Iwate Backcountry Guides
岩手バックカントリーガイズGuide
Iwate Backcountry Guides suits riders based at APPI or Hachimantai who want a local guide on foot or by snowcat; the website hasn't posted since 2023, so confirm 2026/27 tours and prices before you plan around them.
What they offer
| Offering | From | Duration | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC HikeThe main tour, reached on foot around Hachimantai and the Ura-Iwate range, with about two hours of climbing. The menu lists ¥13,000 per person in the regular season without naming a year. | – | Meet 8:00–8:30, finish 14:00–15:00 | – |
| BC EntryA beginner tour that includes backcountry gear rental in the fee. The menu lists ¥12,000 per person without naming a year. | – | – | – |
| Cat Hike and Cat RideTours on the Daikokumori snowcat run by Hachimantai Cat Tours, for at least three riders. The menu lists ¥23,000 and ¥34,000 per person without naming a year. | – | – | – |
| Spring tourSpring tours use the Hachimantai Aspite Line once it opens toward the summit in mid-April. | – | – | From 1 April |
Kosei Takahashi grew up at the foot of Hachimantai and trained as a guide with Powder Company Guides in Niseko before starting Iwate Backcountry Guides in 2015/16. He holds Japan Mountain Guides Association certification. The office is in Kashiwadai, about ten minutes from the Matsuo-Hachimantai interchange.
The menu runs from beginner tours with gear included to full days on foot in the Ura-Iwate range and snowcat days on Daikokumori. In spring the guide uses the Aspite Line once it opens toward the summit. The guide recommends mountain rescue insurance and sells a ¥500 day policy at check-in.
Worth knowing
- Email or phone before you book, because the website's tour prices carry no season and its blog last updated in 2023.
- Ask about pick-up if you're staying in the Hachimantai onsen villages or at APPI, which the guide offers when bookings allow.
Quick answers about Iwate Backcountry Guidesよくある質問
Does Iwate Backcountry Guides run cat tours?
Its menu lists Cat Hike and Cat Ride tours on the Daikokumori snowcat at Hachimantai for groups of three or more.