|
|
|
|
 |
RIDER's VOICE |
 |
|
|
| |
| The following are the current reader reviews on Snow Japan sent in by tsondaboy ( 10 reviews ). |
|
|
 |
|
| Resort
name : |
Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park, Nagano |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
9 Jan 2006 |
| SnowConditions: |
Hard packed slopes |
| PROS
: |
Terrain versatility |
| CONS
: |
Bad infrastructure, too tight patrol |
| Review: |
A 5 star resort for the snowboarder.
I spent a full day there with a riding mate. We arrived early in the morning on a bright sunny day. Unfortunately not any serious snowfall the last 3-4 days so there was not any powder left on the main courses and the of-bounds staff was heavily tracked.
Nevertheless the main slopes were almost perfectly groomed and we were able to do some hard carving on some 30 deg slopes. The average slope angle of Hakuba 47 is above 20 deg which makes this place ideal for the speed enthusiasts (including myself).
It is a very nice place for the intermediate advanced rider, but I would not recommend it to someone on his first steps snowboarding.
I was also able to have some tree-powder runs to the left of the C-quad lift, which ended up to some unpleasant encounters with the patrol. If you go there planning to hit the BC or tree runs, I would strongly recommend you to get the BC guide service provided at the bottom of the gondola. |
| OTHER REVIEWS made by reader
tsondaboy (10 in total) |
| OTHER REVIEWS of Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park Resort (40 in total) |
| READER JOURNALS submitted about Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park Resort (107 in total) |
| READER PHOTOS submitted of Hakuba 47 Winter Sports Park Resort (30 in total) |
| This Resort Review was submitted : Tuesday 10th January 2006, 3:54pm |
| |
| HAKUBA 47 WINTER SPORTS PARK - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
71
( 29 votes)
|
70
( 32 votes) |
72
( 31 votes) |
72
( 31 votes) |
59
( 29 votes) |
|
 |
| Resort
name : |
Iwappara, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
Last time Dec 23 2005 |
| SnowConditions: |
Excellent |
| PROS
: |
The gondola takes you all the way to the top |
| CONS
: |
Not much terrain variety |
| Review: |
I spend Christmas in Yuzawa, teaching my girlfriend how to snowboard.
The first day of our 4-day trip was in Iwappara.
I chose this place because it is perfect for the complete beginner.
Really wide not very steep main area, with good coverage of lifts and not very busy even on weekends.
We arrived there after an 80 cm dump and it was still snowing all day. Although I spent most of my time in the main gelende, I had some really nice runs at the top of the mountain. Most of the people going there are beginners, so the powder runs at the top just waited for me!
Unfortunately there is not much variety of terrain to ride, and if you don’t arrive there on a nice day you will be probably bored.
For certain, I would recommend this place to someone complete beginner or at his first steps in snowboarding. |
| IWAPPARA - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
69
( 21 votes)
|
65
( 21 votes) |
69
( 21 votes) |
60
( 21 votes) |
64
( 19 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
GALA Yuzawa, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
4 Feb. 2005 |
| SnowConditions: |
Arrived there in the middle of a snowstorm = tons of pow |
| PROS
: |
Easy access from Tokyo. |
| CONS
: |
Many flat spots |
| Review: |
I guess this place is one of the most popular resorts in Japan because it is accessible from Tokyo in 1 1/2 hour. Usually every season most of the travel agencies in Tokyo have a one day trip offer at really low cost. Keep in mind though that the resort itself is a bit expensive. As soon as you get of the train have 1000 yen on your hands for the lockers lol.
The Gala Yuzawa Shinkansen station actually serves both for train terminal and lift riding point. Really convenient if you are going for one day there and don’t want to loose half your day in transportation. For example I got on the 08:04 shinkansen from Tokyo station, arrived in Gala 09:42 and had my first ride down the slopes at 10:05. Last ride down was at 15:46 and made it to the 16:08 shinkansen from Yuzawa to Tokyo. Arrived in Tokyo at 17:40 and still had enough time to go back in my lab in the University to meet me professor.
For the slopes now. I found the lift planning really bad. Almost at the end of every lift there is a very flat area that you have to skate till you reach the actual kick off point. Nevertheles the slopes themselves are not very bad. Northern area has a nicely made snowpark. Since I went on a week day they were not crowded, in fact I had the halfpipe just for myself for more than 2 hours. I also rode the trees a bit between the broadway and the swan gelende but didn’t stray away because the whether was terrible and for sure it would have been dangerous.
The Edelweiss gelende has many spots you can use as a natural quarter pipe, if there are not many people. So make sure you get at the place on a weekday.
There is a really tempting point between the 7th and 8th pillar of the coach lift.
The northern area is probably the most interesting spot for the advanced ones. Steep, and with many trees to ride through. Also the only spot with moguls.
In general all the gelende are bit narrow so I wouldn’t suggest this place to a complete beginner.
If you decide to go there, under no circumstances don’t go there on weekend or holiday!
In general a place that I will probably visit again in a weekday, when I don’t have time to go far or stay more than 1 day. |
| GALA YUZAWA - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
67
( 10 votes)
|
71
( 11 votes) |
56
( 10 votes) |
68
( 10 votes) |
46
( 11 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Happo-one, Nagano |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
last time 2-4 Jan 2005 |
| SnowConditions: |
Arrived after a 2-day 60-90 cm dump |
| PROS
: |
Big resort, more than 30 lifts when on full operation |
| CONS
: |
Nothing worth mentioning |
| Review: |
As said previously, I arrived there next day after the first big dump of the season. This means, a) powder even on some parts of the groomer runs b) still lots of rocks and sasa coming out on the slopes at the lowest parts or very steep slopes.
Although it is my 3rd time up on Happo-san there were still some lifts that I used for the first time. If you get on the top, there are countless options to go down since this place is huge. Unfortunately this time I was not able to go in the trees because there was still too many sasa and branches coming out. I ve tried only once but it felt like an SM whipping session. In general after mid Jan you can ride probably almost anywhere you like.
Most of the slopes are for advanced riders. Steep and narrow at some parts or covered with moguls. There are also many small snake like roads crossing the slopes, which makes their edges ideal for grabbing some air. These roads also cross the tree covered sides of the mountain with all the implications this might have ;).
The lowest part of the mountain is well designed for the beginners, especially the Sekihana area at the northern end of the mountain.
Most of the people seem to have tunnel vision for the gondola. By 9 in the morning there was a 500 people line! If you get on the gondola don’t bother riding down the Regent course it is boring and crowded even on weekdays, head for the Panorama area.
My favorite is the area between the Panorama and Skyline gelende. It is usually empty or less crowded even on weekends. It also has many “promising” spots.
The fastest way to go up the mountain is by riding the Sekihana-kitaonne quad and subsequently the Skyline 2 lift.
Finally, as every other resort in Japan if you wanna enjoy it better go there on weekdays. |
| HAPPO-ONE - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
77
( 158 votes)
|
76
( 157 votes) |
78
( 154 votes) |
73
( 153 votes) |
68
( 151 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Kagura, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
More than one time |
| SnowConditions: |
Usually very good, lots of powder |
| PROS
: |
Really nice BC, not very crowded even in weekends. |
| CONS
: |
The gondola is a bit slow and the lifts not very well planed. |
| Review: |
A very nice place for the intermediate-advanced rider. Not recommended for beginners though, unless you stick at the Tashiro area.
The strongest point of this resort is the BC. Not available in many resorts in Japan.
There are many nice tree runs not only in the BC but among the groomer runs also.
I've been in the place more than 5 times and still discover new areas every time I go.
There is also a small board park near the Mitsumata gondola (where I dislocated my collar bone last year) with 2 rails and 4 one-makes.
Definitely my favorite in Yuzawa, area a must see for the advanced riders. |
| KAGURA - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
77
( 65 votes)
|
78
( 64 votes) |
72
( 64 votes) |
65
( 62 votes) |
41
( 56 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Naeba, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
Sat. 2/28 2004 |
| SnowConditions: |
fresh ice... |
| PROS
: |
big resort |
| CONS
: |
Unbelievable crowds |
| Review: |
To the ones that read this review:
I was stupid enough to go there on Saturday!
Lesson:
Kids, don’t try this at home!
That was nasty enough, time now for some real facts. The place is not so bad to begin with. The only problem is that it is too popular and on weekends is stormed with crowds.
I also think that the lift system is not planed that good. Both gondolas + one long lift run up almost to the same point. The problem is that after that point, in order to get down from there is only the DAISHAMEN course, which is a 700m mogul course or a snake like course 3 m wide (of course you can always go off-piste).
That part this Saturday became a bottleneck! Imagine try to get through a mogulled course with 100 people in front of you and as much as many following! As for the snake like thing, it was the true meaning of ice-skating through crowds!
The only nice place that I found was the Challenge course but there were also many people there.
In general I think that the place has potential to give you a nice day on the mountain.
But for Gods sake don’t even think of going there on weekends! |
| NAEBA - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
75
( 43 votes)
|
68
( 43 votes) |
71
( 42 votes) |
75
( 42 votes) |
62
( 39 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Yuzawa Park, Niigata |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
Sunday 2/15/2004 |
| SnowConditions: |
Morning - ice / Afternoon - fresh snow |
| PROS
: |
Not very crowded |
| CONS
: |
Very short courses |
| Review: |
I've tried this Sunday to take advantage of the one-day trip offer with the Shinkansen to go for some snowboarding. I took the cheapest plan I could find, which was for Yuzawa Park (10,800yen including the lift tickets)
It is said "what you pay is what you get". This could be applied for Yuzawa Park.
The courses were really short, the longest lift is just 550m. If you actually tried to speed up a bit you would run out of course in less than a minute.
Another problem that I encountered was that there were many newbies, and although it was snowing all day, no fresh snow was gathered on the courses cause all the learners just kept on pushing it away by pointing the board vertical to the slope.
Things changed in the afternoon and during the night skiing. The courses emptied and new fresh snow started gathering. By 6 in the evening the snow conditions were very good with even some fresh powder gathering in some parts.
The night lights were open also in the advanced course, which also had a small artificial ramp that you could catch some air! In general during the afternoon I had fun, although I was a bit disappointed that the course was short (about 700m at its longest part).
Closing arguments: It is not a bad place to go for a one day trip but definitely not a place to stay there for 2-3 days. |
| YUZAWA PARK - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
73
( 3 votes)
|
60
( 3 votes) |
64
( 3 votes) |
67
( 3 votes) |
35
( 3 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Hakodate Nanae, Hokkaido |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
2003/12/27 |
| SnowConditions: |
So so |
| PROS
: |
Not very crowded |
| CONS
: |
Too far from the city |
| Review: |
I was there only for one day. I was staying in Hakodate, which I mast say is a very pretty town, so I thought I'd try the local resort as well.
Well, as I mentioned before, Hakodate is a beautiful town, with many romantic places to visit if you go there with your girlfriend and the well known Hokkaido food!
I must say that there are more nice things to say about the city than the resort.
It is about 35km away, with a not very good road to go there.
The snow conditions were not that bad but the courses are too small and the lifts are not very good. Nevertheless it is not crowded at all, even though I went there on Saturday. You can have some great time without worrying about the newbs.
If you are visiting Hakodate it is not a bad idea to go and see it, but I would suggest heading somewhere northern. My favorite in the area is Sapporo Kokusai. |
| HAKODATE NANAE - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
0
( 0 votes)
|
0
( 0 votes) |
0
( 0 votes) |
0
( 0 votes) |
0
( 0 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Nozawa Onsen, Nagano |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
Many times |
| SnowConditions: |
Ice~powder |
| PROS
: |
Huge place |
| CONS
: |
Crowded at weekends |
| Review: |
By far my favorite resort in Japan.
This is the place I learned how to snowboard and it still attracts me now that I am advanced.
Really many wide easy slopes for the beginners. Many advanced slopes.
The only problem is that during the weekends it is packed with crowds.
If you have time try to go there a normal weekday, you will fall in love with the place!
They have a pretty decent snow park but the problem is that you either have to scale your way up to the pipe, or take the lift all the way up to the top and then slide down to the pipe.
As for the snow, during the weekend it is not that good since there are too many people. If you go on a weekday you can actually follow the tracks on powder that you made with you previous way down the slopes!
The village is also beautiful with more than 10 free onsens. I have stayed in 3 different ryokans including Kiriya and I found all of them really nice.
To summarize: Highly Recommended! |
| NOZAWA ONSEN - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
81
( 73 votes)
|
76
( 70 votes) |
79
( 69 votes) |
76
( 65 votes) |
74
( 66 votes) |
|
|
| Resort
name : |
Sapporo Kokusai, Hokkaido |
Snowboarder |
| Readers
name : |
tsondaboy Member
Personal page here
|
| Date
Visited : |
2004/1/1 New years day snowboarding!!!!! |
| SnowConditions: |
Excellent |
| PROS
: |
Not crowded |
| CONS
: |
Not very big |
| Review: |
It was one of my stops during an 8 day Christmas/Newyears trip to Hokkaido.
During that trip i tried Hakodatte-Nanae, Niseko-hirafu, and Sapporo-kokusai.
I must say that it was my favorite. Lots of fresh powder for everyone and not as much as crowded as Niseko.
I really liked the fact that the gondola takes you all the way to the top. The only problem is that the courses in general are a bit short.
The tempreture was around -5...But, that's Hokkaido!!!!!
The night course was not bad at all, with only about 20 people skiing at that time! |
| SAPPORO KOKUSAI - READER RANKINGS (Vote Here) |
| GENERAL SCORE |
SNOW CONDITIONS |
COURSES TERRAIN |
LIFT SYSTEM |
APRES SKI |
68
( 6 votes)
|
70
( 6 votes) |
72
( 6 votes) |
78
( 6 votes) |
77
( 5 votes) |
|
|
Page
1 Of
1
All
reviews published have been sent in by, and are the views of, Snow Japan readers.
Please note that views expressed are not necessarily those of Snow Japan. Snow
Japan reserves the right to edit or not publish any submitted reviews.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
