I have experienced many guided groups from the group of mates, to a "matched" group of unknowns and private mountain guides. Every guiding group needs a benign dictator to maximise enjoyment and efficient use of valuable ski hours whilst providing, as far as possible, a safe and secure environment. This role is admirably performed by the owner/organiser/indefatiguable driving force - ski fuehrer Jase.
This operation is well organised and flexible. I agree with some other reviews which point out that the term "grey snomads" is a movable feast, in that groups are adjusted by skill and energy levels rather than age. However this is not a negative but an inevitability if you wish to optimise compatibility. There are only so many people who "work together" in any group like this at any one time. My feeling is that Jase and his team handled this challenge well.
The group of young kiwi guides were a delight to spend the day with. They were all enthusiastic, helpful and fun. Despite their age they were willing to make important, sometimes awkward, calls. e.g on my 1st morning it was clear that I would struggle to manage with a younger, relatively inexperienced boarder, and a very good skier in the deeper snow. As a result Harry tactfully moved me to a more suitable match. This was the pattern for the week. Whilst some of these guys were relatively inexperienced they were all quite capable of fulfilling the task at hand. They have all been schooled in the teaching views (frequently repeated) by he who must be obeyed leading to a consistency in advice offered. Jase himself is an extremely experienced effective teacher who helped me a lot. I spent most of my time with Jase or Dan who needs special mention for his infectiously positive outlook on life and for whom nothing was ever too much trouble. But be clear this a guided tour with instruction not a ski school lesson and participants need to be happy to be part of a "group dynamic". I met some lovely people, mainly my age, and had a great week on skis (helped somewhat by great snow).
Contrary to some other reviewers I loved the vibe on the bus with great music (charley Pride excluded) and banter. I also appreciated the Shinkansen departure times I have a pet hate of missing snow time because people can't get their act together in the mornings - if you're not ready, sadly, YOU miss out, but no-one else does.
The ski areas visited were impressive in their extent and lack of crowds.
The hotel might be seen as a little "basic" by those wanting a 5 star resort experience. However the rooms are huge, the futons extremely comfortable, the onsen excellent, and the family owners a delight. My only negative about the Omodaka would be that I would prefer a few more western breakfast options. I love foreign food but breakfast is "comfort" time.
I found the shows in the hotel far more engaging than my natural cynicism expected. The magic show, in particular, was skilful and extremely entertaining.
Yudanaka is a quiet and traditional Japanese town with very little western influence. Its readily accessible via train from Tokyo. There is a good choice of local restaurants at very affordable prices a short walk away and a free "lift" is given into town at 6ish every evening. If you would rather stay home there are couple of included Japanese meals and the Omodaka cafe serves pretty good burgers.
Overall it would be hard to fault this product (though no-one can ever guarantee snow conditions - ours were excellent). However if it is for you then you need to be a "participant" i.e to give as well as to take. I would have no hesitation in rebooking.
See our video here

What a wonderful experience I have just had.
Love the whole set up, you are looked after all the way. Having a guide skiing with you all the time giving you tips and pointers on how to improve your skiing is very special.
The guides could not do enough for you, they were very polite, patient and helpful.
I felt very safe on the mountain with Jace and his crew.
The other guests were a wonderful diverse group of people who’s company I enjoy very much. Going out to dinner with them was so much fun.
PS so glad I went in March had the best snow
See our video here

My 4th or so trip with Jason and his Merry Men. Once again, service over, above and beyond..
Although getting on in years, I always find the guides are able to improve my skiing so every year I get more enjoyment, more courage to tackle what I find confronting, and consequently am able every year to find renewed enthusiasm and can't wait to get back into the snow for our home season.
Needless to say Jason's attention to detail, his infectious enthusiasm about the history and culture of Japan contagious, that so many aspects of a ski holiday in a different country which would not be discovered, become exciting adventures in their own right.
Can't wait till next year. 5/5
See our video here

Had some amazing powder days with Jase and his team. This was the second time I joined them and I was not disappointed.

The choice of resorts is outstanding. The guiding is fantastic. And no complaints about the snow after the first few lean days.

Met people of all ages from all over the world with all levels of skiers. I will probably be back for a third tour!!
See our video here

Had a great time both on and off the snow over 2 weeks. The snow was excellent so we were able to visit many resorts and locations, which made each day special. The tour ran like clockwork and was so well organised it was a pleasure to just focus on the experience. The guides, equipment, ski runs and lunch spots were fabulous. This was my second time on this tour and I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone from inexperienced to expert skiers.
See our video here

Had a great experience during 12 days skiing with Japan Powder Culture tours. I am an older skier but felt very welcome and comfortable in the group and by the guides. Each day was different and well organised. There was always plenty of good skiing/boarding to be had and everyone embraced the early starts and enjoyed those first tracks. The guides were especially helpful with any gear problems and freely gave advice. Their coaching was also excellent.

Off the slopes there was a good balance of organised activities as well as doing your own thing. There was a great sense of camaraderie and humour from the guides and the customers. All in all a great experience.
See our video here

I recently spent some time with Jason as a "Grey Nomad" on his most excellent Japan Powder Culture Tours.

