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Hi there

 

My friends and I are thinking of going up to Furano this winter and even though I am not fussed myself on the subject of backcountry one of my friends is stalling as he has heard they are very strict and he is fearing he will be left to sulk on the official courses of the resort.

 

I was wondering is this apparent reputation deserved or not?

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this is all from the hearsay on these forums. No, they are not strict if they don't catch you.

 

Asahidake is a nice day trip from Furano. If they really get nazi at you, then take a day trip.

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Not all from this forum - it is something you hear a lot in general about Furano. It certainly is run differently from Niseko but doesn't bother me as I like the courses there and not that bothered about all the other places. As thursday says, people go to Asahidake from Furano.

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The reputation is deserved, no doubt about it. Frankly Thursday's comment `No, they are not strict if they don't catch you` is just a little ridiculous. You can try and be discreet and you will find plenty of powder at the edges of the piste and on the ungroomed area but if a whole lot of you head under the ropes off into the trees then expect the patrol to come after you. Furano is definitely not the place to go if you want to have unfettered off piste skiing. Frankly I for one aren't keen on the idea of having to look over my shoulder every time I want to head off piste. Sure you can go to Asahidake but why travel all the way to Furano just to have to go to another ski area to do the sort of skiing you want to do?

 

If you don't want to go to Niseko, but really want to ski the trees, then I suggest Rusutsu. It is relatively uncrowded and has great off piste skiing.

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Where is it in Hokkaido that are famous for the "frozen trees"? I've seen pictures of them, sometimes they get called sculptures but are actual trees. The TV prog I watched said that it was a pretty basic ski area, an old style lift but plenty ungroomed, off piste and deep powder? any1 know?

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I went last season and really liked it. The snow was great. The monsters looked good. Zao seems to get stick especially with boarders because of some of the linkups but its a big place and didn't bother me too much.

 

Never been to Furano but wouldn't mind. Still discovering this area.

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Well it seems to me that most resorts are on the strict side.

 

It is probably just because lots of Niseko peeps are going over there and finding out the policy is different.

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Been there.....

Yes they are strict. They didn't catch me but I did develop a few 'tails'.

You need to know a decent circuit and then blitz it so you can always be one step ahead, if you lap you will get done for sure.

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Its the single and only reason my family will not be skiing at Furano. Quite frankly skiing marked runs only would just get to be boring. I know many that went and wont return for the same reason, a lot were not aware of this until they arrived.

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Well it seems to me that most resorts are on the strict side.

 

Yeah. If we made a list of resorts that DO let you off courses and ones that don't - which would be bigger. The latter by far I reckon.

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 Originally Posted By: thursday
they are strict at Furano because Go Native says they are. There you go, first hand experience from GN, what more do you need.


So Thursday, do I detect a little sarcasm there? If anything I've written is incorrect please advise how your experience differed. My comments are not just from my own experience but from my friends who managed a lodge in Furano all last season and from guys I work with now who used to live in Asahikawa and skied Furano frequently.

At a meeting with Furano Resort managers last year they made it quite clear that they would not be altering their restricted off piste policy because, and I quote, "We don't want Furano to become another Niseko". Of course this was a meeting about how to promote Furano to more foreigners...they just don't get it. As long as this attitude persists then Furano will certainly not have the international investment and success that Niseko has had.
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The horn of Furano still blows just not as loud anymore. Furano is one of the worst areas as far as access and patrol. they are famous for putting up solid fences to stop you heading into the trees.

 

There are plenty of resorts with open trees these days more than people think or know. Every year more resorts just dont care. From Shiga to Gumna I know many places that just dont care where you ski.

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Rach read my last post it gives you a pretty good reason. The off piste at Niseko is also in National Park but management here have come to an agreement of sorts with Park authorities to allow access.

 

Regardless of the off piste policy Furano is still a great place and is well suited to families and first time deep powder enthusiasts who aren't ready for the off piste anyway. Having the town so close to the base of the resort is a real bonus.

What Furano really needs now is to get some western apartments built to attract the families. If anyone out there is finding Niseko too expensive now to invest in, you should maybe look towards Furano. Or of course Hakuba wouldn't be a place either to get a few apartments going.

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 Quote:
well suited to families and first time deep powder enthusiasts who aren't ready for the off piste anyway


I presume thats the market they are after then...
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