Markie

Originally Posted By: soubriquet 1 man is 10,000 Yen That sounds so funny it begs the question: So how much is 1 woman?

Originally Posted By: sunrise Markie, lol, was I ever falling asleep at my gig that nite! Hakuba is a bit much for a day trip I think.... That's what a said...Karuizawa for a day-trip....Hakuba for something a bit longer than that! Even though it might have been tough that night, I hope you thought it was worth it! I certainly enjoyed your company that day.

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resortdetail.php?resid=62

OK, here's some extra input (courtesy of Thursday's permission not to shut up): If you're all set up in Tokyo and you just want a day-trip, then do Karuizawa. I invited Sunrise there once when I was staying there. Sunrise lives in Tokyo and does gigs there at night. She got on a morning train, I met her at the Karuizawa station, we skied together for the day and even did an onsen before I put her back on the train to Tokyo and she didn't even have to take a day off to enjoy a fun day at the slopes. That's how convenient it is! However, though you would probably be able to get an instructor

Thursday, you are confusing me more and this thread is becoming a "who said what" thread. Maybe I better shut up now before it gets worse.

Sorry, my post may have been a bit confusing. I meant Karuizawa is good for beginners and is right next to the station and then that Gala Yuzawa was also right next to the station (not wanting to imply that it is good for beginners). But given your input (I don't know much about Gala Yuzawa except that it is right at the station) then probably Karuizawa is a better choice for them.

Originally Posted By: muikabochi I disagree with all these "Gala is good for beginners" comments. It is not. Wait a minute. Who said Gala is good for beginners"?

Originally Posted By: thursday actually, I don't really think you need an instructor. As long as your guys are new to the snow and skiing and stuff, maybe an instructor would dampen your spritis. I'd suggest you go to the top, have a few beers, then see what the slopes have to say. Don't forget to stop when you feel you're going too fast for your skillls. Don't know if you're trying to be funny or what. But if you are serious, that is poor advice. Not a good idea for anyone new to snow to go it alone without an instructor or at least an experienced skier/boarder to guide you on....a

OK, said this many times before and am still happy to repeat it: For beginners who just want to try out a bit of skiing and not looking for challenging terrain, Karuizawa is the most convenient. Less than an hour from Tokyo by bullet-train. The resort is just outside the station. Gala Yuzawa is also another resort just outside a train station and it has better terrain but it is a bit further away so the train ride is longer.

Originally Posted By: Fattwins HK aside Markie search the internationals into Hoks now and they are down. With the price of oil so high Tokyo is becoming more of a hub. Actually it's a good thing Chitose doesn't handle too many international flights otherwise Hokkaido would be swamped with snow tourists. The oil prices is not gonna be an issue, not to Aussies, Kiwis, Canucks or even Chinese....only to the poor Americans with the US$ sliding down and down. And Whistler is getting even more expensive with the Canadian dollar going up up up. So I expect Honshu to be getting a lot more snow

Haneda? Iranai yo! Direct flight to Chitose and then limosine basu direct to Niseko. Certainly beats the numerous norikaeranakereba narimasen of Narita to Hakuba. They are a J-family whom I met while skiing many years ago in Sahoro. Now, every time I go to Hokkaido, I drop them a note to let them know and more often than not, they try to join me when I get there. They joined me on my last trips to Kiroro and Tomamu. (I wonder if my big bag of omiyages I always bring for them has anything to do with it). Anyway, they will be joining me at Furano. Yeah, Derek invariably causes numerous

That's not a secret! It's in Australia!

Originally Posted By: thursday First timers to Japan are intimidated by the travel arrangements from the airport. Once they try it they'll realise it's not at all difficult. Totally agree with you, Thursday. I've done Hakuba many times using many different ways: Narita Express-Shinkansen-Bus; Narita Express-Bus; Narita Express-Matsumoto-Hakuba train all the way; coach from Narita directly to Hakuba; and taxi from Narita directly to Hakuba. The journey is STILL intimidating to me! But it's worth it so I still continue to go.

Ger, you can count me out of that poll. It's impossible for me to decide between the two. When I'm in Hakuba, even when I plan to do a few days at each, it is really hard for me to decide which one I will go to on which day.

Fattwins, Derek will be well looked after in Furano. I have set him up with Ken, a 12 year old J-boy who is quite a good skier. Also Derek is now studying in my school. He's having great fun and has joined the Boy Scouts as well as the (Field) Hockey Team which I am coaching. And he is still as funny as before.

I like both Niseko and Hakuba, but one important factor that wasn't mentioned in the previous post is that: One big plus for Hakuba is getting to ride and hang out with Fattwins and the crew over there. That is really great fun and has been a deciding factor for me for several years.

The top of Happo is a bit higher than 47. Happo has better moguls if you like that sort of thing. 47 has a Snow Park which Happo does not. 47 is linked to Goryu which you can ski to on the same lift pass. I like the choice of restaurants at 47/Goryu a bit more than those at Happo but this is just a minor point and Happo has plenty of nice places to eat too. The ski patrol at 47 are famous for being Nazis. I think you should do a couple of weeks at each and even try out nearby resorts like Cortina, Tsugaike, Iwatake and Sun Alpina.

That's what I tried to do. Never mind, I might get it eventually, I have been successful in the past in the old format, but I'm a slow learner.

Curt, unsuccessful too?

Opps, still don't know how to upload an image. Here's the link. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/daily/webcam/hokkaido/kiroro.html

Check out Kiroro this morning! It's all white.

What great news this is! From today's Furano Now. "First snow for the season has blanketed the ski resort white, white, white. It doesn't take much snow to make Furano look beautiful again. Freezing point was not at town level, but to just above the gondola station. It started snowing during the evening last night, and Furano woke to a white ski resort this morning."

Yes, I am surprised too at the quality of the writing. Well done, Fattwins.

Originally Posted By: skidaisuki You have yukimushi in Hong Kong? Only when I brush my hair in the morning.

I might not trust the weather reports 100% but I will certainly trust the 雪蟲　(yukimushi).