What a Tour.

Everything ran like clockwork, and the guiding and instruction was outstanding.

I must mention the " Culture " side of the tour. As a "Grey Nomad" I did not ski every day and the variety of information provided by Jason and his intimate knowledge of day trips ensured a visit to sites in Japan I would never have seen otherwise.

Our trips to the Olympic Stadium in Nagano, Matsumoto Castle and ZenjokiTemples, created unforgettable memories.

We stay in a typical Japanese town called Yudanaka.
This town is the international base for all "Snow Monkey" tours. ( www.travel4wildlife.com)

The nights we were not being fed and entertained at our hotel (more later), we could have a choice of literally a dozen or more restaurants in Yudanaka, all serving outstanding Japanese cuisine at "oh so reasonable" prices. In addition, dependant on our skiing location for the day, we could end up at some amazing restaurant known only to the local population...(and Jason)

Staying at the Ryokan(Hotel ) Biyu was fantastic. Hot spas (Onsen) a must every day, the dinners arranged as part of your tour,
absolutely remarkable, and the culture shows in the hotel, my memories, "never to be forgotten"

From Geisha dancing and games, the karate exhibition, the drumming, ..and the invitation to be a part of these "shows"
all added to a totally amazing and memorable experience. and not forgetting the fun and recollection of Karaoke evenings.

ShigaKogen ski area is amazing ! There are 18 ski areas spread along a valley and Jason and his guides know every centimetre of that terrain. The best snow conditions for the weather on any day, the least crowds.
All that is necessary is to bring a positive attitude, an ability to take personalised instruction, and a desire to improve.
The guides are outstanding. Skiing in trees and powder needs a different mind set and if you want to improve, you can find no better instruction anywhere.
Will I return ?
Absolutely. Thanks Jase. 10/10
See our video here

Overall, I had a good time, but only due to one lovely guide, Dan, who I was with all days bar 1. He was very attentive to my needs as an older person. The name Grey Snowmads is a misnomer. Firstly, I
think it should be for over 65's. Apart from one other very experienced person, I was at least 10 years older than the others. At 69, irrespective of fitness, that is a big difference when it comes to flexibility and physical activity. Secondly, we were mixed with other groups and, depending on your ability, could be skiing with people of any age.
I had nothing personal against the younger people; they were all very nice. However, I was expecting to meet more people closer to my age and did not enjoy travelling on the bus with blaring music chosen by a 17 year old each day. Before booking, through a phone discussion, I explained that I was a "high intermediate" skier but had no experience in thick powder. I was led to understand that on the first 2 to 3 days we would be assessed to judge what areas we would go. As it happened, on the first day, with no instruction, we were taken to a steep slope, which I could have handled reasonably well if it wasn't so called fresh powder. It was more like 500mm moguls of mashed potato. Everyone else had had experience in powder. Hence, I was assessed to ski the next day with a 23 year old beginner snow boarder. By the 3rd day I was put with a bunch of people in their 50's who, in the main, were of similar skiing ability to me on groomed slopes, but they all knew each other well through past ski tours with powder snow. The guide that day had no understanding of what it's like to be my age, getting off a gondola and putting on mits, skis and stocks. On a couple of occasions I had trouble working out where he had headed off to with the others. Thankfully, the next day, although still in the same group, we had Dan as a guide, and I got to experience and learn how to handle some powder through the trees.

Response from owner: Hi Sally We thank you for your feedback from your tour with us. As this was the first time we have run our Grey Snowmads tour many things were learned. We have now adjusted our tour information for 2023/24 to include the following so there is no misunderstanding in what we provide. " This tour is aimed at the 55+ age market. Our advanced 5A tours are aimed at those groups of people from 2 to 6 people who have skied together before and are familiar and comfortable with each other’s ability. For individuals that wish to join the advanced group tours we suggest you check out our Nagano Ski Buffet tour which caters for a younger age market or alternatively if you mix well with others and fit the criteria of an advanced skier or boarder then we will consider the application. We have two high intermediate 4B single/couple tours through the season as we are very mindful from previous experience of mixing individuals with groups that have skied together before and of maintaining a happy group dynamic and we ask that those who wish to join the individual tour that they have an open attitude to learn, a sense of humour and the flexibility to mix with others in a social setting. There is instruction available from our guides however we do not guarantee improvement that is up to the individual. Our comprehensive ability chart will indicate where you sit in relation to skill level which will further assist us in joining you with an appropriate group. We are very focussed in keeping the flow of each group at a similar level so we will move skier and snowboard abilities about to achieve this no matter the age, so it is extremely important you do not overstate your ability, or you may find you are in a group where you will be waiting for others not the other way around. Our business philosophy is a WE ism attitude much like the Japanese culture has and the ME ism attitude and behaviour is not suited to our tours. Note that these tours may be a mix of skiers and snowboarders if the minimum of 4 people in each discipline is not reached. We have had much success over the years mixing both disciplines to make sure the group flow is maintained. Where possible we will have separate skier and snowboarder tours when numbers allow based around skier and boarder ability levels. If any of our tour dates do not suit or you have a group of 4 or more people with varied ability level, please contact us so we can help you achieve your Japanese experience goals."
See our video here

