Iwanai Resort — Attraction in Iwanai

I've been on private backcountry trips in Europe, Canada and the US. This location is great but the only thing special about this outfit is the location and the snow that Japan provides.

The Good: Great views of the Sea of Japan and all the great snow that Japan can provide. The price is comparable to many other backcountry experiences in other countries.

The Bad: The guides are nice but in my experience they were subpar with safety and on-mountain guidance. Their instructions were brief and the lead guide would often ski out of sight of the group. In terms of potential slides, this backcountry location seems relatively safer than many however most runs terminate in tight treed areas. I am an emergency medicine physician and I work at the base of a major ski resort. Tree collisions are serious events. I hope it doesn't happen but I wouldn't be surprised if they have a fatality due to a tree collision. I would not ski here unless you are an expert and are comfortable in tight treed areas. This is different from the glade skiing you will encounter at nearby Niseko. Finally please note that they do not have a significant amount of terrain to offer compared to my experiences in Canada, the US and Europe. I suspect they have only 4 days to show new groups untracked terrain before they would need new snow. Their cancellation policy...

In this day and age, one can only dream of the perfect day riding: make-your-legs-ache deep powder with an abundance of fresh lines for all, amazing blue bird conditions with breath taking vistas, great food and straight up awesome vibes all around. Lo and behold…Iwanai Resort!

The icing on the cake for me was the wonderful and dedicated team. Long story short: my drone made an emergency landing in the trees, and upon hearing this the Iwanai team jumped into action: three guides slapped on skins and rode their snow mobiles back up the mountain while another provided them last-known GPS coordinates live from the resort. They helped me search until the sun went down. Although we didn’t find the drone yet, this is the definition of going above and beyond for your guests.

Im so grateful for these guys efforts and friendship. The search will continue and as soon as the footage on the drone is recovered, I will share the beauty of Iwanai Resort. In the meantime, here’s me showing my appreciation to the team. A true diamond...

The catski experience from Iawani Resort was bar none. The second we arrived we were catered to and very well taken care of throughout the day. From the lodge and its incredible food and drink menu, to the mountain.

They have some extremely knowledgeable and friendly guides that gave everyone personalized attention and carefully explained safety measures that put me at ease during the backcountry skiing. They took the time to explain to us and show us all the impressive, beautiful and fun terrain for all levels of skiers and boarders. This place was not lacking on the pristine powder runs either.

Iwanai Resort CAT skiing epitomizes the essence of Hokkaido’s legendary “Japow” snow. This unforgettable experience is a must-do for anyone seeking the ultimate winter adventure. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone seeking an unparalleled skiing...