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| RESORT
NAME : |
GALA Yuzawa, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| READERS
NAME : |
Mick Rich
MEMBER
PERSONAL PAGE HERE
|
| DATE VISITED: |
Thursday 5th January 2012 |
| SNOW CONDITIONS: |
Snowing all day! |
| PROS : |
Very convenient, cheap ticket deals |
| CONS : |
Limited terrain |
| REVIEW: |
One of the first things I wanted to do after arriving in Japan was to ride the bullet train and when I found out that I could take one to a ski resort, I knew I had to go there! 2 and a half years down the line and I finally made it to GALA Yuzawa. As has been said before, it doesnt get much more convenient than this. Get off the train, take the escalator up to the ticket gate and its all there - ski ticket counter, locker rooms, ski rental, cafe/restaurant, souvenir shop, etc, etc. Buy your 1000Yen locker ticket (expensive but you can use the locker all day), punch in your code, change into your gear, walk through to the gondola and Bobs your uncle!
On the day I went there was poor visibility and a freezing wind but all the lifts were running (though sometimes very slowly) and it snowed non-stop all day! The pistes were lovely and soft and although it was the school holidays, it wasnt too busy. Perhaps due to the poor visibility, hardly anyone was going near the ropes and therefore the foot or so of powder in, under and around them, which meant more fun for me! Unfortunately the top section of the Southern Area was closed so you couldnt get to the more challenging/decent off-piste terrain over there but that was ok, as there was loads of untouched powder at the sides of Grenoble; about 2 feets worth on the skiers left side in particular.
On the whole, I would tend to agree that its more of a beginners-to- intermediates resort but then I didnt get to ride the Southern Area which is supposed to be more challenging. In any event, GALA cannot be beaten for convenience and from what I saw, it certainly gets a decent amount of snowfall too. I would therefore definitely recommend it, particularly if you are coming from Tokyo and/or can get there mid-week to avoid the Tokyo crowds! There are also some great deals to be had if you are coming from Tokyo. For starters, you can get a combined Shinkansen return ticket and ski pass which will save you a few thousand Yen but if you can book in advance, there are some really cheap deals online, cheap as in under 7,000Yen all in, though I think there are some restrictions and it is all in Japanese. However, like GALA as a whole, it is worth checking out!
|
| GALA YUZAWA - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
66 ( 11 votes)
|
72 ( 12 votes) |
59 ( 12 votes) |
69 ( 11 votes) |
49 ( 12 votes) |
|

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Please
note that all reviews in this section of Snow Japan
are sent in by our readers, and not necessarily the
views of Snow Japan.
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