Choosing the River While Everyone Else Hit the Slopes
The Niseko area at the foot of Mount Yotei is world-famous for its heavy snowfall and exceptional powder snow. Skiers and snowboarders come from all over the globe chasing those legendary runs — and yet, there we were, heading to the river while the ski lifts were still spinning.
The route we chose was a mellow, flat-water section of the Shiribetsu River — the same stretch used for commercial kids’ rafting tours. No big waves, no serious rapids. Exactly the kind of run you want when the air temperature is firmly in deep-winter territory.
By early March, the snowfall had eased up a bit, but the cold hadn’t. When the morning sun rises over a river this cold, the temperature difference between the water and the air creates river fog — and that’s exactly what we came for. I’ll be upfront: I’m not a fan of extreme cold, and hardcore suffer-fest packrafting isn’t really my thing either.
We kept an eye on the forecast the night before. Too much blizzard and the fog would be gone. A light snowfall, though? That could work perfectly.
The Conditions Were Ideal for River Fog Packrafting
Winter weather near Mount Yotei is notoriously unpredictable, so even after checking the forecast, the actual conditions were somewhat up to chance. But going was absolutely the right call. There are views you can only see if you show up — and on this day, we hit near-perfect conditions.
The approach to the river through snow-covered terrain felt completely different from a regular summer put-in. Everything was a white snowfield — fresh and almost surreal.
Inflating the packrafts in freezing temperatures is no joke. We tried using an electric pump, but the battery died partway through inflating the second boat — it was simply too cold. We were running two boats: an Alpacka Raft Classic and the tandem Alpacka Oryx.
The moment we hit the water, river fog surrounded us. It was immediately clear: this was absolutely worth the trip.
Drifting into the calmer flatwater sections, we found the eddies near the banks were frozen solid. Rocking the packraft cracked the ice — oddly satisfying.
Safety note: Always wear a drysuit. There’s no guarantee you won’t fall in, so minimize that risk as much as possible, and be prepared if it happens.
Bare hands go numb almost instantly in these conditions. The goal is simple: keep them dry and keep them warm. We used Temres waterproof insulated gloves, which worked well — but be aware that if you do fall in, water can get inside the gloves and create a new problem. Use them with full awareness of the conditions. (This section was essentially flat water with almost no rapids.)
This was definitely a niche experience, not for everyone. But if the idea excites you, go all-in on insulation and waterproofing — and after getting off the river, a soak at a local onsen is strongly recommended to warm up.
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