14/6/08
Japan Powder Tours program details released online.

12/6/08
New brochure available shortly.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Designed specifically for advanced skiers and riders, the Advanced Powder Tour will push you to improve beyond belief with tips and hints from our pro-coaches and guides.

You won’t get stuck in a program with people who aren’t up to standard! This program is exclusively for advanced skiers and riders, so you will be charging the slopes with people who will keep up and keep pushing!

Our qualified guides will teach you the basic ins and outs of the backcountry including hazard recognition, the fundamentals of avalanche risk, and what to do to keep safe. We will also educate you on the use of backcountry gear, such as avalanche beacons, probes and shovels. After that, you’ll be taken for a day into deep backcountry to ski and ride the deepest untouched snow Hokkaido has to offer.

This tour is all about giving advanced skiers and riders the ultimate snow package. It’ll have you telling stories long into the future!

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Accommodation is provided right on the slopes of Niseko-Moiwa at our very own Moiwa Lodge. The ski-in/ski-out access is the envy of other accommodations in the Niseko area. Having your breakfast overlooking the slopes of Niseko will be all the motivation you need to get the first tracks of the day!

Moiwa Lodge is a traditional large Japanese ski lodge, with 4 stories of facilities, including: restaurant, ski room, drying room, TV and DVD in each room, large communal areas, wireless internet, traditional Japanese bar, and games area. There's plenty of space to relax, hang out and unwind at the end of the day.

Moiwa Lodge provides a fantastic base to explore the area. Roll out of bed, put your gear on, and you have powder out the door. There is no better place to experience all that a Japanese winter has to offer ... endless snow, fantastic terrain, great food and amazing people.

At The Moiwa Lodge you will have the choice western style twin or triple share rooms or traditional Japanese style rooms, sleeping on a futon and walking on tatami mats. Each room has its own TV, DVD, mini fridge and toilet. Shower facilities are shared.

The lodge has many of the mod-cons, but still has the cool Japanese feel that you come to Japan for.

A continental breakfast is served every morning. There is also a restaurant and bar located within the lodge, making it the perfect place to unwind with a beer at the end of a long day.

A must do for those on the tour is to take a trip to the Onsen (volcanic hot springs) - the local volcanic hot spring bath. It is perfect for enjoying a Sake and an after-ski soaking. The lodge is a short walk from the local Onsens, but be warned - at most onsens men and women must bathe separately and you must be naked!

RESORT

Niseko United
Niseko is located in Hokkaido - the north island of Japan. It is made up of 4 different resorts, and boasts over 1,000m of vertical drop. With 39 modern lifts and 48 kilometres of runs awaiting you - there will be no trouble finding fresh powder!

The amazing annual snowfall in Niseko of 12-16m will ensure that your dreams of skiing and riding powder are almost guaranteed! While other resorts around the world seem to get less snow each season – Niseko only gets more!

With spectacularly deep powder, few lift queues, and a wide range of amazing runs, Niseko is every snowboarder and skier's dream!

Moiwa
Moiwa is Niseko’s hidden gem. The place has virtually no crowds to speak of, and the terrain is simply brilliant. Niseko’s single best long groomed run, and tree lined steeps make this place a ton of fun. With almost no crowds, the snow here stays fresh and untouched for days at a time. So when everyone else is hiking and battling to find those 2 turns of fresh, you are just hopping off the high speed bubble quad and ploughing through turn after turn!!

Moiwa is right out your front door, and is the perfect place to get away from the ‘Aussie invasion’ of Hirafu. It will give you that authentic Japanese experience, without being away from the action!

DETAILS
Standard: Advanced

Dates: Friday February 6th 2009 - Tuesday February 17th 2009

Price: $3599* (Based on twin/triple share).

INCLUSIONS

• Airfares*
• Transfers Sapporo Chitose Airport - Niseko with meet and greet
• 10 nights accommodation (twin/triple share)
• Daily breakfast
  
• Welcome dinner
  
• 9 days coaching/instruction and/or guiding.
  
• 5 days Niseko All-Mountain lift pass (including night skiing).
  
• Fully guided back-country day in some of Hokkaido's best back-country terrain - includes onsen at bottom of your final run of the day (a very remote location!).
  
• Rusutsu tour (including day ticket and transport)
  
• Kiroro tour (including day ticket and transport)
  
• Kokusai/Teine tour (including day ticket, transport and end of day onsen)
  
• Video analysis (minimum 3 sessions)
  
• Optional free night-time 'Introduction to back-country' education session.
  
• 1 day avalanche gear rental (including transceiver, probe and shovel)
  
• An additional evening trip to a local traditional onsen