1) TRAVEL TO JAPAN? WHERE DO YOU PICK ME UP?
You will fly to Sapporo New Chitose Airport for Freeride Camp, Hokkaido Road Trip, and Rishiri Trip. For the Honshu trip, the destination is Tokyo. If you travel to Sapporo/Chitose airport via Tokyo, please look for “Domestic Departures” in Tokyo. You will have to recheck your baggage in Tokyo.
We will await you on an agreed date and time (we will write to you a few days before arrival) at the airport. We take a maximum of 6 people at a time. If your arrival is earlier than the pick-up time, you can visit restaurants or onsens on the 3rd floor of the airport. We will be at Domestic Arrival Terminal, Gate 2 (1st floor). Please look for the “SHERPAS RIDE” sign around the waiting area in front of LAWSON grocery store. In case of any problems in Japan, please drop a message to a common WhatsApp group (you will receive an invitation to the group a few days before arrival).
2) ARRIVAL TIMES TO JAPAN
ARRIVAL DESTINATION: Sapporo Chitose International Airport
ARRIVAL DATE and TIME: First day of the camp around noon or afternoon (no later than 16:00)
DEPARTURE DESTINATION: Sapporo Chitose International Airport
DEPARTURE DATE and TIME: Last day anytime (even early morning is fine)
For example, for the 12th of January – 22nd of January camp, January 12 would be the arrival date to Sapporo and January 22 would be the day you leave Sapporo. We recommend spending a few days in Tokyo either before (usually better, because you get used to the new time zone).
3) WHAT SKI BOOTS SHOULD I TAKE?
For Freeride Camp, Hokkaido Road Trip, and Honshu Trip we recommend:
freeride (downhill) boots with a ski/walk mode. If you have pin inserts, you can use our pin binding; otherwise, you will use frame binding with a touring option.
Boot examples: Tecnica Cochise, Lange XT FREE.
For the Rishiri Trip, Norway Trip, and Ride&Learn in the Alps, touring boots with pin inserts are the best option.
Boot examples: Tecnica Zero G, Salomon MTN LAB, SCOTT Superguide Carbon.
We do not recommend ski boots with no ski/walk mode or super light skimo racing boots.
4) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FREERIDE CAMP AND HOKKAIDO ROADTRIP?
Freeride Camp is based in Kutchan (with access to Niseko and Sapporo Area), whereas on the Hokkaido Road Trip, after 4 days of skiing around Niseko and Sapporo area, you move north to Furano. On Freeride Camp, we aim to have 1-2 days of ski touring, while on the Road Trip, there is normally one more day of touring. The freeride/touring ratio also depends on the weather and group requirements. Both trips offer plenty of opportunities for off piste skiing.
5) DO YOU GET SKIERS, SNOWBOARDERS, OR BOTH?
We get both skiers and snowboarders. Our main priority is to split guests into groups based on their ski/ride level. If possible, we try to keep skiers-only and snowboarders-only groups.
6) BUDGET FOR YOUR CAMPS
Count with 4000 – 6000 YEN per day. Hirafu offers a variety of bars and
restaurants with Ramen (starting at 800 YEN), Sashimi (raw fish, starting at 1000 YEN), and many other types of food. Big supermarkets Max Value and Lucky are located in Kutchan within walking distance from our house.
7) CASH OR CREDIT CARD?
Credit and debit cards are generally accepted in Tokyo and Sapporo and in stores in Kutchan. Some of the smaller restaurants in Kutchan accept cash only; however, you can cash out in any 7-Eleven store. Cash out at least 15,000 JPY for your first few days in Japan.
8) INSURANCE
Our guests are required to arrange insurance covering freeride and ski-touring and sufficient medical care in case of injury or illness. We also strongly recommend cancellation insurance in case you get injured or sick prior to your trip. If you don’t have your own proven travel insurance for freeriding and ski-touring, please check these recommendations. As we do not follow up on changes in particular insurance policies, please contact the insurance company for specifics. If your local insurance does not work, you can try ERV in the Czech Republic. You can arrange the insurance in English at this LINK. If you go with this option, double-check if it is applicable to your country.
When choosing the right package, always check thoroughly that it is covering both freeriding and ski-touring with the following specifics:
Freeriding: Skiing or snowboarding off-piste, outside of the marked trails and slopes.
Ski-touring: Ski touring in a free terrain, outside the boundaries of the ski resorts and marked trails.
