THE RIDING EXPERIENCE

The Otaru area is well known for having some of the deepest snow on average every year and our guides know the area very well. There is always powder to be skied! From perfect birch tree glades to deep powder fields to the long backcountry runs, the Otaru area has something for everyone. Untracked powder awaits you after short lift lines, easy hikes, and secret spots only our guides know. Otaru has great access to 5 ski areas within a 30/45 minute drive such as; Kokusai, Kiroro, Teine, Asari which all offer some incredible deep consistent snow.

Ski Aomori and explore the resort area and surrounding backcountry. Lots of fun side country and 15 to 30min+/- easy ski tours that accesses a lot of terrain and fresh powder. This area receives an incredible amount of snow and has been nicknamed the holy grail of powder skiing in Japan. We have had some incredibly deep days with very few people around given its location. Its location provides a consistently deep and cold snowpack. The resort is an all inclusive resort at the base of the mountain and sits above the Sea of Japan. On a clear day the views over the coast line and volcano are stunning. The resort has an incredible breakfast and dinner as well as an outdoor onsen that over looks the town of Aomori and coast.

With an average snowfall of 15+ meters or 50+ feet per season, it’s no wonder that these areas are the perfect snow destination. Our guides have some secret spots that rarely ever see tracks and have been skiing these areas for over a decade.

This is an advanced guided tour where we spend the majority of our time off-piste in the lift accessed side/backcountry of each resort, skiing the birch trees of Japan and the open bowls. After skiing a full day of powder and a relaxing soak in the onsen, you’ll get to enjoy some of the local delicious food and lively bars. What makes our trips different- we ski powder every day and if it means we have a road trip to ski the best snow, we go! There is nothing like skiing or snowboarding in Japan and our team is ready to take you there!

---

THE CULINARY EXPERIENCE

Enjoy daily breakfasts at the hotel with a wide variety of food and traditional Japanese Breakfast items. Our welcome and farewell group dinners are one of our guests favorite times on the trip as we get to experience a couple of our favorite restaurants in the area. The last night is always a fun time to celebrate and enjoy one last cheer’s before the trip ends. The hotels have easy access to all of the nearby restaurants and bars during the week so you can taste the incredible cuisine the area offers. The growth of the area over the last couple of years provides ample selection of small independent coffee shops, restaurants, breweries and sake bars. Visitors have every chance to dive into the local cuisine like never before.

Japan, home of amazing fresh sushi, seafood, and delicacies from the sea as well as its traditional dishes of soba, udon, yakitori, curry and more. The seafood quality is known around the world but we bet after trying some of their local specialties you will leave with a whole new respect for Japanese cuisine. Sample a wide variety of local and regional cuisine, from Wagyu beef, Yakitori BBQ cooked on the table, Shabu-Shabu, Bakeries & Coffee Shops, incredible curries, and of course no trip to the Japanese isles is complete without a warm and hearty fresh made soba noodle bowl. Our guides are happy to make reservations to share their favorites with you.

---

THE LODGING EXPERIENCE

Our hotel partners welcome you with friendly service and an unmatched experience that you will never forget. Our location is ideal to access several ski areas in the region with our private 4×4 vans so our groups are always skiing the best conditions that day. 

Dormy Inn Premium Otaru 
The Dormy Inn Premium is a 3-star hotel in the heart of Otaru, within a 10-minute walk of Sakaimachi Street and Otaru Canal. Stay in one of 247 guest rooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wired and wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming provides entertainment. Partially open bathrooms with showers feature bidets and bathrobes.The hotel offers fantastic facilities, including hot tub, sauna, hot spring bath, spa, massage, to help you unwind after an action-packed day in the city. Enjoy buffet breakfasts of Japanese and western dishes daily.

Rockwood Hotel & Spa
The only hotel in Tohoku’s premier ski resort; Aomori Springs, this slopeside 4-star hotel has unparalleled views over the Sea of Japan and the magnificent vista towards Mount Iwaki. This hotel is known for its outdoor hot springs and its unique ski-in and ski-out access. Relax in a full-service spa and enjoy a drink at the Lounge. Buffet breakfast and buffet dinner at the Rockwood Hall is included in hotel stays. The rooms have a good sized ensuite bathroom, a small fridge, WIFI, TV, kettle, and bathroom amenities. 

