[Worried]

Well, to be precise I looked yesterday in 2 different sources and one of them was showing 15 cms and the other 30 cms (I tend to trust the latter, perhaps wishful thinking). The resort was closed.

Today there is 40 cms and the resort is open:

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resortdetail.php?resid=63

 

Is this the correct info?

[Worried]

Why was I worried? All of my friends are heading to the snowy Alps that are in front of my nose while I am going miles away only to find there is no snow there. Well, since yesterday there has been a huge improvement -40 cms of snow in Hakuba and the resort is now open.

 

On that note what are the do's and don't in Hakuba? What to avoid and what to experience (which slopes to go to, which bars/restaurants to visit..).

I have no Japanese language skills whatsoever. Is this a problem?

(Perhaps, this is a subject of a separate topic, however. I apologise if so)

[Worried]

Cheers for assurance, guys. We'll wait and see..

Luckily, we are flying with KLM out of Amsterdam, so, hopefully will get there..

[Worried]

Hello everybody.

I am closely watching the snow situation in Hakuba.

At the moment there is 30 cms of snow and the resort is closed.

The thing is that 3 of us are flying to Japan from Europe to board over the Xmas time.

We hope that there will be more snow in Hakuba by then...

Should we be worried?

Does anyone know when the resort will be open (time of snow depht wise)?

 

Should we make some drastic replanning (headaches inevitably involved) and try to head to Hokkaido instead?

Appreciate your comments.

Many thanks!

Eugene

[advice appreciated]

Thanks everybody for your prompt replies.

My bad, I hadn't researched it well b4 I asked. In fact, I was just truly "snowed" under with info on the net, hence preferred to talk to you guys as you are "independent". I'll return favors with the fine Leerdammer ;O)

 

Yep, it's our first time in Japan and hope this is just the beginning!

 

TJ OZ, what are the 5 (out of 9) Hakuba resorts you highly recommend?

I have through some reviews and seem to lean towards Hakuba 47, Goryu and Happo.

They seem to offer a good variety of pistes, yet Happo seems to be the biggest..

One thing, however..In case there is not much snow this coming December, are these resorts high enough to have some snow?

I have read through the last years snow reports and it appears that generally there is snow on the mountains between 60-190 cms which should be ok.

One of the cons is big crowds, especially in Goryu and on the weekends, I read..

 

What about apres-skiing? Are there restaurants/bars/onsens?

 

Could anybody recommend a good 2-3star-ish hotel? Thnx for the list of places to stay, but a personal recommendation is always appreciated.

Smbd recommended Hotel MontBlanc. It seems to be ok, but it's the only one I have found a reference for.

 

Thanks a million to everyone again!

 

[advice appreciated]

Hello everyone.

 

Three of us are coming to Japan to snowboard for Xmas & NY's. We are intermediate boarders.

It appears that Hokaido is the best place for snow, but it is quite a way from Tokyo (our international flights are to/out of Tokyo). We don't really have time for connecting internal flights or train journeys.

 

Would you recommend to go to Hakuba? What is the situation with snow there around the festive period?

I have looked on the internet at the resorts there and they have not impressed me with the size and height. Perhaps, this is because I am comparing them to the Alps. Although we are planning to board only for a week, we prefer not to go down the same slope numerous times (if the choice is pretty limited)..

 

Also, it would be good to have smth to do in the evening: restaurants, bars, spa, etc...

 

Your help is highly appreciated!

F