CANCELLATION INSURANCE:
Insurance against having to cancel the camp by your side (injury, illness, etc.). If you don’t have cancellation insurance on your flight separately, include the flight ticket in total sum for the trip.
Important note:
When arranging your travel insurance with ERV (and other companies) and opting for cancel insurance option, please arrange your insurance no later than 2 weeks after making the first payment for the trip (flight ticket or deposit)
ALPENVEREIN:
Alpenverein Insurance is not sufficient in it’s basic version, because coverage of medical expenses is only 10 000 EUR. If you want to use Alpenverein, please purchase additional insurance (fee 44 EUR – might be different in your country) for travel of maximum 17 days. Please note that Alpenverein does not have Assistance Service in Japan. In case of accident you would have to pay upfront, take the receipts and get refunded in Europe. Alpenverein does not offer liability for damage to property insurance (e.g. loss of our ski) and baggage insurance. We recommend combining Alpenverein with other insurance which covers mentioned accidents. If you are not a member of Alpenverein, you don’t have to purchase it just for our trip.
9) WHAT TO BRING? CHECKLIST
Please check the Packing list.
10) WHAT’S USUALLY THE AGE OF YOUR GUESTS?
Most of our guests are between 30 and 45 years old. However, we have had guests anywhere between 18 and 70 years old.
11) WHAT COUNTRIES ARE YOUR GUESTS FROM?
Most of our guests are from Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech & Slovak Republic, Italy, France, UK, Sweden, Spain, Poland, and more). We get clients from the US, Canada, Australia, South America, and elsewhere. We speak English, Spanish, Czech, and some German. The main language spoken by our guides on the camp is English. Sometimes one of the camps fills only with Czechs or Slovaks, in that case, Czech is spoken on the camp.
12) HOW DO YOU SPLIT THE GROUPS?
We split guests into groups based on their ski/ride level and ski touring expectations. If you have a private trip, you stay together as a group. On big touring days (e.g., Mt. Yotei), whenever possible, we create one faster and one slower group, which can be different than for freeriding days.
13) WHAT’S THE LEVEL OF SKIING/SNOWBOARDING WITH GUESTS?
We have had folks who tried powder skiing for the first time as well as riders back-flipping pillows and hitting avalanche barriers. And we were able to satisfy both with adequate terrain choice and itinerary. Most of our skiers already have experience with powder skiing/ snowboarding and are reasonably fit to be able to go for a backcountry tour. Talk to us directly, we will assess your skiing/riding level and place you in a suitable group.
14) WHAT SKIS, SNOWBOARDS, AND OTHER EQUIPMENT DO YOU HAVE FOR FREE USE?
We provide top-level equipment for free use in Japan.
SKIS: Kastle FX and BMX (115mm and 105mm underfoot), Scott Scrapper (120mm and 110mm underfoot), and Armada JJ (117mm underfoot) in various lengths for men and women.
SNOWBOARDS: Nitro Slash and Pow (powder specific) and GARA and NITRO Splitboards.
BINDINGS: Skiers: Fritschi Tecton (tech binding) and Tyrolia Adrenalin (frame binding, classic binding with hiking option).
AVALANCHE GEAR: Shovel, probe from Pieps + Non-Avalanche backpacks from Pieps. We have a limited amount of beacons, so please, if you have your own, take it with you.
POLES: 2-piece telescopic poles for skiers and 3-piece telescopic poles for snowboarders.
CARTRIDGES: We do not provide cartridges for ABS backpacks, please bring your own cartridge with your backpack. You can reserve all the gear we provide in the booking form after you sign up for your trip.
15) DO I NEED MY AVALANCHE BAG IN JAPAN?
Yes, we strongly recommend it. If you are flying with an airbag, you will need to print IATA terms and a description of your cartridge (this one is for Mammut, but you will find it on the producer’s website) and show it to the airport staff upon check-in luggage scan.
Bring your avalanche bag as Carry-On luggage and ideally inform your airline that you will be transporting such airbag. Do not leave your backpack as check-in luggage. You’ll run the risk of having it detained during transport.
16) CAN I SEND MY LUGGAGE VIA POST AND TRAVEL LIGHT TO TOKYO, KYOTO, etc.?
Yes. Please check YAMATO. You can send your luggage straight to your terminal of departure to Sapporo. If you travel to Tokyo after our camps, you can arrange it while on the camp.
