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Asahidake is Hokkaido's highest mountain so no surprise it gets plenty of powder

snow action team 05.12.2018

Hokkaido’s highest mountain at 2,290m, Asahidake offers an experience a world away from Niseko’s hustle and bustle. Get past the ‘no patrol, no sweep’ sign and you’re often on your own, especially after each ropeway load disgorges and disappears. As it has got more popular there is often a morning frenzy as day tripper groups from Furano arrive, but stay right at the base and you can usually get a lap or two in before the day trippers show up. If and when they do, it’s time to go hiking.

snowboarding in the trees at Asahidake

Naoki Shimobo owns a board shop in Asahikawa so he knows his way through the trees at Asahidake © Owain Price

Love at first sight, or actually love sight unseen, was my reaction to Asahidake, a mountain on my must-ski list for years. It wasn’t till the afternoon of day two here that the clouds parted, it stopped snowing, and we actually got to see the steaming horseshoe shape peak in all its glory. No wonder the local indigenous people call it Kamui Mitara, the ‘Playground of the Gods’ – it’s a magical place, in a beautiful setting.
The drive up from Asahikawa to Asahidake through the snow laden pine forests of Daisetsuzan National Park got us thinking something special was at the end of the road, though as snow fell constantly we couldn’t see much.
A few hotels straddle the road to the base at 1100m, which is not much lower than the top of the lifts at Niseko.
Here you add 500m vertical on the only lift, the Asahidake ropeway that runs every 20 minutes, and almost 700m more by skinning to the peak – so it’s not surprising the snow quality is often superb. Higher up the exposed aspects are of course wind affected, but in the trees the snow is deep and delicious.

Powder skiing Asahidake

Out skier’s right from the ropeway you will find this © James Mutter

We checked into the Bearmonte Hotel, the closest to the base less than 100m up the road, and hit the cable car. There was no one around, only a few cars in the carpark, and no one else on the same lift for our first run. Visibility was minimal, but with Naoki Shimobo, owner of Asahikawa’s Leala snowboard & surf shop, and local pro boarder Takahiko Taniguchi leading the way, it was a full tilt charge into the unknown for James and I trying to keep up.
The terrain drops sharply with a steeper section, a flat run out you need to keep speed up on, then another shorter steeper bit, depending whether you head skier’s right or left and how wide you go.
We lapped all afternoon, getting fresh tracks everytime. It’s hard to actually make succesive cable cars after the little hike out from the top station and allowing for the flat sections, so catching one every 40 minutes is standard, which means about 6 laps in a 4 hour session, sort of a cat skiing pace for similar quality snow.
It was too socked in to see the peak, never mind hike higher, so we put in a full afternoon lapping the woods then skied back to the hotel door of the ‘Bear’ for a well earned onsen, a few beers and a mega buffet dinner. There is no nightlife at all, it’s blissfully quiet, and you feel in the middle of nowhere, probably because you are.

Snowboarding Asahidake

Plenty of fun hits at Asahidake © Owain Price

Another Hokkaido Ground Hog day dawned – surprise surprise, more snow was falling – so I made the effort to be on first cable car. Our gun boarders had left, my buddy James was sick, so I was alone, only person on the first lift! Which was exciting and unnerving at the same time. Visibility was still crap, but I knew my way well enough to hit lines not too far from the single groomed tracks either side that are the entire ‘trail map’ content. Back for lap 2 the day trippers from Furano had arrived by the mini van load, including John Morrell from Journey Into Japan with an Aussie tour group doing one of his famous Tokachi Mountains backcountry safaris, and some seriously well equipped Euros and Americans.
But it hardly mattered, a couple of laps later the cable car was half full as the day’s people rush spaced out. The snow stopped, the clouds broke, and I finally saw Asahidake. So I skied back to the hotel and dragged James out to seize the moment. We did a lap in the sun to warm him up, then came back to do some skinning.

skinning at Asahidake

If it gets busy on the ropeway at Asahidake it’s time to go the hike/skin option © James Mutter

Sizing up the peak, I’m estimating 90 minutes minimum to get there, and with a suffering buddy and the prospect of clouds closing in again it looked too much. We opted for a short, easy skin up to the first steaming fumeroles. These massive sulphur caked vents look spectacular in the snow, and would have made a great backdrop for pictures, but the mist rolled in on my effort, and while I waited for James to go the wind changed and stinky steam enveloped me. Visions of that Pierce Brosnan volcano movie flashed into my brain, so I skated out to clear air. But not much clearer, it was socking in again fast. At least we had hiked high enough to hit a wide line down still untracked late in the day.

Asahidake fumerole

You wouldn’t want to fall in one of these © Owain Price

Next morning it was snowing lightly, I made first cable car again, this time shared with half a dozen well equipped fellow skiers/boarders also staying locally, and the pattern repeated itself – Furano van loads arrive, a few other cars with locals, but no big deal.
However it can get busy and would be frustrating if you had to wait out a cable car, especially weekends, so our tip is to actually stay there midweek, not day trip, and spend at least 3 nights. Our ‘ski in’ hotel worked out to $AUD 120 or so for 2 for a very nice room, with massive breakfast and dinner and onsen. It’s not much more than the ‘cheap’ pension down the road for 4 star luxury, because these hotels struggle in winter except on a couple of holiday dates.

read the signs

If you do hit it when it’s too busy just get the single ride ticket and go hike. Tim Macartney-Snape, who takes time out from business and mountain climbing to guide here for Backcountry Ski Japan, tells me 45 minutes is his time from lift top station to the summit with fit clients, so you can get a lot of vertical in at that pace. He recommends cautious route selection – the mix of heavy snowfall, wind and sun exposure, steeps, cornices and all those fumeroles makes a dangerous cocktail up top, so a guide is a good idea.
The Backcountry Ski Japan guides based at the Bear Monte Hotel are the Asahidake experts, and their the Back Country Rentals store has all the gear you need if you’re not traveling ready to go.
As for the two groomed runs, one involves an uphill walk for 30 metres lower down, and the other requires a 50m slight incline walk to get started, so neither is much good for the unfit. They both turn into cruisy blue runs, so if your partner/friends don’t like skiing powder that’s all there is for them. The season starts late and runs late, March and April are great months to visit.
I can’t wait to go back and have a shot at skinning to the summit, and get some shots of it, though a 45 minute ascent is strictly ‘in your dreams’ for me.

Getting to Asahidake

Asahikawa Airport is only 45 mins, Asahikawa City and Furano both a bit over an hour’s drive away.

Bear Monte Hotel Asahidake

Bear Monte is the best place to stay at Asahidake, ski back to the door © John Morrell

Asahidake accommodation

To Stay: Best and closest place to stay is Bearmonte Hotel, you can right ski back to the door along the side of the road.
Or under same ownership, the more exclusive Deer Valley hotel is just down the road.
Book these and more at
Booking.com

Asahidake guides and more info

Guided trips from Furano are easy to organise with Furano Snow Tours
or Backcountry Ski Japan
more info facebook.com/HokkaidoPowderBelt
The Hokkaido Travel site has plenty of useful information.

Asahidake mountain stats

snowfall 9m
top lift 1,608m base 1100m vert 500m
lifts 1, goes every 20 mins
terrain • 50% adv/exp • 40% int
Check the official Asahidake ropeway site (English version) for current pricing here Note they only take cash, not credit cards.

Where is Asahidake?

Just be choosy with which friends you bring along .. © Carmen Price