Ski Japan - has anyone used Whiteroom Tours?

A snowHead

Has anyone been on a trip with these guys: www.whiteroomtours.com

Thanks! Smile

A snowHead

@skidamstrong, I'm booked with them for a trip in Feb. I haven't been with them before, but so far every contact and communication has been quick and professional. I dealt with a chap named Graeme Heald.

I found them via the Powder Hounds website. I'm going on this tour:

http://www.whiteroomtours.com/guided-japan-tours/hokkaido-explorer/

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

My lawyer might be going on one shortly! Mad

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I'm booked onto the powder progression tour in January - so far impressed with the service and communication. I've dealt mostly with Emily.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@stevomcd, ohhhhhhhh... Shocked

You'll need to Register first of course.

I'm loosely pencilled in for the 'progression' tour the end of jan, but in my case only if a single room becomes available, otherwise i'll def be doing it next year.Have likewise dealt with Emily who has been very helpful. They do seem well reviewed.
Perhaps premature, but if flying out of the uk, on the suggestion of another S/H, I looked at flying KLM. Not quite the cheapest, but it meant I could fly out of my local airport (bristol) and they have a more generous baggage allowance (23kg) than some airlines.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I flew Heathrow - Helsinki - Tokyo - New Chitose with Finnair and JAL this trip.

Baggage allowance was 2 x 20 kg

Ticket was £460 return.

After all it is free

I'm flying Japan Airways. 2x23kg bags - ski bags acceptable, same as Swiss.
Although my current location is slightly different to most, my flights ended up at £425 return.
@nickH, that's the tour I'm currently booked on, starting the 16th. Can't wait!

Hi @Mike Pow, that's a great price and baggage allowance -bit of a way round though !!

@joe1890, I'm looking at the one beginning the 29th jan, unfortunately that's the only option that suits. As it seems unlikely I'll make it this year I'll look forward to your report so that I'll know the drill for next !! Very envious snowHead

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@Mike Pow, I can see the advantage in each of those points, particularly the 'short' long leg one ( being not long back from a trip to oz!!)

Out of interest how did you come across the flight package -experience, a good agent or a good app?

snow reports

Just back from my trip with whiteroom - super impressed! The Pension/Youth Hostel you stay in is friendly, comfortable (depending on what you're used to) as are the whiteroom staff and guides. Always up for a chat. Plenty of solo skiers/boarders as well. Guiding was great, and terrain well suited to a group of slightly varied abilities also.
Would absolutely recommend them.... It was my first experience of Japan, and had a few days solo skiing at the end of the tour. Impressions are that without a guide terrain is pretty limited unless you fancy getting pretty lost, or have an incredible sense of direction (which I lack) so will be signing up to one of their Hokkaido Explorer tours for the same time next year!

You know it makes sense.

Great to hear that @joe1890, having not made it this year , I'll be signing up early for a course next year all going well. Likewise, a trip report would be much appreciated snowHead

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

What i'd do to go back to Hokkaido!! Spent 6 weeks there in 2008. Loved it, pow pow everyday.

A snowHead

Full trip report - from my horrendous memory.

Flew with Japan Air from Singapore - on the way there I didn't have to change airports from Narita to Haneda.. Not too much of a hassle (had to do it on the way back), but the bus is about a 90min journey and 3000Yen so worth bearing in mind. Just added extra time on the return leg that I wasn't particularly keen to do... Whiteroom organised transfers with Resort Liner, a coach company also. This was pretty well organised with a few stop offs for different resorts, and you're dumped at the Welcome Center of Niseko, where Whiteroom run up the hill in a van and pick you up.

I stayed in Pension Full Note. Pretty basic place but has absolutely everything you need. Super hot (communal, if that's a problem) showers, comfortable living/dining/breakfast room, a help yourself beer fridge always full of cold Asahi (400Y for a big one, and 300Y for a small tinny) and twin rooms (upgrade available for a single). Owners are Japanese and really friendly, with Aussie staff. Tosun (owner) was willing to drop you up the hill at a moments notice, as it's about a 10/15 minute walk in boots up the hill on days you're not with a guide. Josh, the in-house manager and translator was really helpful with recommendations, booking restaurants (I went solo but ended up eating with the group most nights) and also provides an overnight edge and wax service for 2/3000Y. The welcome meal of Shabu Shabu was provided on the first night for the progression ski and snowboard tours at the Pension Full Note and was great food and company.