17) VISAS
Please check visa requirements with your Japanese embassy. Citizens of most countries don’t need a visa to enter Japan. They receive a 90-day permit to travel in the country upon arrival. Before landing in Japan, you will be asked to fill in an Immigration Form. You will need our address in Japan: 1 Chome-1-152 Kita 5 Jonishi, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0055. Purpose of travel is tourism.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For travel to Japan, you will need either a biometric passport or one with a machine-readable two-line code at the end of the passport (combination of your name, surname, letter, number, and other characters). Most passports these days are biometric. Only the express passports (issued in under 30 days) are not biometric. If you are not sure, please check with the office that issued your passport.
18) HOW DOES THE LAST NIGHT IN SAPPORO WORK?
After a day of skiing (usually in some of the Sapporo resorts), we get to the hotel in Sapporo (which we cover), go for a goodbye dinner, and if the group is up for it, we check nightlife in Sapporo (clubs, karaoke, baseball batting station, and more). We are not able to bring everyone individually to the airport, plus a lot of time it would be even risky (time-wise) during a snowstorm, so our preferred solution is the suburban train to the airport which takes 45 mins.
From some bus stops, there is also a bus that goes straight to the airport.
We normally try to stay a short walk or taxi ride from the train/bus station (if a taxi is needed, we will help you organize it).
Chitose Airport Hack: If you are in a rush at Chitose Airport, it is possible to go to the International Check-In and Baggage counter (at the Domestic Terminal, 2nd floor, left from counter 6, tested for ANA flight) and use the priority lane. They will also take you to the priority lane at the security check.
19) DO YOU HAVE TRAVEL TIPS FOR TOKYO?
Please see our tips for Tokyo:
For usual sightseeing please see Lonely Planet Japan. We suggest the following:
Stroll through Akihabara during the day
Sky Tree during the day
Shibuya Crossing – just to see the amount of people on one single crossing (can sit down in Starbucks and watch the mayhem)
Shinjuku during the night
Travel in Tokyo Metro during rush hour
Party in Ropongi
Book Robot Restaurant (book ahead)
Accommodation:
We have a good experience with MyStays Hotels (note that the Japanese size double bed is much narrower than standards).
20) BRINGING MY OWN EQUIPMENT
Bringing your own gear is recommended, since you will ski/ride on what you know. However, we cannot discount the trip, since our costs are fixed. We recommend at least 105 underfoot and pin touring binding (ATK, Fritschi Tecton, etc.) or frame touring binding (e.g., Tyrolia Adrenalin, Marker Duke) for skiing in Japan.
21) WHAT FACILITIES ARE IN THE ACCOMMODATION? IS THERE A WASHING MACHINE IN THE HOUSE?
In most of our accommodations, there is a washing machine. Cooking your own meal is possible in some of our accommodations. The towels are always there.
Electricity: The voltage in Japan is 100 Volt, which is different from North America (120V), and Central Europe (230V). Japanese electrical plugs and outlets resemble North American ones. Plugs come in various versions, but most commonly they are non-polarized and ungrounded with two pins. We have a few adapters to lend in Japan.
22) SINGLE TRAVELERS
If you’re a solo female traveler, we want to assure you that while we strive to accommodate everyone’s preferences, securing a room exclusively for females isn’t always possible due to our pre-arranged accommodations. Sometimes, there might be more guys than girls at certain camps, which could mean sharing a room with a guy.
If this poses a concern for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know beforehand. We’ll do our best to arrange a single room for you, although any additional expenses for this won’t be covered by Sherpas. Your comfort and peace of mind are important to us, so feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have.
23) PAYING FOR THE CAMP FROM OUTSIDE OF EUROPE (USA e.g.)
You can pay using Wise.com. Sherpas Ride Travel has a routing number in the US, so you can pay as it was a local payment.
24) INTERNET AND DATA SIM CARDS IN JAPAN
There is good Wi-Fi in our house in Kutchan. If you want to be connected on the slopes as well, we recommend buying a data SIM card at the Telecom Square store, which you will find at the domestic terminal in front of the bridge to the international terminal.
You can also purchase an e-SIM card from Airalo for internet data.
25) PAYMENT METHODS FOR PAYING THE CAMP FEE
Our trips can be paid both by wire transfer (preferred and cheapest method in Europe) or by credit/debit card via our PAYPAL account (due to high fees and exchange rates, we will have to charge a 4% administrative fee).
For clients from the USA and Canada, we also offer the possibility of payment with a local routing number without a fee.
In case you have any other questions, let us know.