Quality small Japanese style resorts, with excellent guiding and planning on and off snow.

On snow, the experience of smaller J-pow resorts dodges the whitewash of Aussie bogans and skied out pow at more well known spots.
On some low(er) snow days we were still riding previously shown pure lines slack country until 4pm, unheard of in the Haku-seko -oko regions.
They make very traditional resorts easy to navigate, drive up/drop off support/park the rig, come back and guide!
The difference in this experience was the quality of guides, who offer both the safe navigation and safety (planning and packs) to navigate the off resort terrain. Knowing where to cut back to the resort counts! Both guides were stoked powder hounds but happy to discuss decisions and safety eval per snow and acid decisions on the fly to ensure no one got stuck in a hole on the north side of ***** resort. On one particular POW low vis day (typical of the region) I would have no idea where I was or supposed to be or how far wide we could push the fall line and still ride out.

Off snow the accoms and rapport were quality. A mix of culture and comfort, as Japanese for breakfast is rad, but sometimes you want to load up on a western buffet and burn it off on the hill. Some times you just have to treat yourself!

There even happy to hang out at the shinkasen station and be excited about it, if you ask nicely!
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My wife and I have just the best time with the Escape Japan crew. Professional and caring guides who really know their stuff. Safely conscious and entertaining.. but probably most importantly..they know where to find those untracked lines everywhere we went. Just a dream.
Additionally, the accommodation and food was first rate. Excellent value for money. Basically, can't rate them highly enough. Thanks and we'll be back
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We had six ski days in total. Our group was split by ability, and one of the key factors was confidence with long traverses in and out of runs. The first two days delivered exactly what you dream about in Japan - steady snowfall and wonderful powder. On the remaining four days, even without fresh snow, the guides consistently managed to find us untracked lines with plenty of powder to enjoy. For me, that was the main reason to book this tour, and the fact that they delivered day after day is what makes this a 5-star experience.
The guiding style was as expected, they were guiding, not teaching (although they are ready to give an advice if asked). We received basic avalanche safety training, which felt appropriate for the format of the trip.
Accommodation was comfortable, and the dinners genuinely exceeded my expectations.
Overall, a very well-run tour with strong terrain management and great powder hunting skills. I’d happily join again.
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The guiding and planning for this trip was superb. They made sure we were safe and provided clear expectations for each day. They also showed our group where to find untracked powder when it hadn’t snowed for days with reasonable boot packs. Both hotels were clean and convenient with nice onsens and food selections. This Coloradan was happy to have found great conditions all day with minimal other people around. The slopes are not steep compared to what I’m used to, and have minimal spare, but if you want to focus on quality ski conditions without “Vail/Aspen” nonsense, this is a great experience to choose.
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This is a great trip.
2 General areas ( Morioka and Aomori)
6 Days Skiing / Riding. 2 Hotels ( both excellent - food great)
Only one transfer day (3-4) hours and it was a full ski day at Appi anyway.
Guides ( Kat and Lucas) were safe, professional and worked hard all week to iron out any wrinkles- nothing was a problem.
They had great mountain knowledge - took us to constant untracked areas even a couple of days after new snow.
They were also fun, inclusive and encouraging -which was important. We were a group of 4 Skiers(3 women) all 50+ together with 6 snowboarders, all in their 20’s, 5 guys and a woman.
They made it work and everyone had a great time. We even saw a rare Alpine turtle.

You could try to put this trip together yourself. It would be a mission of work, you would never find the best skiing and I don’t think you’d even save much money.
Why would you.
Highly recommend.
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Such a great trip!! Bucket list item achieved. Loved going to the smaller resorts where the focus was on amazing skiing/snowboarding and not on glitz and glam. It was perfect. Felt like hidden gems. The riding was incredible! Great snow and a fun mix of resort laps, short bootpack sidecounty stashes, a couple skinning / touring days and even an incredible day on a snowcat. Yann and Jordan did an amazing job guiding and holding the trip together with professionalism. Their fun vibe kept the stoke high over the whole trip and elevated the positivity among the group. By the end of the trip it felt like we had all become friends, which was awesome because there were people from various backgrounds and nationalities. Yann and Jordan really showed their experience with Japan, getting us on the best snow at different resorts each day as conditions changed. They planned out each day with two different groups to accommodate different interests and abilities, and kept everyone safe. Yann did a great job of describing what each run was going to be like so people knew what to expect before dropping in. This is especially appreciated as a snowboarder so I knew where I needed to carry speed during traversing to avoid getting stuck. I also really appreciated them guiding us through some of the Japanese cultural customs as this was my first time in Japan. Oh and the lodging and food is was super good!! Like every meal.
My only very small suggestion could be to see if we could gap the group out a little bit more in the powder stashes to find a little more flow without worrying about coming into each other’s lines. But they also need to keep the group together and keep tabs on everyone so it may just come with the territory. Overall I would give them an 11/10!
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Untouched powder on almost every line. Really cool area of Japan, lots of locals and less touristed than places like Hakuba or Niseko.

