dyna8800
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Posts posted by dyna8800
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It seems that I never got around to posting a report on Kijimadaira...will put that on the list of things to do for next week.
While the resort was very small, and could be covered in a half day (if the top lift is not running), the addition of the other areas, making it more complete would be a welcome addition.
Just a Yamabiko no Oka/Kijimadaira/Maki no Iri resort would be decent for a day, and with X-Jam off the backside (well, it ain't no back bowls of Vail, but the orientation of the hill could make for a go if conditions on the "frontside" were not optimal) and Yomase might lend itself for a decent weekend trip.
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Snowbird Utah December 2011
Togakushi January weekend, 2012
Naeba (really!) January weekend, 2012
Rusutsu February 9-12, 2012
Mt. Kosha (?) February 20-24, 2012
Niseko March 19-23, 2012 (tentative)
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Hey MitchPee, wonder how you found Jyuu, that is one of my hidden treasures...the owner rides a Gentemstick board.
Forgot to mention a burger at JoJo's Cafe.
The original poster did not mention a budget, but some of those places that Go Native mentioned are pricey...think Tokyo prices.
Coming from Kali you will have sticker shock...
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I have my favorites...the places where only the locals go, mainly because they can only be accessed by car, while most of the tourists are on the "walk around the village" plan. Staying at Black Diamond, you would need to arrange transport or ride the shuttle bus.
There is a guidebook published by the Niseko Promotion Board, be sure to pick it up, as it has listings for many restaurants, including very good, detailed maps with the shuttle bus routes, etc.
Suggestion for in village would be A-Bu-Cha, izakaya style, with a friendly vibe.
Important: I would recommend making reservations, as most places get booked out very quickly during weekends/holiday periods. And if you must cancel, please be courteous and give them a ring, there is nothing worse than a no show, especially considering most of these places are small.
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In recent news, Macearth announced a new resort, titled Mt. Kosha.
This would join together 5 existing resorts: Maki no Iri Snow Park, Kitashinshu Kijimadaira Skijo, Yamabiko no Oka Skijo, X-Jam Takaii Fuji, and Yamase Onsen Skijo.
The new resort would rank third in area, 234 hectares, only behind Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen.
The new website is not up yet, and there are only a few details gleaned from the various group resort websites.
Does this signal a new era in mega resorts?
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A season pass would not be worth it to me unless I lived on the resort's doorstep.
I have been to almost all the majors and the only resort that keeps me coming back every year is Niseko. But maybe that is the type of skier/snowboarder that I am. I can cover huge amounts of ground in a day, and can do every run on a mountain in a day, even at a larger resort like Happo-One. Doing early morning laps at the top of Niseko in the pow, well, that is what I consider fun. When I get bored I switch to snowboard.
IMNSHO, the only resort that would consider getting a pass to would be Shiga Kogen...you would need several days to hit all of the different resorts, since some of them are not even connected.
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The JTB pass comes out closer to winter it is 50000 yen though not 39000 yen. There were rumors last season that Tsugaike might be off the pass this season. That would lower the value of the pass to people living in Hakuba. Tsugaike offers a cheap pass early season for 30000yen.
JTB Season Pass sales started on October 7, 2011. Pass includes 26 resorts, including some big names such as:
Gala Yuzawa
Akakura Onsen (Kumado area)
Tangram Ski Circus
Tsugaike
Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field (previously known as Hakuba Iwatake Ski-jo)
Hakuba Cortina
Hakuba Sanosaka
Hakuba Norikura Onsen
Ryuoo Ski Park
X-JAM Takaifuji
Pass price is JPY 49,800. They also have a book of 15 tickets for JPY 35,000 which can be used at most resorts except for Tsugaike, Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field, and Ryuoo Ski Park. The lift tickets can only be redeemed by the purchaser, but can get multiple tickets at the same resort for the same day.
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FDR at Hunter Mountain, is probably the best mogul run I have ever been on, perfectly spaced moguls.
Many resorts in Shiga Kogen also have the mandatory mogul fields, but many are short.
Kandatsu has a mogul area complete with jumps, too.
Mash away!
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Mick, seems like the PM system is not enabled, I wanted to ping you, might be available midweek for the Gunma part of your trip.