Hakodate Hotel
To be announced…

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Notes:
– You should arrive the day prior to the trip start date and spend one night in the airport city.
– The 2nd trip/week runs in reverse.
– Your arrival & departure airports are different.

ARRIVAL DAY

Fly into the local airport – You should arrive the day prior to the trip start date and spend one night in the airport city.
Arriving the day before the trip allows room for any flight or luggage delays as well as gives you time to relax and adjust to the local time before the trip starts.

DAY 1 – WELCOME TO JAPAN! TRANSFER DAY

Le Grand Adventure Tours welcomes you to Japan! We can arrange to pick you up at the hotel you are staying at or you can meet us at the airport if you land the same day at 1pm. Once we pick-up everyone we will have a 2-2.5 hour drive in our private 4×4 vans and will arrive between 3-4pm in Otaru. Settle into your comfortable room and prepare for the ski week ahead. We will meet for a relaxing welcome reception to meet and get to know the new crew for the week. The evening offers your first chance to explore, dine or relax at the hotel with new friends.

If rentals are needed, we can arrange snow equipment for the week through our partnership with Scott Sports. We will have a selection of powder skis with touring bindings to choose from. There will also be the brand new Scott E-1 Patrol Backpack and avalanche kits available for rent for guests during the trips. Both items can be rented for the duration of your trip to save you time and money. If you wish to rent ski/snowboard equipment please let us know so that we can coordinate your rental.

---

DAY 2-4: OTARU

Ski one of the nearby resorts of Kokusai, Kiroro, Teine, or Asari. Breakfast at the hotel and depart around 8-830am for skiing. We will have lunch at the resort. Travel back to Otaru around 4pm. Enjoy a soak in the onsen at the hotel and explore town. Celebrate an awesome first day on the mountain with the Welcome Dinner and a great après with the group. On the remaining nights in Otaru you will get to enjoy open dinners and explore the town.

---

DAY 5: HAKODATE TRANSFER DAY

Breakfast at the hotel and depart around 8-830am for the transfer to Hakodate. We have several options for destinations to ski this day and we will decide based on the best weather conditions.The Group can stop for lunch along the way. Stay in Hakodate and enjoy dinner in a new town.

---

DAY 6-7: AOMORI SPRINGS

Transfer Morning. Breakfast at the hotel and depart early for the ferry transfer to Honshu/Aomori, which is about 4 hours. Travel to Aomori Springs resort and arrive in the afternoon. Ski Aomori and explore the resort area and surrounding backcountry. Lots of fun side country and 15 to 30min+/- easy ski tours that accesses a lot of terrain and fresh powder. Stay at Aomori Springs resort and relax in the onsen. Dinner is included this evening at Aomori Springs.

The next day enjoy breakfast at the hotel and step out your front door to ski Aomori and explore the resort area and surrounding backcountry. Lots of fun side country and 15 to 30min+/- easy ski tours that accesses a lot of terrain and fresh powder. Lunch will be at one of the spots on the mountain or base area. Stay the night at Aomori and enjoy the in house onsen overlooking the coast and town. Dinner is included this evening at Aomori Springs.

---

DAY 8-9: AOMORI

Breakfast at the hotel and depart around 8am for skiing. We will be checking out of Aomori Springs and heading directly to a local ski resort/backcountry area. We will have lunch at the resort. Travel back to downtown Aomori around 4pm. Explore this unique coastal town on Honshu. Open dinner for guests.

The next day we will have breakfast at the hotel and depart around 8am for skiing a local resort/backcountry area. We will have lunch at the resort. On the final night enjoy our Farewell Group Dinner in town on our last night in Japan. 

---

DAY 10 – DEPARTURE DAY

Enjoy the rich breakfast buffet at the hotel before we transfer to the airport. On the final day of the tour, our guides will transport you back to the airport where you can catch a flight home or enjoy a night in the next city. 

