half the bloat
Back from a week studying for JAN/CAA Level certification
Amazing what you find on a ski down the mountains
It's never tough taking a day out to promote your favorite sponsor.
Dancing Snow received a nice feature in Australia's biggest newspaper
Come in, the water's fine....
Getting to Otani Hütte is easy, either climbing up to Mt. Maeyama and traversing in, or skiing down from Mt. Mitahara, accessed from Suginohara Ski Area. A nice hot dinner in the hut, a good night's sleep, and then off the next day for more adventures.
Getting to Koya Ike Hütte is a bigger expedition, requiring most of a day to get there— making it much more suited for two- or three-day tours (it's the destination for several of our spring tours).And if climbing way up or skiing steeps is not so interesting, but the idea of a night in the moonlit woods is, we're also thinking about adding an igloo stay to our menu of hut trips. It may seem crazy, but sleeping in an igloo is perhaps the warmest way to stay in the winter outdoors—very quiet and surprisingly cozy. If you like, you can even help us build the igloo (beverages and more will be provided!).
| Otani Hütte stay; two days of skiing | from ¥25,000 per person |
| Based on two persons; additional guests at reduced rate. Includes almost everything: guide fee, insurance, lift tickets, transportation, food. Rentals extra. | |
| Igloo stay; | From ¥40,000/day (but let us quote a fee!) |
| Based on two persons; additional guests at reduced rate. Includes guide fee, insurance, lift tickets, lunch, transportation and more. |
Required Tour Equipment
Musts: ski equipment (skis, board, boots, poles; some rentals available); skins/snowshoes (for skiers, please use skins for your own skis, and ones which you have tested prior to taking part in the tour); a waterproof/breathable jacket and pants; full layered wear: under and middle layers of wool or synthetic material (for all your wear, NO COTTON please!), gloves (with spare pair highly suggested), hat(s), goggles, sunglass; lunch (normally we will provide); water or other drinks; emergency food; shovel, avalanche beacon and probe (rental available). Suggested: thermos with warm drink/water; compass; 1/25,000 scale map (ask for a copy—you'll learn a lot). Rental is available for some items, including avalanche gear. When in doubt, just ask!
1. Depending on weather and snow conditions, tour destinations may be changed, or the tour cancelled.
2. Backcountry skiing and snowboarding involves the risk of injury or death. For that reason, we require all guests to sign a waiver before taking part in backcountry activities (a pdf version can be found here). At the same time, our guides have training in first aid, avalanche forecasting and rescue, and are dedicated to providing the most enjoyable, well-planned experience possible
3. Every Dancing Snow client is automatically included in our group insurance policy at no additional charge (please contact us if you would like more details on coverage). We also strongly suggest that all those taking part in backcountry tours have their own active insurance policy which covers outdoor activities.
4. If you do have a chronic health condition, we appreciate your letting us know. We know that many people can take part in outdoor activities despite some conditions, and we respect your ability to judge if a tour will be within your abilities. Your information will be kept strictly secret, but will be very useful in helping us respond should anything happen during the day. Note on personal information
To ensure the safety of our guests, we do ask for personal information including telephone numbers, emergency contacts, etc., as part of registration for lessons and tours. We will not use this information for anything other than this purpose, nor will we release any personal information to any third parties.