Five Snowboard Trips Worth Packing Your Board For.

There’s nothing like the excitement of packing for a trip. Maybe you’re the organized type, with everything folded neatly in place, or maybe you’re tossing boots in at the last minute and hoping you remembered everything. Either way, zipping up your board bag is the start of an adventure that could take you to Hokkaido’s powder-filled forests, through Canada’s mountain towns, or high into the Chilean Andes. Mint Tours has spent more than 20 years making those journeys happen.

Here are five trips worth packing for.

Asahikawa, Japan
Mint’s flagship Japan tour is based in the city of Asahikawa in central Hokkaido. Guides pick each day’s destination from Kamui, Furano, Asahidake and smaller local hills, depending on where the snow is best. Hit it right and you’ll find deep, light powder and iconic tree runs. At night, you’re back in the city, with an onsen at the hotel and legendary ramen and izakayas nearby. Powder boards from Mint’s Japan Demo Fleet are free to ride throughout your tour.

Powder Highway, Canada
The road trip runs from Kelowna to Calgary, linking Revelstoke, Panorama, Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mt. Norquay. You get big vertical, powder bowls like Taynton and Greely, glades, steep chutes through to open groomers and park laps. Evenings are for mountain-town vibes, soaking in hot tubs, sampling local craft beer while taking in the epic scenery for the Powder Highway of British Columbia.

Uzbekistan
Snowboarding the Silk Road is as unusual as it sounds. Ride Amirsoy, Chimgan and Beldersay in the western Tien Shan, where the snow is dry and the mountains remain untracked. Then you swap boards for Tashkent’s Soviet-era metro stations and markets, and take the high-speed train to the historic city of Samarkand. 

Chile
Mint’s Chile Road Trip travels from Concepción to Santiago exploring Nevados de Chillán’s volcanic terrain, bowls, gullies and natural features with the thermal pools waiting after the lifts close right out front of your hotel. We then journey back up the Andes to ride the big mountain terrain of Valle Nevado followed by a night checking out the nightlife of Santiago.

Lapland, Finland
Load up the van and head into Finnish Lapland. Mint’s Arctic Road Trip winds through snowy forests between Pyhä, Luosto, Saariselkä, Levi and either Ylläs or Pallas. Along the way, you’ll ride resort laps and tree runs, with a guided backcountry day in Pyhä-Luosto National Park. Between mountains, there’s time for traditional saunas, ice-hole plunges, a husky safari and snowsurfing with a chance to catch the northern lights after dark.


Before you go: Whichever trip you choose, you’ll be hauling boards, boots and outerwear through airports, trains and hotel lobbies. A bag that keeps up with the gear makes everything after check-in easier. 
Check dates, pricing and ability levels on each tour page at minttours.com.