Backcountry Tours

Nagano Outdoor Sports offers a stunning and exhilarating backcountry tour for guests in Madarao, in scenery surrounded by high quality snow that has attracted people from across the world. The tours are varied and can be adjusted to your experience level and fitness, with half day, full day and private group tours all available with a reservation. English speaking guides are also available.

You will need to bring all of your own gear, plus snowboarders will need poles that can be rented for 1,500 yen, and you’ll also need a Madarao lift ticket. You’ll be provided with an avalanche beacon for the tour, though. The course of the tour often changes according to the weather conditions and the state of the slopes, but the expert guides are there for exactly that reason. Each of the tours has special experience requirements that should be considered before booking, though, such as the ability to stop or curve the skis or boards to avoid bad slope conditions.

A half day tour will cost roughly 8,000 yen and run from around 9:30am until 12:30pm, operating from the beginning of January through to the end of March. A full day tour runs for six hours, from 9:30am until 3:30pm, with a break for lunch, again operation only from the beginning of January through to the end of March. For more customizable tours, such as those for beginners, private tours are recommended. The experienced staff will help organise a route that is perfect for your needs so that you’re sure to enjoy your trip. The private tours cost 60,000 yen for a maximum of six people with 10,000 yen extra per person. For all tours, participants must be over the age of 13, and any children between the ages of 13 and 19 must be accompanied by a guardian over the age of 20.