Skiers dream about the waist-high piles of light, dry snow in the mountains of Niseko and Furano, but the legendary “Japow” of Hokkaido blankets the island’s eastern region as well. Head into the depths on Walk Japan’s Hokkaido Snow Tour, an eight-day snowshoe adventure through the dramatic flatlands and coastal cliffs characteristic of less-trodden locales like Kushiro, Nemuro, and the Shiretoko Peninsula. Days are spent searching the frozen wetlands of Kushiro Shitsugen National Park for protected red-crowned cranes, visiting small fishing villages that edge the Pacific, and trekking along the snowy rim of the Mashu Caldera. In the evenings, settle in at inviting inns, several with traditional onsen hot-spring baths. A warm soak, followed by a cold Sapporo beer and a steaming bowl of ramen, is the ultimate, Japanese-style après.
Few winter adventures are as exhilarating as careening through the snow behind a team of mighty Alaskan huskies. For millennia, dogsledding was a means of survival for the nomadic peoples living in the northern polar region. Today, it’s Alaska’s official sport. Go behind the scenes with six-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey of AK Sled Dog Tours. Seavey has teamed up with Alyeska Resort near Anchorage to offer mini expeditions designed to give aspiring mushers a feel for the famous race. Start by learning the basics of braking and turning before hitting the snowy trails on Seavey’s Talkeetna property with your own canine team. After a thrilling 45-minute mush, you’ll get the chance to meet some race-winning dogs and play with the pups destined to become next-generation Iditarod champs. Back at the resort, you can warm up at Alyeska Nordic Spa, a 50,000-square-foot sanctuary in the forested foothills of the Chugach Mountains.
From easy-access canyons to towering frozen waterfalls, some of the most epic ice climbing can be found between Kananaskis and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Stay in the heart of the action at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff’s legendary “Castle in the Rockies.” The hotel partners with Rockies Ice and Alpine Specialists, a local outfitter that offers both introductory lessons and challenging multi-pitch ascents. First-time climbers can get acclimated at the Junkyards, a local favorite that’s home to beginner-friendly ice alongside a more demanding section known as Scottish Gully. Once you get into the swing of things, head to Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park. A short hike along steel catwalks leads you to an array of icy waterfalls, from a low-angle flow surrounded by massive, milky-blue icicles to an advanced upper fall with a sparkling array of steep pillars.
Picture this: You’re on a solitary river, with bluebird skies, snow-laden fir trees, and plenty of fat, healthy trout. That’s what winter fly-fishing looks like in Big Sky, Montana, where you can base yourself at the historic Lone Mountain Ranch. The Orvis-endorsed homestead resort on 148 acres of wilderness partners with the seasoned casters from Gallatin River Guides to offer winter walking and wading trips on the Gallatin and Madison rivers, two of the most celebrated fisheries in the West. Not surprisingly, the conditions can be challenging—and the casting technical—but anglers can expect superb nymph fishing and deep pockets of spring-warmed water where trout gather in the winter to conserve energy. Après-fishing evenings at Lone Mountain Ranch are well spent sipping rare whiskies and tucking into grilled bison tournedos at the Auric Room, the ranch’s chic new speakeasy meets supper club.
A dozen linked areas, 450 lifts, and nearly 30,000 acres of terrain make Dolomiti Superski the world’s largest interconnected ski resort. Lesser known about the Italian region’s alpine thrills are the truly spectacular Nordic trails that wind through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bespoke adventure travel company Dolomite Mountains offers multiday tours on select portions of the area’s 560-mile cross-country network. Trips begin in Alta Badia in the Val Badia valley, where you’ll glide through the frosted foothills of the Conturines, Lavarella, and Settsass mountains before moving on to swank Cortina d’Ampezzo, the “Pearl of the Dolomites.” Spend a day skiing along the Ferrovia delle Dolomiti, a former railway line that meanders for 15 miles between Cortina and Dobbiaco. For a more challenging course, experts can hit the Tre Croci Pass, home to some of the most technical routes in the region.
The snowcapped peaks of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau create a magnificent backdrop for what has long been a cherished pastime in Switzerland’s Jungfrau region: sledding. Jungfrau’s three ski resorts host more than two dozen sled routes, from the Eiger Run—a thrilling, four-stage snow safari that lights up at night—to Big Pintenfritz, which, at 9.5 miles, ranks as the planet’s longest toboggan trail. The storybook village of Grindelwald makes a perfect home base for your mountain adventures. Take the gondola to the Grindelwald First summit, where a short hike leads you to the start of the uber-panoramic First-Waldspitz-Bort sledding run. Fly down a groomed trail through a spectacular alpine landscape before taking a break to sip a Swiss lager on the deck at Gasthaus Waldspitz. Afterward, if the conditions are right, you can slide all the way back to town.
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