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

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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! OTHER REVIEWS made by reader Mick Rich (13 in total) OTHER REVIEWS of GALA Yuzawa Resort (44 in total) READER JOURNALS submitted about GALA Yuzawa Resort (22 in total) READER PHOTOS submitted of GALA Yuzawa Resort (332 in total) This Resort Review was submitted : Friday 03rd February 2012, 10:36am   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)

RESORT NAME : Centleisure Maiko Snow Resort, Niigata Snowboarder READERS NAME : Tubby Beaver MEMBER PERSONAL PAGE HERE DATE VISITED: Jan 27th 2012 SNOW CONDITIONS: Uber Deep Pow PROS : Uber Deep Pow CONS : Uber Deep Pow, not very steep, short runs REVIEW: I had been meaning to hit up Maiko for ages....I usually go to the higher Yuzawa resorts like Kagura. The snowfall has been crazy of late and right enough there is tons of pow everywhere!! This IS lower though so its not as light as at Kagura etc but good quality all the same. Easy access from Echigo Yuzawa, free shuttle bus that coincides with the Shinkansen arrival from Tokyo. The upper left of the mountain is an ungroomed bowl like area and is lots of fun, then the dolphin course in the Maiko area is untouched and good for a few pow laps. The gradient is quite gentle though and if there is too much deep pow around, keeping momentum up to get through it can be difficult... lots of people stuck yesterday, myself included! Runs also tend to be quite short as well. I had a good day, great snow and a nice compact resort. OTHER REVIEWS made by reader Tubby Beaver (7 in total) OTHER REVIEWS of Centleisure Maiko Snow Resort Resort (17 in total) READER JOURNALS submitted about Centleisure Maiko Snow Resort Resort (8 in total) READER PHOTOS submitted of Centleisure Maiko Snow Resort Resort (354 in total) This Resort Review was submitted : Sunday 29th January 2012, :39pm   CENTLEISURE MAIKO SNOW RESORT - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) GENERAL SCORE SNOW CONDITIONS COURSES TERRAIN LIFT SYSTEM APRES SKI 78 ( 11 votes) 79 ( 10 votes) 76 ( 10 votes) 76 ( 8 votes) 45 ( 8 votes)

RESORT NAME : Hakuba Iwatake, Nagano Snowboarder READERS NAME : Mick Rich MEMBER PERSONAL PAGE HERE DATE VISITED: Thursday 29th December 2011 SNOW CONDITIONS: Good PROS : Gondola to the top = easy access to some interesting runs CONS : Gondola to the top = busy runs and restaurant REVIEW: Having bought a 2-day Alpen pass at Happo-one, I decided to check out Iwatake (and Tsugaike Kogen). I caught the first (8.20am) shuttle bus of the day from Happo Information Centre to Iwatake and was at the top of the gondola (and therefore the resort) by 8.50am. There was no new snow but I enjoyed exploring all of the runs (especially those on the back side) before they got too busy and chopped up. Not all of the runs or lifts were running, which was a shame but perhaps to be expected this early in the season. I was about to head back down when I spotted a small but relatively untouched section of powder between and under the 2 lifts accessing the Kamo4 and East runs. Nothing special but enjoyable nonetheless. I then tried to get lunch at the top restaurant (but it was rammed - one of the disadvantages of having a gondola that runs all the way to the top of a resort. Having read about the narrow, bottleneck that links the top and bottom sections of the resort, I decided to beat the rush and get the bus back to Happo. Although I only had a morning there, I enjoyed Iwatake though that bottom-to-top gondola is a double-edged sword and I would not like to go there on a weekend. OTHER REVIEWS made by reader Mick Rich (13 in total) OTHER REVIEWS of Hakuba Iwatake Resort (9 in total) READER JOURNALS submitted about Hakuba Iwatake Resort (5 in total) READER PHOTOS submitted of Hakuba Iwatake Resort (31 in total) This Resort Review was submitted : Tuesday 24th January 2012, 7:36pm   HAKUBA IWATAKE - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) GENERAL SCORE SNOW CONDITIONS COURSES TERRAIN LIFT SYSTEM APRES SKI 73 ( 9 votes) 66 ( 9 votes) 72 ( 9 votes) 76 ( 9 votes) 54 ( 8 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.