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Mick Rich, so late in the season, why are you bypassing all of the Fukushima resorts and Zao?
The conditions at the Gunma resorts are not going to be that good, low elevations call for slush, most all resorts in that area close at the end of March.
As a destination, Hakuba would be a much better bet.
White World Oze is a great resort, but not easy to access by public transport, 60 minutes from Numata station by bus or 90 minutes from Jomo Kogen.
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Panhead Pete and ippy, great stuff.
That natural halfpipe is located in the Higashiyama, er, Niseko Village area, it is basically a ravine...one of my favorite runs on the mountain.
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Redfen, end of March is almost the end of the season at Niseko with most of the places shutting down for the season (for example, the hotel where I am staying during spring break will be closed as of April), but many years we get fresh snowfall at night...windbuff is not as good there as say, Zao, but a nice dusting now and then. They could easily go to Golden Week but the customer base just cannot support it, not Gala which can be subsidized by JR cheap tix.
As for apres ski, Niseko is the best, considering, but does not match anything in North America...
For the resorts in Yuzawa, you will get spring corn conditions, with lots of slush at lower levels. Think Gala or top of Kagura in Yuzawa, or Happo-One in Hakuba, as they are the highest in elevation in those areas.
Would not bother to bring powder planks, better off with midfats to deal with hardpack, crud, and heavy old pow.
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Kenny, if you are going to Hunter Mountain, they have a 5 minute wax and 10 minute edging service at the shop in the base lodge.
BTW, the main difference between a cheap clothes iron and a ski specific wax iron is the temperature control of the ski wax iron is going to be much better.
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Thanks, yamabushi...you're killin' me.
(As I am sorting through photos from Kijimadaira, Gala, Kandatsu, Hunter...)
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Hunter Mountain bills itself as "One of the Largest Snow Resort (sic) in the Kanto Area." While that may true, it may seem small in comparison to some other resorts. But what it lacks in size, it makes up in unique features such as a halfpipe in the terrain park, the best mogul course I have ever skied in Japan, and a pole bahn to practice those GS turns. It also has snowmaking, for artificial snow when the weather does not cooperate.
Trails and Lifts
For a total of 12 named runs, there are a total of 7 lifts including one six person gondola which whisks skiers and snowboarders up the mountain 2,418 meters distance to the top at 1,638 meters altitude. With 500 meters vertical, it is a nice size resort with lots of facilities. The park boasts a true halfpipe with some medium and small features and a beginners halfpipe, well, maybe more like a quarterpipe.
The mountain is laid out in a classic formation, with the beginner slopes at the bottom where there is parking and a base lodge with multiple buildings, the intermediate slopes in the middle, and the advanced slopes at the top. While the statistics state that the maximum is 25 degrees, some of the advanced slopes felt like they were steeper in some sections, while some of the intermediate slopes seemed a lot flatter. The grooming is good, and it is one of the few resorts where everything is actually in English, probably a novelty at the time of the creation of the resort back in 1987.
As for sidecountry, well, there really is none, as almost everything is roped off, and the trees are spaced just too tight. There are signs saying that skiing under the lifts is prohibited, and ropes everywhere. The resort is better known for its well groomed slopes and manmade snow making capacity rather than powder and backcountry.
Beginners
True beginners will like Sesame Street off the 1st Quad Lift, although the section from the lift to the main trail is very flat. The main course is max. 8 and average 5 degrees.
Family Run, serviced by its own Family Lift, is a moderate beginner slope with max. 10 and average 7 degrees.
Another gentle beginner run is Westside Street, accessed from the Hunter Quad Lift. It is max. 15 and average 10 degrees. Please note that the English map also shows 2nd Pair Lift, which is not in operation, and the section from the top of the Hunter Quad Lift and 2nd Pair Lift that indicates Black, or Advanced, is actually Green, or Beginner, on the Japanese map, which is correct.
Intermediates
There are plenty of cruisers and nicely groomed slopes for intermediate skiers and riders. 42nd Street is a 1 km. long run with max. 22 and average 15 degrees.