A well organised and well managed tour. Excellent guides and great instruction! Never too old to learn!
Good mixture of skiing and enjoying Japanese culture.
See our video here

I have quite varied reactions in posting a review. On the one hand I definitely enjoyed spending time in Shiga Kogan and the lovely village of Yudonaka. Access to Obuse and the Snow Monkeys so easy. I enjoyed the company of the people on my group, and I certainly enjoyed the “cultural events” that Jason put on , on 2 evenings. Outstanding. One day it rained heavily so the mountain was cancelled and Jason drove us to Nagano to visit the amazing Olympic speed skating stadium and museum, and the massive Temple that Nagano is famous for. Ten out of ten to Jason for the value add events. I also enjoyed the Lodge I stayed at , Abiya Lodge, run by a delightful and helpful Korean/Japanese couple.

Where my expectations were definitely not met, related to the skiing. I had booked for the Grey Snowmads Tour, expecting to be in a ten day long same group of older skiers. This doesn’t exist. All the tours are combined on the mountain, so I found myself in a group of people booked on different tours, including much younger skiers. Worse, different people, on different time schedules, turned up on different days during my “tour” . This made it a mess for the instructors trying to progress peoples skills over the week. Because of this on some days we had a real mix of abilities in the group. The quality of instruction had a fair to be desired. It was more guiding than instruction. The first day was good, but after that it was more or less straight into the deeper snow in the trees. No real progression, although we were told that the idea of the week was to progress people into that situation. I kept being told “ you are in the back seat” , but then not guided properly or drilled effectively into how to correct that. But then again, the others in my group were on the “Powder Chasers (?) tour.

Two of the “instructors” ( taking the beginners groups) have only been skiing for a few months! Being taught on the job by Jason. Nice guys, but seriously is that the way to run a tour program.? And why were there relative beginners on a tour supposedly aimed at higher intermediates and advanced skiers?

Jason was very efficient with his transport and certainly very knowledgeable about the mountain and environment. The “ infrastructure “ of the program ran very well., with the team looking after skis and poles and organising people when arriving at the various locations, and mountain lunches etc . Couldn’t fault any of that - all the team very helpful and considerate and watching out all the time for the paying customers. Outstanding I would say.

Based on my experience I would say to anyone booking in this tour, “ don’t expect the Grey Snowmads Tour to happen as detailed in the marketing blurb. If you are flexible and remove your expectations based on the tour description, you will probably enjoy yourself., but it probably won’t turn out as you expect” .

My overall feeling is that the company does what it can to get as many people on the mountain filling the groups as it can., I would have liked more transparency as to how the week would unfold, but this wasn’t forthcoming which was disappointing. If I book and pay for the Greysnowmads tour, then that is what I want and expect, but didn’t get it. Yet I did enjoy myself and very glad I went. Conflicting emotions!

Response from his guide/instructor: I feel that his expectations were not met because he started with unrealistic expectations. This is part of the tour description: “If you want to mix with like-minded skiers and boarders who have the skills to ski the POW, … this is the tour for you… The tour caters for the high intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders who wish to experience as much powder as possible and explore the “slack country” of each of the resorts, with the added advantage of a trained instructor/guide to help you correct any of those annoying habits.” Firstly, it was surprising that he wanted to remain on-piste on day 2 and not ski powder because the tour focus is about powder.

I’m also surprised that he said that it was more “guiding than instruction” as I felt I spent an extraordinary amount of time with him instructing. He was coached about the basics and issued many drills to help improve his skiing and enable him to recognize he was in the back seat. He kept mentioning that his private instructor in Niseko (a week earlier) had said the same things I was telling him, but he did not respond and it seemed he wanted personal tuition all of the time even when in a group. This was to the detriment of others in the group, so despite there being other Grey Snowmads there, we needed to switch up the group make-up on some days.

All of the basic movements were discussed over the course of our time together. Balance, edging, equal weight, flat turns, feet together, arms forward and athletic stance, reading the snow conditions, recognizing your own capabilities and making smart choices. Focus was always on safety, fun and improved learning. However, Paul's default position is to 'ski easy' in the back seat most of the time even on the piste. Paul was included in all group instruction. He always seemed to have an answer for why he could not do what was asked of him.

There was one morning when he responded very poorly to skiing powder on piste and fell a lot. He appeared fearful and was intimidated by the slope and speed we wanted to travel. However, I was there to pick him up on every occasion. It was detrimental to the rest of the group who kept waiting patiently down the slope for us to continue. This was very disappointing because the snow was great and everyone wanted to keep going. Eventually I dropped him at a restaurant at the base of the Giant and continued with the rest of the group who were all way more capable.

Paul was certainly not fit and struggled with doing things differently. He was also unwilling to try new things and alter what he has done for years.

He would have been more suited to private tuition than a powder chasing group tour because his focus was solely on tuition and his demands for individual attention made it difficult and uncomfortable for others in the group.
See our video here