---

NOTE: This itinerary is an example and can change daily. The tour may be altered to adjust for weather and conditions. Our guides will plan the tour around the conditions to make sure you have the best trip possible.

DETAILS

BOOKING YOUR TRAVEL

PLEASE RESERVE YOUR TOUR WITH LGA & GET TRIP CONFIRMATION BEFORE BOOKING FLIGHTS.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE DETAILS

– You should arrive the day prior to the trip start date and spend one night in the airport city.
– Your arrival and departure airports are different.
– The 2nd trip/week runs in reverse.

TRIP 1: FEB 16-25, 2020:

• Depart the US on Friday, February 14th and Arrive at New Chitose Airport (CTS) on Saturday, February 15th. Reserve 1 night at a nearby airport hotel. Trip Start Date is Sunday, February 16th at 1pm. If you’re able to find a flight that lands the day of the Tour Start Date and will be able to meet by our 1pm pick-up time, that works as well. Flight time from the West Coast of the United States to Japan is approximately 10-16 hours depending on if you book a direct flight or a flight with stops. Your flight will cross over the international date line.
• Depart Aomori Airport (AOJ) Tuesday, February 25th, 2020. Please do not schedule your departing flight before 1pm.
  On the final day of the tour, we will transport you back to the airport where you can catch a flight home or enjoy a night in the next city. If your departure flight differs from this, we would be happy to advise you with transfer and/or hotel options if needed. We can offer advice and suggestions if you need any assistance. Please give us a call or send us an email for more information.
• Flight Information: We can offer advice and suggestions if you need any assistance. To begin your flight search, we suggest checking out the following two options.
  • Multi-Destination Flight: (your location) to New Chitose-CTS then departing Aomori-AOJ to (your location).
  • Purchase a Round Trip and Two One Way Tickets: Round trip from (your location) to Tokyo. One-way ticket from Tokyo to New Chitose-CTS. Then a departing One-way ticket from Aomori-AOJ to Tokyo. We suggest using ANA or Japan Airlines for the One-Way flights so that you have free ski bags.

  TRIP 2: FEB 26 – MAR 6, 2020:

  • Depart the US on Monday, February 24th and Arrive at Aomori Airport (AOJ) on Tuesday, February 25th. Reserve 1 night at nearby airport hotel. Trip Start Date is Wednesday, February 26th at 1pm. If you’re able to find a flight that lands the day of the Tour Start Date and will be able to meet by our 1pm pick-up time, that works as well. Flight time from the West Coast of the United States to Japan is approximately 10-16 hours depending on if you book a direct flight or a flight with stops. Your flight will cross over the international date line.
  • Depart New Chitose Airport (CTS) Friday, March 6th, 2020. Please do not schedule your departing flight before 1pm.
    On the final day of the tour, we will transport you back to the airport where you can catch a flight home or enjoy a night in the next city. If your departure flight differs from this, we would be happy to advise you with transfer and/or hotel options if needed. We can offer advice and suggestions if you need any assistance. Please give us a call or send us an email for more information.
  • Flight Information: We can offer advice and suggestions if you need any assistance. To begin your flight search, we suggest checking out the following two options.
    • Multi-Destination Flight: (your location) to Aomori-AOJ then departing New Chitose-CTS to (your location).
    • Purchase a Round Trip and Two One Way Tickets: Round trip from (your location) to Tokyo. One-way ticket from Tokyo to Aomori-AOJ. Then a departing One-way ticket from New Chitose-CTS to Tokyo. We suggest using ANA or Japan Airlines for the One-Way flights so that you have free ski bags.

    HOTELS BEFORE & AFTER YOUR TRIP

    Arriving the day before the trip allows room for any flight or luggage delays as well as gives you time to relax and adjust to the local time before the trip starts. You will need to reserve a night at a nearby hotel, we have provided our favorite options for you to select from. Chitose locations are for Trip #1 and Aomori locations are for Trip #2.

