all day if the ropeway closes, or travelling to another ski area that copes with strong winds.
Alternatively Asahidake can be accessed as a day trip from Asahikawa or Furano. See the Asahikawa hotels and Furano accommodation pages for information on lodging options.
Activities & Facilities
Asahi-dake is in a national park so it has very limited facilities, but the powder hunters that frequent Asahidake don’t seem to mind.
The ropeway building has an inexpensive cafeteria, a small food kiosk and a little shop that sells basics such as beanies and gloves, but that’s about the extent of the amenities at the Asahidake ski area.
Other than the backcountry skiing, winter activities at Asahidake are somewhat limited. There are a few cross country ski trails, and of course the village wouldn’t be called Asahidake Onsen unless it had the obligatory onsen baths! The hot springs are housed within the Asahidake hotels and visitors can pay a fee to visit the hot springs if they’re not staying at the hotel.