Ski holidays in Furano, Hakkaido, Japan
The ski holiday resort of Furano enjoys some of the best snow accumulations in Japan and is famed for its dry Hokkaido powder.
The ski area is heavily wooded and is separated into 2 zones: the Furano Zone and the Kitanomine Zone. Being Japan, the Furano main cable car proudly announces itself as the fastest in Japan. From the top there are fairly intermediate runs back down to the resort complex that serves the Furano side of the ski area. A chair leads to the peak of the ski area whilst trails from here also lead in to the Kitanomine ski area. The base station contains an impressive resort complex with accommodation, restaurants, ski rental and shops. The resort is effectively ski-in, ski-out.
Skiing on the Kitanomine side of the Furano ski area offers similar terrain with winding intermediate runs coming down through the trees. The Kitanomine gondola leaves the base station where the ticket office, tourist office and the ski rental shop are located. There is accommodation located at the base station in Kitanomine but it is smaller scale than at the Furano base station. The Kitanomine ski area contains some memorable features including one of the most bizarre ski lifts anywhere and piped radio music coming from the trees – really quirky and amusing.
The Furano ski area has a policy of tightly controlling access to the off-piste terrain. This has evolved as the Furano ski area territory falls under the jurisdiction of the government and they are ultimately liable for any mishaps. There are many ways to get around this issue, either by hiring a guide or completing some police forms accepting liability. The tourist board are happy to help in accessing the off-piste terrain.
