Chasing Powder in Japan: An Epic Ski Adventure from Niseko to Hakuba

• Posted on 7 February 2025
• By Jake Plant

My wife Robyn and I embarked on an unforgettable ski adventure in Japan, exploring Niseko, Rusutsu, and Hakuba Valley. We enjoyed incredible snow, stunning terrain, and a mix of resort and touring skiing, all while navigating a few travel hiccups and experiencing unique Japanese culture like onsens and local food. Along the way, we tested gear that performed flawlessly in the varied conditions, making our trip even more memorable.

My wife, Robyn, and I recently packed up and, like a lot of people, made the powder pilgrimage to Japan. We had heard about the magic hidden in the mountains of Japan and had to  experience it for ourselves. 

To keep our optons open, we decided to bring both resort and touring gear; and boy were we  glad to have both! We tested the integrity of all zippers and seams of our luggage. Pro Ap: get a  luggage scale or use a scale at home. We have had to repack and redistribute weight in bags at  the airport and it’s not fun. Luckily, all of our bags made it to Tokyo and then, through a flight  connection, to Sapporo. Our luck ran out in Sapporo where our rental car company failed to  mention they closed before we even landed. We had an amazing taxi driver who offered to drive us all the way to Niseko for our first ski stop of the trip. We piled everything into his little sedan, barely, and shared a back seat and seatbelt for our dark, windy and snowy two and a half hour drive to Niseko.

1 Unloading our taxi a/er a long, stuffy drive 

We hired a guide for our first ski day to hold us accountable and to give us a lay of the land.  Thanks Ben from Whiteroom Guides for showing us Grand Hirafu and the neighbouring ski touring zone. We had an amazing day skiing in the sun and getting the ins and outs of Niseko. For four days, we used our knowledge gained from Ben and broadened it with adventure. We skied Niseko three days and Rusutsu one. Rusutsu is a super cool resort to check out if you ever get the chance. One side has nice gladed tree skiing off of two mountains and on the other side, a very friendly set of runs that skis down to and through a closed amusement park.  

We enjoyed Niseko as a great intro into Japanese skiing but didn’t get much Japanese culture.  Niseko is a very westernized resort town which gave us a nice soft launch for our adventure.

2 Skiing through Rusutsu's amusement park 

Our next leg of the trip was Hakuba Valley. We had heard about its grand peaks and wicked resorts, and they did not disappoint. We had two epic days to explore and we hit managed to see a lot. The beauty of these bigger resorts is you can get lift passes that include most, if not all, of the resorts in the area (same as Niseko!). We timed our first day perfectly with a storm  that provided us with unlimited fresh turns all day at Cortina. This cool resort has a grand hotel  at the base that made it feel like we were in a fairy tale. The smaller resort was home to  amazing fall line skiing, both treed and open. By the end of the day we found ourselves  enjoying what was left of the storm’s offerings in the sun. This day will be a highlight of my life.  There was something spiritual about the snow and terrain that both Robyn and I experienced.  The second day we spent exploring what the rest of the valley has to offer, including but not limited to, a foot onsen at the base of a hill! Words cannot describe how amazing it was to ski straight to the base, pop your boots off and soak them in the hot, mineral water with a cold Japanese beer and a local soft serve cone. Weird combo, I know, but don’t knock it ‘till you try it. 

3 Robyn in need of a snorkel at Cortina 

You can truly have it all. Japan puts on a masterclass of accessible, epic skiing and combines it with comfort. We skied some of the best snow and terrain with often short to no lines. Combine that with warm food and onsens to end the ski day and get you ready to go just as hard the next day, and you have Japan. 

