Veteran Pro-Snowboarder and Coach Reveals Why Sapporo Stands Out Among the World’s Top Ski Destinations
After shredding the slopes, slurping up delicious bowls of ramen, and soaking in relaxing hot springs, JJ Thomas explains why Sapporo ranks in his top three ski destinations worldwide.
My name’s JJ Thomas. I’m from Golden, Colorado, and now live in California. I’m a professional snowboarder who has been riding for 30 years. I competed on the US halfpipe team, taking bronze at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Later, I coached snowboarding legend Shaun White, and now I’m focused on mentoring the next generation. These days, I travel the world, capturing footage and sharing my passion for the sport that’s been my life for three decades.
Sapporo is one of the few places in the world with the perfect combo of incredible food, soothing hot springs, and grade A snowboarding—it goes together like peanut butter and jelly.
As a coach who has traveled to ski resorts around the world, I’m often asked what my favorite place to snowboard is. My answer is always the same: anywhere in western US, Japan, and Switzerland. Outside of riding in my home country, Japan is at the top of the list, with Sapporo being one of my top three ski destinations in the world. It feels a little bit like home, because it reminds me of Denver, Colorado, where I grew up—it’s a proper city surrounded by mountains. Although the mountains here are even closer! It’s the full package.
We’re in this beautiful hotel, we can enjoy hot springs, we’ve been snowboarding at the best resorts, and then we go out at night and eat the best food! It lets you refuel and recover your body to get ready for big days on the mountain.
The snowboarding videos coming out of Sapporo may look extreme, but the city has something for all levels of skier and rider.
When people see the content we put out, they often think “Oh that’s too hardcore, we can’t do that.” But Sapporo has something for everyone. I have a young son, and I could easily bring my family, who are not avid skiers, here. There are the mountains that are close and accessible and this beautiful city that’s so easy to navigate. We rarely get this kind of variety when we go to the mountains in other places around the world, so sometimes it can be a bit boring if you’re not really into skiing and snowboarding.
The dining here has been some of the best in the world!
One experience that stands out was sushi first thing in the morning at the fish market. I’ve never been to a real fish market. We went at 7:30 AM, which you have to go because that’s when everyone buys their fish, and ate sushi there at 8. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it, because it’s not something I do, but after eating the fresh fish and enjoying some roasted green tea, I felt great. It set me up for the whole day. I might have to make sushi in the morning a thing back home.
Also, the ramen! I could eat ramen every day. I love the broth, the noodles, and the little bit of protein. It sits well in my stomach, especially with this cold weather—it just warms you up. I think it’s a perfect meal because it’s hydrating and nourishing at the same time. It’s like a warm weather smoothie. You drink smoothies in the summer, so why not replace that with ramen in the winter?
Powder runs, park laps, and a thriving local snowboarding culture—Teine was like a dream.
For a mountain so close to the city, Teine offers very steep pitch right off the lift! There was also a gate that you could exit and walk for five minutes to reach beautiful, steep and deep powder runs. I liked the variety of terrain on offer, along with the expert runs there were plenty of easy ways down.
We rode powder in the morning and the terrain park and groomers in the afternoon. It was cool to see groups of snowboarders riding together. I could see that snowboarding culture is alive in Sapporo.
On one day, we even rode with some people from a snowboard tuning shop in Jozankei called Terminal. That was just a blast. The shop was really cool too. In southern California, we have coffee/surf shops, but I’ve never seen it pulled off with a snowboard shop before. That’s like a dream come true!
With so much to offer it’s easy to entertain people in Sapporo. I can see myself coming back with the whole family and staying here for a longer time, that way when I head to the mountains, they’ll still have plenty of fun things to do.
US pro snowboarder and halfpipe champion Toby Miller has tackled resorts across the globe. In Sapporo, he found it all—diverse terrain, meticulously groomed runs, and a welcoming community that made the experience even more unforgettable.
Hailing from Canada, ski enthusiasts Nick and Robyn share a passion for the mountains. On his second visit to Sapporo, Nick finally got to show his wife why this city is the ultimate ski destination—combining world-class slopes, rich Japanese culture (including must-try ramen), and all the perks of city life.
As key members of the online skiing hub Newschoolers, Switzerland-based Twig and Hanne live and breathe skiing, sharing their passion through writing and photography. In Sapporo, they found the best of both worlds—a vibrant urban scene and exciting mountainous terrain, all in one place.