Whiteroom themselves have a table in the corner that acts as their Niseko office, and someone was nearly always about for a chat. The guides rock up about 07:30 to discuss where to take groups, and then set a departure time for each group, depending on ability, tour and snow report. Comfy vans, and Adam (our guide) knew his way around really well.
First 2 days were in Niseko United, and got up for pretty much first or second lift. Quite a lot of assessment, checking of technique and ability level of the group and I believe the camera came out for some video analysis in these 2 days as well. Straight into the gate accessed backcountry for some great runs and lines, all about the right sort of level as a whole for the group.
From there we took off to Rutusu, Kiroro and Moiwa. One day was unfortunately a bit of a write off due to high winds and so we only had the beginner lift at Moiwa available to us. Nevertheless, we made the best of it and did about 3-4 hours of skiing, mostly working on technical drills etc., and just visited the onsen (included) on the way back. Wherever we went, we generally got super early chairs, and started just after 9 each day, had some food on general consensus around 11:30 or 12:00, and wrapped up between 15:00 and 15:30. Farewell meal on the last day was at a local restaurant (again included) and had a bunch of different Japanese food.

Overall, really impressed and would recommend it!

Cheers!

A snowHead

Great to hear.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The last set of videos from the @Mike Pow Japan thread has finally pushed me over the edge and I'm hoping to get out next year at some point. Nice to hear that the tours are fun as I'll probably be travelling solo.
@joe1890, How did you find the level of skiing? I'm trying to figure out whether I should go progression tour or explorer and would appreciate any info. How much skiing did you have under your belt before the trip?

Also, how does booking flights work? I'm in Ireland and would need several flights, so does that mean several ski carriage fees, or does it all fall under one operator?

Thanks!

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@element, I'm booked on the Hokkaido Explorer Tour with Whiteroom Tours on 19th Feb, and the requirement is Advanced and above. When I made the booking I was asked for my off piste experience, as the tour is designed to cover ground quickly and ski as much powder as possible. For this tour you need to be comfortable skiing knee/waist deep powder, in varied terrain. The tour is based on 12, in 2 groups so there will probably be some assessment of skills, so you are not mismatched, and either holding everyone up, or be waiting for everyone else.

They do run introduction and more basic tours, if your skills need a brush up.

I'm flying BA direct to Tokyo then JAL to Sapporo. Skis on BA is no issue, and the luggage allowance is carried on to your final destination. My only concern at the moment is that I believe JAL have a 190cm max, and my powder skis are 189 and 190cm, and the bag is longer, so I may be in for oversized charges Sad

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Great @joe1890, thanks for the report. Sold it to me for next year !! snowHead

You'll need to Register first of course.

@nickH, I booked in July 2015, and the mid-Jan 2016 tour had already sold out, so I suggest you get in early. I had to give a 10% deposit on the day of booking, and then the final payment 2 months before departure.

It is also worth watching the exchange rates, as my final payment was 10% lower, due to exchange rate changes, than it was when I booked Very Happy

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for the info@PowderAdict, maybe see some of you next Jan!

After all it is free

Likewise, thanks for that@PowderAdict, will need to get in particularly early as I'll be after a single room !!

Review of White Room Tours Hokkaido Explorer Tour.

Basically, it does what is says on the tin, with a powder trip around a sample of Hokkaido’s best off piste ski resorts.

Tour Management

No issues what so ever, very professional throughout the 2 weeks. Everything was arranged, coordinated, and sorted out before it had any impact on the guests. Excellent communication, the tour is inclusive of all transfers, guiding, transport, and lift tickets. On our tour we were split into boarders and skiers, with boarding and skiing guides. Not due to any ill feeling, but because the terrain choice differs when guiding.

Accommodation

Rooms are typically shared, so you will be living with a complete stranger at the beginning (but not for long). Single room options are available, but since the accommodation is limited, the option might not be available.

Backcountry Inn – 2/3 star hotel in Furano. A basic hotel but perfectly ok, for requirements. Breakfast starts at 07:00, but you need to get there before that, as a queue tends to form, and you can loose 5-10 minutes.

Grand Park – 5 star hotel in Otaru. The highlight of the tour, it is also part of a massive retail/sports complex, so no need to go outside. Everything you would expect in terms of services and quality.

Full Note – Pension in Niseko. Depending on your viewpoint the low point of the tour, as it is more of a backpackers hostel, than a hotel. Low points include communal washing/showers, and poor limited breakfast. I don’t think any of us would stay there again by choice, as upgrade options are available.