In order to access the intermediate slopes on the left side of the mountain, it requires taking some advanced runs. Via Hunter Quad Lift, New Madison is thankfully a short 380 meters but is also 25 degrees max. with average 20 degrees.
From there, Park Avenue is a 970 meter run with maximum 20 and average 15 degrees.
Pole Bahn
From the 4th Pair Lift, Lexingon Avenue which is marked on the trail map is where the Pole Bahn is located. This is a GS course that requires an additional fee to use. To try it once, it is JPY 100, or JPY 500 for the day. Depending on the day, there is also an SL course. The 600 meter long course with 180 meter vert., at 20 degrees max. and average 15 degrees, was a fun experience, and thankfully, the course was not sprayed down with water to make high speed ice conditions like in real competitions.
Advanced
The advanced runs are not so long, and not so steep, but can make for some really fast cruising and carving. Wall Street, 600 meters long, seemed steeper than the billed max. 25 and average 20 degrees on the map. It can be accessed via the 3rd Pair Lift or Gondola.
For a longer cruise, Madison, 650 meters long, and max./ave. 20/15 degrees, coupled with New Madison, 380 meters long with max./ave. 25/20, can be a high speed thrill.
In order to get to Madison or FDR via the 3rd Pair Lift, you need to cross under the gondola building. It is not clearly marked, but there is a trail underneath the building (look for the toilet) and then there is a path from the stairs of the gondola exit to the trails.
Moguls and FDR
I am not exactly sure how they named a mogul run FDR, considering that he was in a wheelchair for the latter part of his life. But perhaps the name is just consistent with the New York street naming theme. This is absolutely the best mogul run that I have ever been on, with several lines of perfectly spaced moguls. The ski school also offers a special mogul lesson, and there is an annual mogul competition.
Facilities
With a variety of building with names like Entrance Mall, Grand Central Station, Powder House, Center House, Annex, Childrens House, and Family House, it may seem like you are not even in Japan. There are many facilities spread out among these building.
There are dressing rooms in the Annex building, 1F and 2F, as well as the Powder House, 1F and 2F near the Columbus Square bus stop. There is also a locker room in Grand Central Station, the gondola building.
One service indicative of the potential conditions at Hunter is a ski and snowboard waxing and edging service. In just 5 minutes, they wax your skis or board, and in 10 minutes, freshly sharpened edges. The snow towards the bottom can get wet towards the end of the day, resulting in a hooky or grabby ride that can be alleviated with some fresh wax. Also, at the top, the conditions can be icy, and sharp edges will help to carve rather than slip.
Restaurants
The Big Apple on the 1st floor of the Center House is the largest restaurant in the resort, cafeteria style, with 600 seats. There is also the Bakery Cafe with 80 seats and simple dishes like pasta as well as cake sets, and crepes. On the 2nd floor, the World Deli seats 350 and has donburi dishes as well as a selection of ethnic food samplers.
For those who like their fast food, Mos Burger offers the standard fare and take out for literally eating on the slopes. There is also a soba noodle restaurant with various toppings for the soba and udon dishes.
On the mountain, Uovo Meta Meta is a small 90 seat pizza and pasta restaurant at the top of 1st Quad lift. Times restaurant in the middle of Broadway is a larger 200 seat restaurant offering a lunch buffet with curry, spaghetti, and desserts.
At the top of the gondola, the Lounge, Top of Hunter has 80 seats, and offers various fast food as well as soft drinks.
Madison Square restaurant, located at the top of Hunter Quad lift, is currently under renovation and is only open for lunch on weekends.
Those who like soft ice cream to end their day will need to get to the Soft Cream House before it closes at 4 pm.
Accommodations
With neighboring Shiobara Onsen and Kinugawa Onsen, there are a variety of accommodations available, most with hot springs, ranging from Western style hotels to Japanese inns, or minshuku and ryokan. There are no accommodations on mountain. These can be booked through the Shiobara or Kinugawa/Kawaji Onsen Tourist Associations.
Transportation
By car, located off the Tohoku Highway, from the Nishi Nasuno Shiobara Interchange, it is 29 km. via Route 400 (Shiobara Valley Line)/Aoba Bypass and the Nichien Momiji Toll Road.
There is a special Hunter QQ-Tai (QQ Unit) which is a road assistance service to help drivers with vehicles that may have gotten stuck or run out of petrol on the Nichien Momiji Line during the journey to the resort.
Shuttle buses depart from parking lots at Nasu Garden Outlet (free parking) or Tobu World Square (paid parking) to the mountain. Reservations are required, and bus tickets need to be purchased, or there is a roundtrip bus plus lift pass package available.
From Tokyo, it is a 80 minute journey via JR Tohoku bullet train to Nasu Shiobara station, where the free of charge Hunter Mountain shuttle bus takes about 60 minutes to the resort. Alternatively, via the Tobu Line, via the Nikko Kinugawa Line, about 2 hours from Asakusa to Kinugawa Onsen, the shuttle bus takes 50 minutes from the station to the resort.
Parking
There are a whopping 11 parking lots that hold a total of 4,000 vehicles. While I would never want to be at the resort when they are full, this means that there is plenty of space for vehicles. While parking is free on weekdays, there is a JPY 1,000 fee on the weekends.
On weekends and holidays, families with children elementary school age or younger can park in the special family parking lot, 100 spaces are available, located in front of the resort entrance in lot P2.
Lift Tickets
A JPY 1,000 refundable deposit is required for the IC chip, which is used to open the gates to the lifts and gondola. In addition to a one day lift ticket, there are 5 hour tickets (also valid for night skiing), point tickets (2 points for Hunter Quad, 1 point for other lifts, and 3 points for the gondola), and night skiing only tickets available. For those over 45 years old, there is also a "Masters" ticket.
There is an onsen pack, which includes the lift ticket plus admission to local hot springs, and accommodations packages also available through the Shiobara Onsen Tourist Association or the Kinugawa and Kawaji Onsen Association.
Mountain Impressions
The trails are laid out in an easy to understand pattern, and signage is in English, but the runs are not marked so that it is easy to know how to go to the next part. Also, to get from one side of the mountain to the other, there are small trails, most of which are not marked at all.
The grooming is top rate, and the staff seem friendly, reminding you of the exact timing to stand up and get off the lift. While stashes of powder may difficult to find, the well groomed slopes are worth the trip.
For mogul stompers or halfpipe freaks, Hunter Mountain is the place to visit. Racers can work on their form bashing gates on the Pole Bahn. All in all, there seems to be a bit of something for everyone at this resort.
Gaijin Friendly?
This is one of the only resorts in Japan where almost all the signs are in English. It is like being transported back to the Catskill Mountains in New York, USA, the location of the original Hunter Mountain, probably the inspiration for the Shiobara resort.
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TB, I went to Myoko, and after about an hour on the road, the bus got off the highway and drove on regular roads. We stopped about an hour at one place which was full of similar bus tours, then before arriving at the destination, we spent another hour or so in a parking lot...
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Mick Rich-san, the only reason why I picked Newport was because it was on the Japanese booking site and it was about 2 days before departure. The booking site had real time availability. The hotel also had a dinner with all you can drink special. It was lucky that we got there on time because as with most hotels, the dinnertime is set. If you are late, then you are out of luck. The dinner was just so-so, but the draft beer made up for it. Hotel Tagawa (No. 12 on the accommodations map) and Kitashiga Holiday inn (No. 10) looked like they were ferrying a lot of people up the hill.
One thing, I only spent one night there. It would be better to spend 2 nights at the hotel or stay at one of the places down the hill since I lugged all my gear up there in the evening, rushing to get dinner, only to have to take the snowcat down the hill to put my stuff back in the car in the morning since checkout time was 10 am...
If you can speak fluent Japanese, then you are all set, anyplace would be fine. If not, I would have a Japanese speaking friend call the Ryuoo information center to find out who can handle English speakers...
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Thanks JellyBelly!
The ticket that we got was indeed a one day ticket, not a 5 hour or half day ticket. Even at that, the price for 5 hour ticket is JPY 3,900...Full day is 4,200 so not a big price difference. But you figure that these bus tour companies are getting the tickets for a deep discount, considering they are bringing customers in that would not normally be getting to the resort. Factor in the cost of bus/driver/petrol/tolls, etc. for 40 or so people...
TB, I agree about the overnight bus trips, but what kills me is that they drive on the local roads, not the highways, and stop in rest areas for hours at a time.
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Noticing that I am _way_ behind on my yearly average of days of skiing/snowboarding, I decided to take a few weekdays off and go, especially with a much warmer and milder spring and hotter summer predicted for this year. The benefits of weekday skiing includes uncrowded slopes, cheaper prices, and oh, did I say cheap prices? The downside is that many resorts do not open all lifts on weekdays.
One type of tour that was appealing to me was the bus tours. Since many depart from Shinjuku, it is closer for me to get to than taking the bullet train from Tokyo station. Also, since I always take my own skis/boots or snowboard/boots, this saves on having to lug it around on trains and buses.
Bus tours originate from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro areas, and Tokyo station. Most of the ones that depart in the morning leave at 7 or 7:30 am, travel 2-4 hours to the slopes, then return about 5 pm to get back about 9 or 10 pm.
I decided to go to Hunter Mountain, as there was a special price for a bus tour for only JPY 3,800, including round trip bus and lift ticket. The bus companies also wisely dropped the baggage charge, as there were lots of complaints about the extra JPY 500 charge for bringing a snowboard or ski bag. So, for the price of less than a lift ticket, I could have transportation included as well.
Arriving in Shinjuku near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices, the pickup point, at 7 am, I was on my way to the meeting place. But along the way, I saw a woman holding the tour company sign, and she said that the meeting place was in a different location upstairs. So, I went up the stairs, turned left, and there were a couple of ladies with clipboards checking people in. After giving my name and destination, she told me to check the whiteboard for the location of the bus. All the buses are designated with a large number on the door.
It was only after checking in that I realized there was a huge line of people waiting and I had inadvertently cut in front of them all, after going up the stairs and left, seeing the check in woman, I did not see the line of people standing to the right. Dumb gaijin me! When I had gone on a similar bus tour in the past, there was a makeshift counter and people standing in line in front, so it was easy to understand where to go. In this case, I totally missed the line...sorry people!
I checked the whiteboard and found my bus, all the way at the end of the street, and put my luggage in the baggage hold. With lots of time saved from not standing in line, and 25 minutes left before departure, I decided to find a vending machine. Well, let me tell you, there are no vending machines anywhere near the Tokyo Metropolitan Office...so I walked underground through about 3 buildings and finally got to a Metro station, where there was a bakery.
Oh, and by the way, if you have to use the restroom, be sure to do it at the station before you go to the check in location, because the restrooms are hard to find in that area, unless you duck into one of the big nearby hotels like the Hilton.
For the bus, there was a seating chart which showed the location of the assigned seats. The bus started to fill up, mostly with young people. No other old timers like me. Near the departure time, a tour company woman came aboard and gave us our vouchers, good for the lift ticket to exchange at the resort ticket window, as well as a voucher for the bus.
At 7:35 we departed, getting on the highway. Unfortunately in Saitama, we ran into some heavy traffic, but the bus driver was able to get off and use the streets. We got back on the highway and stopped at a parking area for a toilet break. Back on the highway, we got off and made our way to the resort, arriving about an hour late, but after getting dressed, I was able to get on the slopes by noon.
On skis, I was able to get through the whole mountain in a few hours. But I ski _fast_. One of the highlights of my day was the halfpipe. In the afternoon, with the sun peeking through the clouds, it gave me enough light and shadow to properly navigate, as I do not like flat light when conducting death defying feats such as going at the halfpipe with snowboarders who look like they were born for it.
Another fun experience was the Pole Bahn, where you pay 100 yen to do a GS course. The course attendant warned me of the variable condtions, and told me to "be careful"...but with one patroller and three instructors hanging out at the top talking to the attendant, I had nothing to fear. If I crashed, patrol could pick me up. If I really sucked, maybe an instructor would give me helpful hints like not to hook my ski on the inside of a gate. Well, anyway, the course was less steep and less icy than expected, and I had a great run. Unfortunately, or fortunately in my case, the 100 yen does not include the timer. Other courses that I have seen have a coin operated gate that starts the timer when you go through the gate and flashes the time at the end, just like in a real race.
After about 20 times up the various lifts, I decided to call it quits after 4 pm. The bus departure time was 5:10 pm, and I did not want to deal with the crowded dressing/locker room like in the morning when all the buses arrived at the same time. I almost forgot to return my IC lift chip and get the 1,000 yen deposit back, but with extra time, I made it, as well as buying some local Nihonshu. After departing, with the obligatory stop at the gift shop down the hill, we were on the highway and back to Shinjuku about 8:50 pm, about 20 minutes later than the scheduled time. The dropoff location was different from the pickup location, and closer to the JR station.
All in all, it was a satisfying day. For the price, it was great. But I am not a large size gaijin with long legs. Most of the people on the tour were probably students, and thank goodness I had my iPod, although most people fell asleep as soon as we hit the road.
Oh, and I just found an online bus trip for 1,919 yen on certain weekdays...but this one from Tokyo station. Or maybe I will go for the "Mystery Bus Tour" where they do not tell you the destination until you get on the bus. Probably will hit Okutone for snowboarding since it is convenient from Shinjuku, going out Nerima on the Kan-Etsu.
Whew. Formal review for Hunter Mountain to follow, as this post has grown pretty long on its own.
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muikabochi, Maki no Iri, which is to the right, has closed. One year, they actually had a joint ticket with Kijimadaira. I am just sorry that I could not make it that year, as it looks like they had some good terrain.
It really is too bad that those places (sounds like Myoko feuds) just can't be friends and try to share the wealth...with all the IC readers, etc. you figure there would be a logical revenue share. It reminds me of the fishermen in Japan, none want to cooperate, various hierarchy structures, oh wait, sounds like the government, doesn't it?
To the left, X-Jam Takaii Fuji is open for business with a couple of lifts and some great park to compensate.
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Good suggestions here, I would point out that it is essential that you pull the liners out of your boots, dry thoroughly (and some ski boots have plastic inserts in the bottom) and make absolutely sure that there is no moisture left in the shell. Any moisture plus the heat of the Japanese summer means that there will be some serious funk to deal with.
For skis/snowboards, use your regular wax, just don't scrape. Unless you are using fluoro wax, the benefit of using cheap wax (some use thicker wax, aka storage wax) does not warrant the extra time it takes to clean it off, etc. and put on your normal wax.
One more point, make sure to rinse off the board and bindings, as there can be some nasty stuff, especially if you like to ride all the way down to the parking lot...
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Tubby Beaver, will have a review posted next week or so.
That lunchtime break cracks me up.
I had some good homemade bread at the restaurant/lodge Panis at the bottom of that lift for lunch.
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If tripler is talking about the No. 8 Sky Four lift and the No. 6/7 Pair Lifts, then no, they actually do not service the same terrain.
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Map showing accommodations and ski trails and lifts.
I stayed at Hotel Newport, only because I booked on a Japanese reservation site.
Magic Carpet
Bus Information Center before the zillion buses parked there...
Ropeway (and yes, it is exactly the same 166 person max. as some other resorts in Japan have)
Tech info
Patrol "inspecting" the runs
Finally, gate is OPEN!
Preparing to drop in
Yes, it really is as steep (or steeper) than it looks!
While these skiers and snowboarders were struggling with the steeps and some icy patches, I had just come out of the trees and more than a foot of powder...
Natural halfpipe
Mt. Kosha - Birth of a New Era?
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
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Great minds think alike...but most owners of ski resorts in Japan have a typical village mentality.
Consider the long standing feuds in Myoko...skiers/snowboarders come down a run to a lift, then are turned away because they do not have the proper lift ticket for that area. That certainly does not build goodwill among the community, nor is the feud good for anyone involved.
I was skiing Niseko back in the days when it was UN-united. I recall skiing down the hill, and ending up at the wrong lift...had to walk back to the correct area or pay additional to ride up their lift.
Thank goodness it got unified, although each area still sells their own ticket which is only valid at that particular resort, you have to pay more for a full area ticket.
With all the IC gates, etc. it would be very easy to calculate actual revenue share...if they were so inclined. (Pun, get it?)