Asahidake Backcountry Guides — Training Courses

training courses

Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 (AST 1)

39,000 Yen/person 35,000 Yen/person Discounted Locals Rate on December & March Courses

Includes course materials, 2 full days of instruction and certificate upon successful completion

This 2 day introductory avalanche course is designed as the first step for winter recreationalists interested in spending time in the backcountry. It is highly recommended that you take this course before you consider travelling in avalanche terrain. The curriculum is provided by Avalanche Canada and covers essential backcountry travel skills such as companion rescue, terrain evaluation, formation of avalanches, trip planning and many other critical skills to help you make informed decisions.

This is a certified course offered under the authority of Avalanche Canada. Please visit their website for additional details on this course along with a number of other great learning resources.

Course Dates / Location / Language +

Dec. 7 & 8, 2026 / Niseko / English
Dec. 12 & 13, 2026 / Niseko / English
Dec. 21 & 22, 2026 / Niseko / English
Dec. 26 & 27, 2026 / Niseko / English
Jan. 2 & 3, 2027 / Niseko / English
March 1 & 2, 2027 / Niseko / English
March 10 & 11, 2027 / Niseko / English

4,000 Yen locals discount available on December & March courses for all residents of Japan! Please use the coupon code LOCALSAST1 in the checkout process to access this discount. Please bring your resident card or Japan issued ID for verification at course check in.

Additional course dates will be added as these courses fill. Please contact us if you are interested in taking a course but these dates don't work for you or if you have a group of 5 or more people interested in a private course.

Time

AST 1 courses start at 9:00am and run through until approximately 5pm each day.

Location and Access

We utilize several different classroom locations in the Niseko area. The location of each course is determined depending on the number of participants registered. All of our classroom locations are located within a 15 minute drive of Hirafu however none of the classroom locations are within walking distance.

We offer a free shuttle from Hirafu Seicomart to the course location with pick up at 8:30am. You will be able to request a shuttle at the time of booking.

Required Equipment

Avalanche rescue equipment (transceiver, shovel, probe and backpack)
Ski touring equipment (AT skis and skins for skiers and snowshoes or splitboard for snowboarders) – rental available*
Regular ski / snowboard wear
Spare goggles and gloves for field day
Extra layers for field day
Additional gear details will be provided with pre-course information and discussed in trip planning classroom sessions
Boots suitable for walking in deep snow for Day 1 companion rescue training. Ski or snowboard boots can be used instead however rubber or snow boots are best suited to this application.

Rental Gear

If you don't have your own backcountry equipment, Rising Sun offers discounted rentals to all course participants as follows:

Avalanche safety kit as needed for the course: 3000Yen
Alpine Touring skis with Frame bindings as needed for the course: 6000Yen
Alpine Touring skis with Pin bindings as needed for the course: 6000Yen
Splitboard rental as needed for the course: 6000Yen
Snowshoes and poles as needed for the course: 3000Yen (Available to snowboarders only instead of splitboard)

Boots

Rates above do not include boot rental. Additional info on boots:

Frame binding skis are compatible with regular alpine ski boots.
Pin binding skis require AT boots with tech inserts. Boots are available for rent, however we do not offer discounted boot rentals for AST courses.
Splitboard bindings are compatible with regular soft snowboard boots; however step on boots are not compatible with our bindings.
We do not have snowboard boots available for rent.