The only downside is the van is a bit small for the number of people when you have bags and gear, which really only matters when you transfer hotels in the middle as it’s a bit of a long drive. Other than that we had an amazing time with no hiccupsz

Overall if you want ripping tree runs, unlimited powder, and incredible food you can’t really do any better.

Special shoutout to our awesome guides Kat and Lucas for a great tour!
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Wow. If you’re looking for steep, deep powder skiing, this is the trip. Yann and Jordan knew where the best lines and secret powder stashes were every day — because they know these resorts so well they know the best runs based on current conditions. They went above and beyond to make this an unforgettable experience, and their enthusiasm and positivity was infectious.
The mix of small, uncrowded resorts offered great terrain and spectacular scenery. I loved the hotels, both modern and traditional, and fantastic meals throughout the trip. I highly recommend them. A huge thank you for a memorable week!
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Great food accomodation and guiding
Good bunch of guys for whom nothing seems to be too much hassle
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This was my sixth time skiing Japan and the first time on a tour. I wish I had done this sooner! The guides Jan and Jordan have an amazing understanding of the region and make sure you are on the best snow and lines all day everyday. The accommodation and food was spot on and great friendships were form within the group in a short time. Highly recommended. Will be going next year. Thanks again Jan and Jordan.
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Great trip with the escape team . Powder was awesome every day at the various tesorts. Everyone on the tour got along really well and were heaps of fun to be with.
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Awesome tour with Yann and Jordan.
Great snow . Great guiding and accomodation.
Small group of like minded people who enjoying Northern Honshu mountains.
Definitely will return for another tour with Yann and Jordan.
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Going on the Escape tour was a once in a lifetime experience. These guys have clearly put in a ton of legwork learning all of the mountains they guide - years of work pays off. They followed the weather and knew the accumulation levels at tons of different mountains and the result was insane powder every single run. Jordan and Yann are highly professional, take safety seriously, and make sure you're having a great time at any ability level. They're also great skiers and just super rad dudes to hang out with. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a tour with them, it's worth every penny and more!
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I've been coming to Japan every year for the last 15 or so years and can't recommend these guys highly enough. They know all the best spots and will have you skiing untracked snow all day
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The Escape boys knew every mountain like the back of their hand, guiding us to the freshest, most untouched powdery forest wonderlands the Japan had to offer. Over and over again! It was literally a snow slope smorgasbord.

As a beginner / intermediate skier I was unsure of whether I'd be able to "handle" the pow.

With Yann and Jordan's wealth of ski technique knowledge and encouraging sharing of their tips and tricks, by the end of the week I was hopping down the pow like a bunny!

It was a trip to remember. I can't wait to return and explore more slopes with them! They are great fun too! You'll be guaranteed a laugh on the reg!
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I had such a great week with Yann, he really knows the best spots to go to!
My legs were like steel by the end of the week after doing first to last lifts every day.
Normally I go in at lunch but not when I'm getting fresh lines every run!
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This was my first snow tour and I was a bit nervous! I am so pleased to say that the Escape team really went above and beyond to cater accordingly for everyone on this tour. We had a great week of exploring super quiet resorts and found fresh powder just about every day. We got to ride so many different tree runs everyday which meant we got to lay fresh tracks almost each time! The guides knew all the mountains very well, and matched our rider abilities well so we could all have fun, feel safe and make the most of our riding time. It was a bonus to stay at some traditional Japanese accomodation and enjoy great food and onsens. I fell in love with Japan.
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