Dog sledding is no longer available at Niseko Village. Horse sledding will be available in winter 2023/34. Enquire at niseko-village.com
TEN hard-working huskies are among the newest residents to arrive in Niseko this year.
The ’08-‘09 winter marks Niseko’s dog sledding debut, offering an experience just like you would get in the wilds of Alaska or Siberia – well, almost. The Niseko Dog Sledding Experience boasts a holiday from the usual skiing, boarding or hiking, and is run from the golf course at the foot of the iconic Hilton hotel in Niseko Village. There’s not much use for the golf course during the winter – for obvious reasons – so hole No. 10 has been transformed into a 400m dog sledding track. The five-minute rides are for single and tandem riders, with the sled pulled by two to three Alaskan huskies at a time. Niseko Village’s marketing coordinator Tomoko Kazama recently tried her hand at dog sledding for the first time, describing her ride as ‘speedy and fun’. “It’s very interesting, too, because not many people have tried being pulled around in a sled by dogs before,” she says. “So it is a new experience for most people.”
Tomoko says many people would have already seen, or more likely heard, the cute canines in the village. “You can hear the dogs barking and howling most of the time wherever you are in Niseko Village,” she says. “When I first heard them, I thought they were sad, but as soon as they start running they just don’t quit – they love pulling people around.”
Dog sledding runs from 10am-3pm throughout winter and costs ¥3675. For more information visit www.niseko-village.com.