My gear highlights, in no particular order: 

- Tecnica Cochise 130 Boots. The best all-round boot I have skied in. I have had a hard time with boots in the past five years. I have been on the hunt for a boot that can get me up without sacrificing the down. No, I am not a former racer, so I don’t know or  want to know what race boots are like, but I do want a stiff, high performance boot that I can rely on. The Cochise 130 are light enough and have a great walk mode to get me up without sacrificing the bruteness I need for my bad decision making on the way down. I  knew we would be doing a mix of resort and touring so these boots were a no-brainer.  An added bonus is they are comfortable. If you go to Japan, expect to spend a lot of  time in your boots. We would often put our boots on in the morning and not take them off until after dinner, or sometimes even later. Loosen the Cochise off into ramen mode then juice them back up into shred mode. I always carry my boots with me. You can rent everything if stuff gets lost but it’s hard to rent boots that have had some serious time and work put into them…Thanks JC! 

- Smith 4D Mag Goggles. These are my first magnetic lensed goggles and I will never go back! I am notorious for filling my goggles and gear with snow on impact, and as you may know, that is a day killer. Having read up on weather trends in Japan before the trip, I knew we could get any kind of weather so I brought all of the lens options. With all of  the uncontrolled tree skiing in Japan, we skied with packs on and I always had an extra lens in there. The magnets make it super easy to swap lenses on the fly if the light changes (or you do a face plant…). I loved the clear lens and the Storm Yellow. They covered 90% of the days we had. 

- Marker Duke PT 16 Bindings. There is no better do-it-all binding. I have been on the same set for three seasons now, and if you know me, that is a big deal. Due to my poor decision making and inability to pick good landings, bindings are lucky to see a second  season. The Duke PT’s are not light but with the toe pieces thrown in your pack, they aren’t too bad. There is an adage I learned that one pound on your feet is equivalent to  five on your back, so I always take them off and stow them for the climbs. I have never had issues with getting the toe pieces back on and they really can handle a beat down. They could have saved me bringing two sets of skis but why only have one option… 

- Oakley MOD BC Helmet. This helmet is light and has excellent ventilation. I don't feel like I have sacrificed any protection for either of these key features. The vents are super easy to close. It was a great travel helmet because it is light and not super bulky. I always bring my helmet as carry on because you have seen how bags come off of planes  sometimes…I need all of the impacts saved for me. 

- Flylow Kane Jacket. This is the ultimate jacket. It is light, it packs down super small for a shell and is weather proof. This jacket was the perfect outermost layer. We had sunny days where it was just on top of my base layer and others with gale force winds and nuking Japow, and it thrived in all of it. The Kane jacket has a lot of well thought out  pockets where I would keep my Lawson’s sushi rolls and Haribou fuzzy peaches handy for chairlift snacks.  

- Flylow Baker Bibs. These bibs were put through the wringer on the trip. I encountered  a few trees and these pants suffered a few scuffs but no tears. They are excellent for climbing with all of the vent zips and pockets. I love them. 

- Skadi GOAT Mitt. I love these mitts. They were a no-brainer for this trip with the  predicted variable weather. The aerogel insulation kept my hands the perfect  temperature all trip. There were a few times where I had them dangling to film Robyn  throwing down the most beautiful pow skiing and she buzzed the tower filling them with snow. That usually would be another day killer but the aerogel retained my body heat  and melted the snow quickly and kept my hands warm for the rest of the day. My hands had their own private onsen inside the GOAT mitts.  

- Devold Merino Base Layer. I am all about my layers when I ski and these are the ultimate mid-heavy weight base layer. It was a no-brainer to bring these on the trip. With limited access to laundry and with all sorts of weather on the horizon, merino had to be the  choice. The Devold system is the perfect base layer to layer up on for cold days and rely on for the warmer days. I am slightly embarrassed to say how many days I used these on our trip without washing them…They never stunk and dried quickly at the end of the  day. I especially like the hood on the top. It’s a nice option for under the helmet since I don’t run ear pads. The bottoms rock with their tall cuff that stays right in place. Since getting home to a washer and dryer, they have washed back to their original shape and  never had any stink to begin with!

4 In front of Cortina ready to take on the storm