    • CHITOSE: ANA Crowne Plaza Chitose via free airport transfer
    • CHITOSE: Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose via taxi
    • CHITOSE: JR Inn Chitose via train transit from airport
    • CHITOSE: Hotel Route Inn Chitose Ekimae via taxi
    • AOMORI: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Aomori – via taxi
    • AOMORI: Hotel Route-Inn Aomori Ekimae​ – via taxi
    • AOMORI: Hotel Sunroute Aomori​ – via taxi
      
    • AOMORI: APA Hotel Aomorieki-higashi​ – via taxi

    ---

    GEAR

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    We suggest you bring your own ski and backcountry gear if you have it. A ski with roughly a 100mm to 110mm is the best option. If you want to bring a wider pair of skis please feel free or we can rent these if needed. We highly recommend bringing or renting a touring set up as this will allow the group to really ski a wide variety of areas. (not mandatory)  Having this as a daily set up allows us to find the best snow on the resort, quick laps in the sidecountry or going a little deeper into the backcountry. There are also options for ski touring days if the groups wants. If you have a new pair of touring bindings (Dynafit, Plum, Marker, Salomon, etc) and are comfortable skiing a wide variety of terrain on them, please feel free to bring them. Always bring extra layers, good gloves, 2 goggles if you have them or extra lenses, winter clothes for after skiing and a down jacket. If you want to experience the best snow in the world, you need to be prepared with good gear, as it can get cold. We will be in the mountains so bring clothes that will keep you warm in a wide variety of conditions.

    SCOTT SPORTS DEMO SKIS

    Through our partnership with Scott Sports we will have a selection of Scott Scrapper powder skis with Marker alpine touring bindings with skins to choose from. Skis can be rented for the duration of your trip to save you time and money.

    BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY GEAR

    Avalanche safety gear is required on all of our tours. If you have your own equipment please bring it. We have Scott E-1 Patrol Backpacks including a beacon, shovel and probe available to rent for the duration of your trip.

    ---

    ALL ABOUT JAPAN

    WEATHER & MOUNTAINS

    For the most accurate weather please check the Aomori and Otaru Weather Online a few days before your trip. It’s not unusual to receive 30cm to 50cm+ (12 to 20″+) of snow overnight! Many storms will drop upward of 100cm’s plus or basically 3 feet every couple of days. We will guarantee you get the most out of your ski holiday as we have a wide range of activities that we can add to the trip in case there are down days due to snow storms or weather.

    The terrain in Japan varies somewhat between resorts and the different islands but generally the major Japanese resorts are not as high and steep as their counterparts in Europe and North America. The abundance of powder in Japan is a result of the Siberian snow stream, the largest example of lake-effect snow in the world. High pressure over Siberia and low pressure over the Western Pacific leads to a constant flow of cool air across Japan. As this chilled, dry air flows over the Japan Sea it attracts moisture and becomes overly-saturated. This air hits the mountain ranges of the Northern Alps and Japan is blanketed with powder snow. These cyclical weather patterns last for weeks, guaranteeing regular dumps of the lightest and fluffiest powder imaginable. Ultimately one must always understand the snowpack as it can change rapidly in the mountains and is safest to travel into the backcountry with a guide.

    ONSENS

    An onsen is a natural thermal hot spring. Onsens are usually dedicated as either male or female baths and are full nudity baths (there are small modesty towels you can use.) Make sure you wash and rinse off your body before you get into the water and follow all the rules. A word of warning – if you have tattoos you may not be allowed to enter. However, if you are a foreigner and the tattoos are not particularly obvious then you will generally be OK.

    CURRENCY

    Japan is mostly a cash based society. We will make regular stops at the 7-11 ATM’s as they are one of the few that accepts US cards, a lot of ATMs in Japan do not accept international cards. Some larger restaurants and bars will probably accept international credit cards (non-Japanese), a lot of smaller restaurants, bars and convenience stores will only accept cash.

    LANGUAGE

    Japanese is the native language of Japan. The amount of English that is spoken varies considerably in Japan.

