JJapan Trips

Lesser known but good ski resorts in Hokkaido?

Avid Skier here (intermediate level). I’ve skied many years in Hokkaido and visited most of the large resorts including Furano, Appi Kogen, Kiroro, Niseko, Naeba, and Hakuba. That being said, I’m interested to know if there are other, smaller ski resorts (in the region) that not only have good powder but are also relatively accessible by bus. I’ve searched up online but I would appreciate anecdotal suggestions if any.

TD:LR I’ve skied the big resorts, any good smaller mountains on the roads less traveled?

Thanks!

8 comments

  1. So there’s quite a few non Hokkaido resorts mentioned here so assume you’d be happy to delve into Honshu options?

    Madarao is a cool small-medium resort near the more popular Nozawa Onsen. Great when snow is on and liberal offpiste policy. I rate it. Bus from Iiyama and Nozawa.

    On my last trip I got further north in Honshu to some smaller places: Geto Kogen and Shimokura. Did both by bus. Geto from Kitakami (free bus) and Shimokura (public bus) from Morioka.

    Geto has a good reputation amongst powderhounds and the snow was good in a relatively poor year. But it felt a bit samey to me. Perhaps I needed a guide for a day but I was a little disappointed.

    Shimokura, the snow wasn’t as good that day but to me had a heap of potential. Took forever to get there (almost 90 minutes) and bus went around the world but it had an old school cool. Barely anyone there.

    Hokkaido I hear good things about Sapporo Teine, only about 40 mins from city. Haven’t been though. Tomamu wasn’t bad, though it is pretty big.

  2. Rusutsu is my favorite resort on Hokkaido. On Honshu, my favorite small resort is Okunakayama. But my favorite mountain is Hakkoda, which is ungroomed, but there are marked trails and you can follow other tracks as well.

  3. Teine near Sapporo was enjoyable, imho. It’s not super far from the city, it has a great view, and a variety of options.

  4. I note you didn’t mention Kokusai? Bonus being the distance to Sapporo is relatively short, and even better if you stay somewhere like Jozankei Onsen town. Worth the visit.

  6. Kokusai is close to Sapporo and decently large. I haven’t personally been, but I’ve heard great things about Bankei and Onzu. Nayoro Piyashiri is another one that’s way the heck out of the way but has amazing powder snow most years. It’s a small mountain, but the terrain is surprisingly varied and the year before last the snow was absolutely spectacular. A lot of people believe they have the best powder in Hokkaido. Despite being out of the way, they get a surprising number of foreign visitors. Finally, Otoifuji is an interesting, single lift hill that’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s interesting because it gets a shocking amount of snow fall most years, and it has a snowcat you can ride for like 2,000 yen, or if you’re more dedicated, they let you skin up to the top as much as you want.

  7. Yep!
    Teine (Sapporo)

    Kokusai (Sapporo)

    Bankei (Sapporo)

    Pippu (Asahikawa)

    Kamui Ski Links (Asahikawa)

    Tenguyama (Otaru)

    Asari (Otaru)

    Mount Racey (Yubari)

    Nayoro Piyashiri (Nayoro)

    Hakodate Nanae Snow Park (Hakodate)

    I highly recommend rental car if you want to get around to many of these ski resorts.
    There are usually buses, but it can be a bit of a hassle with gear and stuff.

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