Snowshoe and backcountry ski through Hokkaido's largest national park, where volcanic steam rises through some of Japan's deepest, driest powder.
Daisetsuzan means 'great snowy mountains', and in winter the name earns itself — this is a roadless volcanic massif in central Hokkaido where snow falls dry and deep from December through March, and steam vents still smoke through the drifts on the upper slopes. This trip uses snowshoes and, for stronger skiers, backcountry touring skis to explore terrain far removed from Hokkaido's resort towns.
Base camp is a small onsen ryokan at the edge of the park, with hot-spring baths waiting after every day in the cold. Days are built around snow conditions and weather rather than a fixed script, guided by a local avalanche-trained mountain guide who knows exactly which slopes are safe to explore that morning. This is wild, quiet Hokkaido, not the crowds of Niseko.
