Fly direct from Sydney, skip the Niseko crowds and ski Furano, Kamikawa and Daisetsuzan with a local guiding team that lives here all year. Small groups, our own lodges and an onsen every day.
See the tripsWhen it’s 35 degrees at home, Central Hokkaido is in the middle of its cold-smoke season. We are Yukiumi Hokkaido: Gerard and Sergi Martinez, two former ski instructors who came to Japan, stayed, and built a guiding company with our own lodges in Kamifurano, Furano and Kamikawa.
Our founders hold American Avalanche Association Pro 1 and Wilderness First Responder qualifications, and we still guide every winter. Groups are small, usually one guide for every five guests, and every day is planned around the morning’s avalanche forecast, weather and the whole team’s observations.
Already skied Niseko? Central Hokkaido is the next step: lighter snow, far fewer people, and terrain from deep birch forests to the volcanoes of Tokachidake and Asahidake.
Furano vs Niseko, honestly comparedGetting here
Qantas flies Sydney to Sapporo (New Chitose) direct over the Japanese winter, from 12 December 2026. It’s about 11 hours, lands in the early evening, and the busiest weeks have five flights a week.
Connect through Sydney, or fly to Tokyo or Osaka and take a short domestic flight to Asahikawa, about an hour from Furano and the airport where our week-long tours pick you up.
Japan is only two hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in summer. If you land at New Chitose, plan to arrive the day before your tour and take the train up to Asahikawa or Furano. Send us your flights and we’ll help with the connection.
Winter 2026–27
Each week-long trip is a complete guided ski holiday: six nights at our lodge, five days of guided backcountry skiing or splitboarding, breakfast, a daily onsen, airport transfers and local transport. Just add flights.
A$ figures are a guide only, at about A$1 = US$0.68 = ¥110 (late October 2026). You pay the US$ or yen price; your bank sets the final A$ amount.
7 days / 6 nights
US$3,800 pp · ≈ A$5,600
Six nights at our Kamifurano lodge and five days riding Furano, Tokachidake and Asahidake. The best first trip to Hokkaido backcountry.
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7 days / 6 nights
US$3,800 pp · ≈ A$5,600
For experienced riders after steeper lines and empty terrain on the north side of Daisetsuzan National Park.
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7 days / 6 nights
US$3,800 pp · ≈ A$5,600
Strong resort skier or rider, new to touring? Learn skinning, avalanche gear and backcountry basics in the best snow on earth.
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8+ days
Custom quote
Your own crew, your own dates, more than eight days across Furano and Kamikawa. Ideal for mates trips and families over the school holidays.
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1 day
¥135,000 (up to 4) · ≈ A$1,230
Staying in Furano or doing a resort trip? Add a day with your own guide and driver, matched to the day’s best snow.
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Skip the oversize baggage. We rent powder touring skis (106–115 mm underfoot), splitboards, touring boots and avalanche packs with beacon, shovel and probe from Tokachi Base Club in Kamifurano. Touring ski or splitboard sets start at ¥13,000 a day (≈ A$120), with multi-day discounts.
Hokkaido backcountry rental
Coming as a family or a group of mates and want your own dates? The Powder Safari is built around you.
Hokkaido ski season guide, month by monthMany Australian travel insurance policies cover skiing on marked runs only, or exclude off-piste and backcountry skiing unless you add a snow sports option. Before you travel, make sure your policy covers:
Travel insurance is not included in our tours. For current travel advice for Japan, see Smartraveller.
How we keep backcountry days safePro 1 Avalanche (AAA)
Our founders hold American Avalanche Association Pro 1 certification.
Wilderness First Responders
Trained to handle emergencies far from roads and help.
Small groups
Usually one guide for every five guests.
Local, all season
Our own lodges and team in Furano and Kamikawa.
Before you ski Hokkaido with us.
Yes. Qantas flies direct from Sydney to Sapporo (New Chitose) in the Japanese winter, from 12 December 2026, with the flight taking about 11 hours. From Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and other cities you can connect through Sydney, or fly to Tokyo or Osaka and take a short domestic flight to Asahikawa, the airport closest to Furano.
Asahikawa Airport is the closest, about an hour from Furano, and it is where our week-long tours pick you up after 14:00 on arrival day. If you land at New Chitose on the direct Qantas flight, it arrives in the early evening, so plan to arrive the day before your tour and take the train to Asahikawa or Furano. Tell us your flights and we will help you plan the connection.
Our week-long tours (Sea of Snow in Furano, Kamikawa Northside and the Beginner Backcountry Course) cost US$3,800 per person, roughly A$5,600, for 7 days and 6 nights with 5 guided days, lodge accommodation, breakfast, a daily onsen and Asahikawa Airport transfers. A private day tour is ¥135,000 for up to four people, roughly A$1,230. A$ figures move with the exchange rate.
January has the coldest, lightest powder and lines up with the Australian summer school holidays, so those weeks are popular and worth booking early. Late January to mid-February is peak season in Japan. For more space and better availability, come in December or the second half of February. Our fixed tour sessions run from 20 December to 16 March.
Not always. Many Australian policies cover on-piste skiing only, or exclude off-piste and backcountry skiing unless you add a snow sports option. Check your policy covers off-piste and backcountry skiing with a professional guide, plus mountain rescue and medical evacuation, before you travel. Travel insurance is not included in our tours.
Yes. Niseko is a big international resort town with lively nightlife and lift-accessed powder. Furano, Kamikawa and Daisetsuzan National Park are quieter, colder and drier, with far fewer people in the backcountry and terrain from deep forests to volcanoes. If you already know Niseko, Central Hokkaido is the natural next step.
Japan is two hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart during Australian daylight saving, and one hour behind Brisbane, so there is almost no jet lag. Perth is one hour behind Japan.
Tell us your dates, your crew and your city. No obligation: we confirm availability and answer your questions first.
Phone: +81 80-1987-9909 Email: yukiumi@yukiumi.com