Rising Sun Powder Cats, Japan: Feb 6th, 2020

[ChrisC]

Rising Sun.

I want to absolutely love it - except they had the worst snowcats ever. Like our brake failed on the way home - and they used reversed to get us home on the corners.

The skiing was awesome - I just wished I could see some giant cliffs / rollovers - before commiting at them

The best is they sent a photographer with us.

[Tony Crocker]

I think cat skiing in Japan is still a bit rough around the edges. In 2016 we signed up for two days/one overnight with Shimamaki Snowcats. We were cancelled and refunded because they didn't have enough snow yet. That was their first year of operation and I read later they only had 400 acres then. In general I'd like to see some kind of track record before signing up for the snowcat.

Currently reviews of Hokkaido Backcountry Club are excellent. But very few of the reviews are from Shimamaki. HBC is a general guiding outfit possibly affiliated with Black Diamond Lodge, with whom I skied 3 lift assisted guided days in 2011 and 4 in 2016. Both companies offer pure backcountry touring options. Reviews also mention cat skiing at Chisenupuri, which I skied lift served in 2011. The lift is now shut down, and while I had a nice day there after Niseko was tracked out, I would not pay cat prices for 1,000 vertical of mostly low intermediate terrain. Shimamaki is probably worth investigating now if conditions are right.

Where is Rising Sun located?

[ChrisC]

Finally sat down and found a place where I want to host my images.

Rising Sun sent a photographer out in the afternoon with us. It a little bizarre to me to be skiing thigh deep snow in places and getting face shots in a birch forest that is reminiscent of New England. The forest primarily opened up where there were steeper rollovers.

[ChrisC]

Where is Rising Sun located?

Rising Sun is located about 30-40 minutes north of Niseko - about halfway to Kiroro. We chose it because it was not one of those abandoned ski areas - and actually has some steeper terrain.

We did look into Shimamaki - but they did not have availability for a group our size during our time period.

[Tony Crocker]

It a little bizarre to me to be skiing thigh deep snow in places and getting face shots in a birch forest that is reminiscent of New England.

Summer weather in Japan is similar to comparable latitudes on the east coast of the US. The overall climate of Tokyo is very similar to Washington D.C., so no surprise the cherry trees imported in the 19th century thrived in D.C. So the birch trees farther north make sense too.