Looking for the ultimate powder skiing experience? Two hours south of Niseko in the mountains off the coastal town of Shimamaki is a cat skiing operation that offers exceptional powder skiing. In a mountain range that seems to create its own weather patterns, deep-quality skiing can be found January through February. In conjunction with Hokkaido Backcountry Club’s Cat Skiing operations—which is only open for 10 weeks during the winter season—we hand-pick several of the best weeks, and book private cats so we can offer you an incredible Japanese powder experience.

We start with a few days of resort and side country skiing in Niseko and then make the 2-hour trip south to finish with a 3-4 day private cat ski trip. We stay in small local Japanese accommodations that offer fresh seafood while sleeping on traditional tatami mats. Some have their own hot springs and some don’t, but the local public Onsen provides the opportunity to soak in natural hot waters after a day of deep untracked powder.

The cat offers up to 12 seats but we recommend keeping numbers smaller to ensure quicker turnarounds and more untracked snow. You must be an advanced skier for this trip, having skied powder conditions before. This place gets deep snow and previous experience skiing soft snow is highly recommended. Select a group of friends and sign up for the best Hokkaido has to offer.