Scouting Report of Sapporo Teine Ski Resort in Hokkaido, Japan

📍 Sapporo · 👁 2 reads · ❤️ 168 likes

After skiing for five days at the famous Rusutsu Resort, we really wanted to take a break. After discussing with the group, we decided to take a trip to Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido.

Coincidentally, a free bus service has been launched between Rusutsu and Sapporo. You can ride it by making a reservation in advance. The bus stops at "Kasen Building ③" on the west side of the south square of Sapporo Station. It's really convenient. The bus departs from Rusutsu Resort Hotel at 5:00 PM every day (from Rusutsu Westin Hotel at around 4:50 PM).

Winter in Hokkaido gets dark early. After about 90 minutes, we arrived in Sapporo, but going back to Rusutsu would feel too rushed, so we decided to stay overnight in Sapporo.

Among the group members, some were really addicted to skiing and felt uncomfortable without a day on the slopes. On the way to Sapporo, they were searching for information and making plans to see if there were any ski resorts near Sapporo worth visiting. There are quite a few suburban ski resorts like Sapporo Teine Ski Resort, Sapporo International Ski Resort, Bankei Ski Resort... How to choose?

After weighing the options, we finally chose Teine Ski Resort, which is the closest to Sapporo, just a 40-minute trip.

Reasons to convince the others to go to Teine:

1. Convenient transportation: Take the JR from Sapporo to "Teine Station" (9 minutes on the rapid train), then transfer to a bus (28 minutes to the top of Highland).

2. It's one of the Olympic venues: the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics held the giant slalom event here. At least we can experience the Olympic site.

3. The panoramic view of Sapporo and Ishikari Bay from the ski resort is a must-see when visiting Sapporo in winter.

4. The lift ticket is reasonable: 5,500 yen (about 303 RMB). There are also night slopes, worth a visit.

Trains heading towards Teine and Otaru from Sapporo Station all stop at "Teine Station", including rapid and local trains. Teine Station is a major station in Sapporo and also one of the densely populated residential areas.

Buy a ticket from Sapporo Station to Teine Station, fare 340 yen (about 19 RMB). From the south exit of Teine Station, go down to the ground floor and wait at bus stop No. 3 for the bus. The bus fare is 400 yen (about 24 RMB; if going to Olympia area, it's only 380 yen).

TIPS: About the bus

(1) Timetable

The bus schedule is divided into weekdays and weekends, with more frequent service on weekends. The screenshot below is the bus schedule for the 21/22 snow season.

(2) How to ride

If you have a Japanese IC card, you can simply tap on and off.

If you pay in cash, prepare exact change as the bus does not give change. The coin box near the driver has a "change" function – look for the Japanese characters "両替" meaning you can break bills. When paying with cash, take a "boarding ticket" (整理券) from the machine at the entrance when you board, and when you get off, first insert the boarding ticket into the coin box, then insert the cash. (Japanese bus rides can be a bit tricky; at first, I had no idea what that small piece of paper was for.)

Total area: 76 hectares

Number of trails: 15

Highest / lowest altitude: 1,000 m / 350 m

Vertical drop: 650 m

Longest ski run: 6,000 m

Maximum slope: 38 degrees

Number of lifts: 10

Skill level: Beginner 30%, Intermediate 50%, Advanced 20%

Looking into the history of Teine Ski Resort, it was originally two separate ski areas. In 2005, they merged into one, collectively called "Teine Ski Resort", retaining two ski zones: Highland Zone and Olympia Zone. There are trails connecting the two zones (we didn't experience the Olympia zone this time).

How to choose a ski zone? Roughly speaking:

- If you are a complete beginner or at a beginner level, go to Olympia Zone.

- If you are intermediate or advanced, go to Highland Zone near the summit.

- If you need to join ski school courses (currently only offered in Japanese, it seems), the reception is at Olympia Zone.

- For ski equipment rental, both zones have rental centers.

Teine Ski Resort's two zones have a total of 15 trails.

Highland Zone: 7 trails

Olympia Zone: 8 trails

See the image below for trail names and difficulty levels:

[Note: The image is not included in text, but refer to the diagram.]

In Japanese ski resorts, lift tickets are usually priced based on time.

In other words, from late November to mid-December when snow conditions are not yet perfect, tickets are slightly cheaper.

During the regular season from early December to early March, regular ticket prices apply.

During the "spring snow" period from early March onwards, prices are again a little cheaper.

For the 21/22 snow season, Teine's regular season prices are as follows:

1-day pass: Adult 5,500 yen (about 303 RMB), Junior high school student 4,500 yen (about 248 RMB), Elementary school student and under 2,900 yen.

In addition, Teine also offers time passes: 6-hour pass and 4-hour pass, adult prices 4,700 yen and 4,300 yen respectively.

Both zones have equipment rental centers. The prices most people care about are as follows:

Full set of skis (skis, boots, poles): Adult one-day rental 5,700 yen (about 314 RMB), Elementary school student one-day rental 3,500 yen (about 193 RMB).

Full set of snowboard (board and boots): One-day rental price is the same as skis: Adult 5,700 yen, Elementary school student and under 3,500 yen.

After all, this is a resort that hosted the Winter Olympics, so Teine has everything. If you want to try the park, it's available – a good place to practice and improve your skills.

The snow park is set up in the Highland area, open from late December to early April.

Main features include multiple jumps, boxes, rails, etc.

Dinosaur Kids' Snow Park

A children's snow park with wind protection, equipped with a magic carpet for easy uphill travel, making it convenient for kids to get close to skiing. The snow park is divided into three areas: sledding area, snow tubing area, and snowboard & ski area.

If you are traveling to Sapporo with kids and want them to play in the snow or learn to ski, this is probably the most convenient resort.

HIGHLAND ZONE

1) HIGHLAND SKI CENTER

This is where the bus terminates. It is a 4-story building housing a ticket sales center, equipment rental center, ski equipment shop, lockers, changing rooms, and cafeteria.

2) HOT CAFE 1023

A rest area near the summit that also sells snacks and drinks.

OLYMPIA ZONE

1) OLYMPIA SKI CENTER

Serves as cafeteria, rental, ski school, ticket center, etc.

2) NORTH MAPLE

A place offering snacks, drinks, and selling cold-weather accessories.

Summary:

1) For skiing and learning to ski in Sapporo, Teine is recommended.

2) If you want to ski while enjoying a panoramic winter view of Sapporo city, this is the right place.

3) If you don't want to waste time on the road, skiing here is perfect.

4) Among suburban ski resorts in Hokkaido, Teine is undoubtedly a leader – a must-visit spot when traveling to Sapporo in winter.