Backcountry ski guide in Hokkaido Japan — Third Eye Backcountry
Founded 2019 — Colorado, USA

About
Third Eye

Backcountry skiing in Hokkaido, Japan — Third Eye Backcountry expedition
The Company

Built Around
A Different
Kind of Trip

Third Eye Backcountry was founded in 2019, built on a specific conviction: that the best ski experiences in the world aren't happening at resorts, and that the culture surrounding a mountain trip is as important as the terrain itself.

The company operates deliberately small — intentionally not scaled, intentionally boutique. The business model doesn't depend on volume. Every expedition is custom-built for the group in front of us, from the terrain selection to the accommodations to where we eat after a long day in the field.

We're based in Colorado, where the culture of backcountry skiing is serious. But our eyes are on Hokkaido, where the powder is unlike anything in North America and the local culture runs as deep as the snowpack.

What Drives the Work

The Principles

What stays constant regardless of where the expedition goes, who the guests are, or what the conditions look like.

01

No Templates

Every expedition is assembled from scratch. There are no pre-packaged itineraries, no set departure dates, no group you join. It starts with a conversation and builds from there.

02

Small Groups

Maximum eight guests. That cap is a commitment, not a sales pitch. Small groups move better in the field, make better decisions, and actually connect with the place they're in.

03

Culture First

Food, onsen, local language, community — these aren't bonuses tacked onto the ski trip. They're co-equal elements of the expedition. You don't truly understand a mountain without understanding where it lives.

04

Earned Access

Local relationships in Japan take time to build. Third Eye has spent years on the ground in Hokkaido — the terrain access, the dining recommendations, the accommodation quality all come from that investment.

05

Safety Practice

Backcountry guiding carries real risk. We operate with full avalanche protocols, conservative snowpack decision-making, and the kind of local condition knowledge that only comes from being present, season after season.

06

Long Game

Third Eye is built to last, not to scale. The company will never grow large enough to compromise the quality of the experience. The people who return, return because nothing was traded away.

Behind the Company

The Guides

A lean team with deep roots in Colorado and Hokkaido. Every expedition is run by guides who have spent years in this terrain.

Elly Offutt — Co-Founder and Guide, Third Eye Backcountry
Co-Founder & Guide

Elly
Offutt

Colorado — Hokkaido

Grew up skiing across the Western US and took her skiing abroad — living in New Zealand, South Africa, Indonesia, and England. Background in outdoor education, leading high school and college students on treks and climbs in the US, South America, and Europe. Co-founded Third Eye in 2019.

  • Outdoor educator & expedition leader
  • Multi-season Hokkaido operations since 2019
  • International guiding experience across 4 continents
Andrew Temple — Co-Founder and Guide, Third Eye Backcountry
Co-Founder & Guide

Andrew
Temple

San Juan Mountains — Colorado

Nearly two decades averaging 100+ days a year backcountry skiing and guiding in Colorado's San Juans and beyond. Worked as a researcher, avalanche forecaster, and snow scientist for CSAS and NASA's SnowEx mission. Has taught AIARE courses for over a decade.

  • AIARE — 10+ years as course instructor
  • Avalanche forecaster — Center for Snow & Avalanche Studies
  • Snow scientist — NASA SnowEx mission
  • Multi-season Hokkaido operations
Jonathan Cooper — Guide, Third Eye Backcountry
Guide

Jonathan
Cooper

San Juans & Pacific Northwest

Grew up in the Pacific Northwest among the glaciated Cascades. Guides year-round, teaches avalanche education across the US, works as an EMT, and teaches wilderness medicine. Has spent several seasons in Japan drawn by the same trifecta that drives the company: culture, food, and snow.

  • EMT & Wilderness Medicine instructor
  • AIARE avalanche courses — US-wide
  • Multi-season Japan operations
  • Year-round guide — ski, climbing, paragliding
Will Carlton — Guide, Third Eye Backcountry
Guide

Will
Carlton

Colorado — Hokkaido

Five winters in Hokkaido. Before that, backcountry seasons across the Western US, Canada, and Europe. Will comes back to Japan for the same reason the company exists: the terrain is a reason to show up; the culture is a reason to stay. AMGA Apprentice Ski and Alpine Guide with deep mountain roots in Colorado — including four finishes of the Hardrock Hundred, a 100-mile run through the San Juan high country.

  • AMGA Apprentice Ski & Alpine Guide
  • American Avalanche Association — active member
  • 4× Hardrock Hundred Mile finisher
  • 5+ seasons — Hokkaido
On the Ground

Partners &
Operators

Third Eye operates through a network of local guides, lodges, and operators built over years in Hokkaido. These relationships are the product — not a contact list.

Local Guiding Hokkaido Backcountry Partners

JMGA-certified local guides with decade-long knowledge of off-piste terrain across the Niseko and Furano regions.

Accommodations Onsen Ryokan Partners

Traditional Japanese inn partners selected for the quality of their baths, kitchens, and the care they bring to each stay.

Avalanche Safety Japan Avalanche Network

Field coordination with the Japan Avalanche Network for real-time snowpack reporting across Hokkaido's operating zones.

Logistics Hokkaido Transport & Logistics

Ground transport, gear coordination, and local logistics handled by trusted operators who have worked with Third Eye since the first season.

The Philosophy

Why Not
A Resort
Package

Resort packages work for most skiers. Lift tickets, groomed runs, après ski at the same bar everyone uses — that's a perfectly good trip for most people.

Third Eye exists for the skier who's already done that, multiple times, and wants something different. Someone who wants to know what's past the rope. Who wants to understand the place they're skiing in, not just pass through it. Who wants a group small enough that the guide knows your skiing by day two.

If that's you, start with a conversation. Every expedition begins there.

Start a conversation →
Start Here

Every Trip
Begins Here

A conversation about your group, what you want from the mountain, and whether we're the right fit for each other.

Begin Inquiry → Or reach us at info@ThirdEyeBackcountry.com