Après Ski

If you are looking for wild après ski, then maybe the Japan sampled on this tour is not for you. Having said that, plenty of bars and restaurants are available at the three locations we visited, with Niseko offering the largest choice of western food styles. Bizarre highlights included a German style beer hall in Otaru.

One point to note if you are heavily tattooed, with that you may well be barred from using the onsen hot baths. This is due to the gang related nature of tattoos in Japan. One member of our tour was barred, even when the tattoos were covered by strapping.

In general prices are much lower than European ski resorts, with large main dishes of food in the £6-7 range, with beers in the £3-4 range.

Also since it is Japan, there are drinks vending machines seemly every 200m.

Who is it for

This is not a relaxing tourist holiday in Japan. It is for advanced dedicated powder skiers/boarders only. If your skiing holidays are not exclusively about skiing/boarding, then this tour is not for you.

The latest we left the hotels was 08:00, but mainly it was 07:30, and that means driving out of the car park at the time fully kitted up, not just being ready in reception, so factor on getting up at 06:30 or earlier every day. Typically this only left 15 minutes for breakfast, so you have to eat fast.

We were generally on the snow for 7-8 hours per day, with a short lunch break. If you generally stop for mid-morning/afternoon tea/coffee/chocolate relaxation, then this tour is not for you, you will either be riding lifts or skiing. If you need to sit out a run or two you can, but the tour will not stop for you. You need to carry your own hydration and snacks, extra clothing, avalanche equipment etc.

Our average was more than 5000m vertical, with the highest being 7000m and 18 runs. There will be boot packing (up to 20 mins), and long difficult exit traverses in some resorts. The same difficult 10-15 min traverses are often taken multiple times, as the powder is harvested.

Resorts Visited.

The itinerary was to visit up to 11 resorts, but we only managed 7 due to less new snow than expected, but also a rain event in the prior to our arrival. The rain event caused a thick crust layer, and also iced trees in some resorts bringing down branches in Kamui for example making tree skiing dangerous.

Our days were as follows:

Furano
Tomamu
Furano
Furano
Asahidake
Kokusai
Kiroro
Kiroro
Rusutsu
Niseko

Summary

Although we did not get much of the fabled ultra light, ultra deep powder snow, everyone agreed that it was the best powder they had ever skied. There were fresh tracks all day, every day.

Two warning for you. Firstly it will ruin off piste skiing in Europe for you, and secondly you will look at booking next years return trip as soon as you get back Toofy Grin

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Thanks for the review @PowderAdict, seriously tempting.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@element, Go for it, you won't regret it Very Happy

I'm not sure anyone has answered your level of skiing question. Firstly a visual assessment starts as soon as your meet the guides, as they admitted checking out how we carried our equipment, put on our our beacons, put on boots, carried boards/skis etc, after years in the industry they can generally tell from your approach whether you are an experienced boarder/skier.

The on snow assessment starts on the first run. I our case, it only consisted of going up the first lift, and saying see you at the bottom. When they turned round at the bottom, there was a line of boarders and skiers waiting behind them. The guides later admitted exchanging a visual "Hell yes, this is going to be a good tour". They mentioned that they occasionally get poor boarders/skiers, and have to drop the skiing down to their level, making everyone else wait. I'm not sure what would happen if there was a guest of a significantly lower level.

In terms of skiing, you need to be able to ski deep powder with ease (even though the powder will probably be deeper than anything you have skied before, it was for me). You need to be able to ski steep slopes in deep powder, think 45 degrees or more on occasion. You need to be able to ski trees, and react very quickly to terrain changes. You need to be able to handle long traverses on steep slopes, in either direction, and also long flat traverses through trees. There is no requirement to jump off anything, but you can if you want to.

The skis you use will be a compromise, as the best wide full rocker powder skis that excel in the deep stuff, will make you suffer on the traverses. I our group, the three skiers took the wide and suffer option, as the skis were DPS Lotus 138 Spoon, K2 Shreditor 136, and DPS Spoon 150. You really need to have something over 100mm, and if you need to rent it needs to be done in advance via White Room, as not all the resort locations have any hire skis, and the tour moves 3 times. If you ski tour, take your skins, as we later found that the 3 skiers all ski toured, which would have opened up a lot of new terrain for us.

There were also beacon search tests, so you need to know how to search quickly with your beacon, and use a probe. On the subject of beacons, remember to bring spare batteries, as your beacon will be on for around 80-90 hours overall, and should always have at least 50% or more. Any search tests will use the batteries faster.