    SAFETY

    In general Japan is one of the safest countries in the world to travel around. This is due largely to one of the lowest crime rates in the world and the incredible hospitality of the Japanese people.

FAQ

Check out our General FAQs section. Here you will find answers to your general questions.

---

DO I NEED TRIP INSURANCE?

Trip Insurance is Not Included – We require trip insurance for all trips abroad. Protecting your trip & safety is our priority. We recommend World Nomads as they are the ultimate in travel protection and global emergencies and evacuations. They provide rescue and coverage designed for ski trips where other travel insurance options may not cover or rescue with skiing involved. This policy will cover you in case of any medical and personal accidents that could occur prior to or during your trip. This will also cover you if you have to cancel your trip for any reason or if your baggage gets delayed or lost.

---

DO I NEED TO TIP OUR GUIDES?

Gratuities for your guides are not included in your trip price. We recommend tipping 7-10% of your trip price for the guide team. US Currency is preferred, however, local currency is also greatly appreciated. Unless you want to tip separately, guides will divide tips amongst themselves. Please tip your guides at your discretion, based on the overall trip experience provided by our team.

---

WHAT IS THE BOOKING PROCESS?

Contact LGA Tours via our website or telephone and an LGA representative will be in touch with you. After we confirm availability and confirm trip details, you will be provided a booking link to reserve your trip. Once you book the trip, a guest confirmation letter is immediately sent out. In the confirmation letter you will find a link to complete your guest profile form online as well as a link to your liability release that you will need to complete. If you make a reservation more than 90 days prior to the trip, a deposit is due at the time of booking. If you reserve your trip less than 90 days prior to the departure, the full balance is due at the time of booking. One week prior to the trip start, you’ll receive an email containing your trip start meeting location reminder and any last-minute information that you’ll need to know before you go.

---

CAN I RESERVE MY TRIP WITH A DEPOSIT?

Yes, you can reserve your trip with a Deposit for all Multi-Day Tours lasting 24 hours or longer. If you seek to reserve a spot on a Tour more than 90 days prior to the Date of Departure, the deposit amount is $1000. For Private Group Tours the Deposit amount is fifty percent (50%) of the Tour Price. Within 89 days or less prior to the date of departure, the full amount is due at time of booking.

---

WHEN IS THE FINAL PAYMENT FOR THIS TOUR DUE?

Final payment is due no later than 90 days prior to departure, or 7 days from booking confirmation if booking is within 90 days.

---

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY?

Days to Departure	Refund	Adventure Deposit
More than 90 days	100% of Trip Price, LGA will retain the adventure deposit	100% Applied to future trip
61-90 days	50% of Trip Price	100% Applied to future trip
60 days or less	No Refund	100% Applied to future trip

Le Grand Adventure Tours cannot be held responsible for snow and/or weather conditions. Trips cannot be canceled or amended on the basis of snow and weather conditions. No refunds, reimbursements or discounts will be granted if, for any reason, client misses the tour, fails to join the tour, leaves the tour, is dismissed from the tour, or cannot fully participate in the tour. Any refunds will be at the discretion of Le Grand Adventure Tours if you are involuntarily forced to leave a tour for any reason. Travel Insurance is required on our trips to avoid the financial risks related to cancellations, involuntary early departures, medical reasons or any other travel related problems. 

---

WHAT IS THE GROUP SIZE?

We like to guide small group tours to ensure you have a great experience. Groups are typically between four to eight people. Private groups range anywhere from 6-16 people.

---

WHAT SHOULD I BRING WITH ME?

Ski/Snowboard Gear:
Skis/Snowboard, boots, poles
Goggles
Helmet

Misc/Recommended:
Backpack
Avalanche Transceiver
Shovel/Probe
Touring Gear and Skins
Packable Puff
(We can assist with some gear, please feel free to contact us)

Après Clothing:
You will be in the mountains for a week so please bring warm clothing for when you’re not on the slopes.

Travel Requirements:
Current Passport
Credit card, cash and/or traveler’s checks
ID or driver’s license
Medical insurance cards
Prescriptions or other medications
Important phone numbers
Proof of Travelers Insurance