This winter, ski Furano ski resort and access two different snow zones with high levels of snowfall surrounded by a quaint traditional village. This one's for skiers of all levels of expertise with a well rounded ski resort experience.
Where
In Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, ski Furano and be one of the most famous ski resorts in the country. With the Sea of Japan close by, the resort experiences high levels of snow as the storm systems from Siberia dump about 9 meters of dry, fluffy snow each ski season. Furano ski resort is actually made of two different zones, the Kitanomine and Furano Zone with, different offerings for everyone making the location perfect for all levels of skiers. It's upto a 5 hour transfer by train/bus from Sapporo - although if you fly to Tokyo Narita airport, there's an internal flight to Asahikawa Airport which leaves only about an hour transfer!
On the slopes
When you ski Furano, there's 11 lifts there is an easy way to get to all slopes with little effort. With a vertical drop of about 950 meters the Furano ski resort has one of the steepest mountains across Hokkaido. Due to the abundance of snow and the wide variety of slopes many of Japan's and international, pro skiers choose the Furano ski resort for training so you never know who will ski by.
There are plenty of slopes for beginners, intermediate skiers, and advanced/expert trails as well as two ski schools for those who want to perfect their execution of the sport. There is also a downhill course, snowboarding pipes and night skiing until 9pm for those who like to get the most out of their day. The most frustrating feature - 8m of powder and no off piste action. You are not allowed off piste!
Ski area :
If you ski Furano, you are also in the ski region of Hokkaido along with the following resorts; hokkaido.
Off the slopes
If you happen to be on the Kitanomine zone of the Furano ski resort you do not even have to leave the slopes to start celebrating as the Ice Dome bars are open at the bottom of the runs for food and a quick beer. For those who are truly done for the evening both zones have plenty of restaurants and bars to visit once you pull off your bindings.
You may also want to head to the top of the Furano zone side to visit the café fireplace for a unique peaceful cup of cocoa or java. In the village there are plenty of restaurants and night clubs to check out with a live festive scene that will help you unwind after a long day on the slopes.