Happy to answer any further questions. I know I'll definitely be going back Cool

snow reports

Thorough and detailed write up.

As mentioned in another thread, going with a company like White Room on a multi-day trip has its pros and cons.

When the stars align and the snow is where they've booked your accommodation then it can't be beaten.

But when there's better snow elsewhere and you're not there / unable to get there then it's a compromise.

But overall being shown around is the smart move your first time to Hokkaido.

I would forego central Hokkaido for a first visit and base yourself in Niseko Hirafu and Otaru.

More than enough variety - Niseko United, Niseko Moiwa, Rusutsu, Kiroro, Asari, Otaru Tenguyama, Sapporo Kokusai, Sapporo Teine - and a greater chance of getting the goods compared with central Hokkaido.

Less travelling and Niseko Hirafu is the most popular place for good reason. Best choice of accommodation, food & drink. And a short drive and you can easily be the only Non-Japanese in the joint.

Almost guaranteed in Otaru.

Sharkymark and his gang did their own thing. Be interesting to compare notes.

You know it makes sense.

I guess on narrower skis you sink further in the snow pack, so are closer to the snow spray, and increase the chance of face shots. I know the Australian guy who works the coffee shop in the Kiroro Mountain Club, skis on 165cm, 65mm waist slalom skis in powder to get as deep as possible. I'm certainly no Pro, but for me using an 80-90mm waist ski in thigh deep powder would be like driving a family hatchback on a track day, when you have the option of a Porsche or Ferrari wink

This was my first visit to Japan, and I am aware you have weeks of experience every season over many years, so know where the best snow fall usually is. On our tour, we only had one day with significant overnight snow fall, and that was in Furano. I guess we were towards the end of the main snow fall season.

As for the flexibility of a tour with a guide, there is always the case of the "grass being greener" or "snow being deeper" elsewhere, but that applies everywhere, not just Japan. I know that without our guides we would not have found a fraction of the fresh tracks we did, in the resorts we visited.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Hi I may have missed it but how long were either of your stays (and was it enough) and how much was the total spend? If you don't mind saying.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Thanks for the detailed info @PowderAdict, reckon i could manage ok. Sounds like a cracking trip. Impulse bought some 112mm K2s, so trip is definitely on! If I'm going solo it'll hopefully be with Whiteroom. If the Euro friends are up for it, we'll probably do as Mike suggests and base in Hirafu, with time in Otaru or Sapporo Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Gainz, The Hokkaido Explorer Tour was 14 days with 11 days skiing. You lose the first day due to time difference, and there are 2 planned transfer/down days built in. The tour is flexible in terms of activity/location, due to forecast bad weather we skied on a planned transfer day, then traveled later the same day.

In terms of cost the tour cost which is priced in AU$, it is exchange rate dependent, so was around £2400. That is inclusive of all accommodation, transfers, breakfast, lift tickets, guiding etc. The only additional costs are lunch, evening meal, and drinks. Excluding alcohol, you can easily eat for between £15-£20 per day.

Flights start around £500 and go upwards. I flew on BA/JAL flights for around £1700, but that was for Club class both ways on the 12 hour BA flights to Tokyo (nothing like a flat bed on a long flight Very Happy

).

You'll need to Register first of course.

hi@PowderAdict, great review. I'm tempted by their powder progression course - did you meet any doing that trip ? if so did it seem equally full on ?

cheers

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@nickH, I may have done as there were other White Room Tours running from our hotels, but I didn't ask which tours they were on. The other tours were generally leaving the same time as us, so expect early starts. This is because unless we were skiing at the 'local' resort we were generally traveling 40-60 minutes, and wanted to get first lifts.

I would not expect the Progression Tour to be quite as intense, because it will be more of an instructor / instruction based trip, with active training sections, rather than pure top to bottom route guidance.

I would contact White Room for confirmation, as they are very responsive to questions (given the time difference).

After all it is free

Thanks @PowderAdict, don't think i could handle anything as intense as your trip.Current plan is to book early for next jan so will have to work on fitness this summer!

@PowderAdict good write up, thanks. I think I was in Hokkido at the same time as you, but with BD Tours. The ice trees in Kamoi were a fantastic sight to see! Maybe I was a bit later than you as the rain event damage was pretty much covered up by the time we got there and we had decent snowfall levels, if not always super light fluffy pow.

Help!!

Ski Japan - has anyone used Whiteroom Tours?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste