[Furano for a holiday?]

Great. I hear there is some sort of live volcano that I can ski from Furano. Anyone have any info about it? And what is the best way to stay ahead of the crowds in Niseko?

[Furano for a holiday?]

Well, thanks for all the information. Certainly has made the decision making a lot easier to hear from so many informed people. Anyway, you probably would like to hear where I will be going? I thought that I would do a week in Niseko and a week in Furano to get the best of Hokkaido. I have heard so many good things about the Hokkaido snow and I didn't want to risk another holiday in bad snow conditions. I have probably done about 10 ski holidays abroad and on quite a few of them got quite poor snow conditions. Coming from Australia we get a lot of ice and slush, so for the money I am spending, I want powder. From my research it seems that Niseko gets the most, but Furano gets a high quality of snow. I guess between them both I should get a few days of good powder skiing. Lets hope.

[Furano for a holiday?]

I am planning a trip to Japan and it will be my first. I have a few friends who have made a few ski trips to Niseko, Furano and Hakuba and they recommend Furano. It seems their reasoning is that Niseko is getting too busy these days and even on good powder days it gets tracked out really quickly. Also there is the Aussie factor. I am Australian but would prefer to go somewhere where I can experience some of real Japan and it sounds like Furano could be the place. I was steered away from Hakuba because I heard that the snow is not as good as Hokkaido. My friend was there 2 years ago and it was warm enough to ski in shorts and it was only February.

Anyway, if anyone has any recommendations that would be great. I think my preference is for Furano, but I need some ressurance that it is a worthwhile place to go before I commit. Thanks for any recommendations.