Want to ski an active volcano with tons of powder? Head for Niseko
By Dean Irvine, CNN
A wicked Siberian wind can find its way through layers of thermal clothing and take the temperature to well below -20 C (-4 F), but for those who summit Japan's Mount Yotei, any discomfort is worth the effort.
The reward isn't just reaching the top of the volcano to see spectacular views from nearly 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level in western Hokkaido.
The real reason climbers summit Mount Yotei is to ski into its bowl-shaped crater on perfect powder snow.
"It's the one thing that people should do, if they get a chance," says Sam Kerr, head of Niseko Xtreme Tours, one of a number of local companies that take visitors on backcountry ski adventures around the winter sports town of Niseko, one of Japan's most famous ski resorts.
"There's really nothing else like it," he says.
To many of the area's ski and snowboard visitors, Mount Yotei is rarely even visible let alone surmountable because of the area's regularly clouded skies, which dump around 15 meters (49 feet) of snow on the region per season.