Patti Polinsky
Our Global Adventures program is excited to announce another wonderful adventure coming up in February of 2019: join us for an adventure to the Hokkaido region of Japan! This trip is a great chance for powder hounds to get their fill when the Washington snow just won’t cut it. The trip includes visits to several ski areas as well as a visit to one of the famous ice festivals of the region.
This area of Japan is ideally located in the path of consistent weather systems bringing cold air across the Sea of Japan from Siberia. This results ski resorts getting absolutely dumped with powder, renowned for being incredibly dry. Some of the ski areas receive an amazing average of 50ft of snowfall annually!
Trip Itinerary
The journey will begin in Sapporo, where the group will meet for a couple days of rest and relaxation before heading to the mountains. These days will include an outing to one of the many ice festivals of the region. The ice festivals are world famous for incredibly intricate and elaborate snow and ice sculptures. Some are 20-30 feet high! They are certainly a sight to behold!
After Sapporo, the group will travel to Furano, a small, rural town with a fantastic ski resort. Furano was an agricultural village long before adding a ski resort nearby. There are several "cottage industries" to explore in Furano including a winery and cheese shop of local cheeses. You will feel the local Japanese culture here, with less international visitors. In addition to skiing each of the four days, we will have opportunities to shop and wine taste.
Following Furano the group will head to Niseko for a full week of endless powder. Niseko is the largest and most international of the four areas we will enjoy. The stay in Niseko will include day trips to the resorts of Risutsu and Kiroro. With three interconnecting areas wrapping around part of the volcano, we'll find endless runs, changing snow conditions, and each run will be an adventure.
I will be leading the trip along with Takeo Kuraishi, a Japanese ski instructor and language guide. The price includes all hotels and transportation to and from Sapporo, and all breakfast at the hotels.
Trip 'Preview' - Monday, Sept 17, 2018
If you are interested in learning more about our trip, check out the activity posting and attend the pre-trip preview at 7pm on September 17. Click the button to register.
Preview of the fun-filled trip to a powder skier’s paradise with Takeo & Patti. Takeo will give an overview of Japanese customs and Patti will talk about our experience at the resorts.
Go to Japan!
If you’re stoked and ready to register for the trip, you can sign up below!
