bagpuss 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 My friends and I are going to take a trip up to Appi in January. It'll be the first time and really looking forward to it. Read some of the reviews and things, but anyone been there and can add anything? Tanks! Link to post Share on other sites
KlingKlang 1 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 That place looks interesting, but a little isolated all up there on its own. Am I wrong? Link to post Share on other sites
taguchi 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Appi is good place. There are resorts not too far, but not as close as other ski center. Shizukuishi is not too far if you have car and good choice. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I've not been to Tohoku , but Hachimantai (Forest) would be where I'd go first. Lots of powder and no ropes is what they say. Biggest isn't always best. Link to post Share on other sites
Snowhaus 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I've been to Appi and couldn't really see what the big deal was about. Kinda boring - hadn't had fresh snow in 2 weeks, despite the fact that every other place in Tohoku was waist deep in non-stop powder. Friends who went at other times said similar. I haven't been to Hachimantai yet, but have heard good things, so I'd second that call... Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Which is the better of Appi and Shizukuishi? Link to post Share on other sites
RayInJapan 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Appi can be a blast if you go on the right days - non weekends/holidays with fresh powder. Afternoons on weekends can blow - they have parking for 7000 cars...thats a lot of people even though its a big resort. Shizu is about 30 minutes away and is ok - seems to cater to skiers - can be very crowded too on the weekends. I'd like to try it again on a weekday when its just dumped. Hachimantai Forest is very good if you like lots of back country boarding. Its about 20 minutes from APPI. The cool thing about that area is, once you get there, you have your choice of Shizukuishi, APPI, HF, Hachimantai Resort & Shimokura, and Amihari...all within the boundries of land between Shizu and APPI. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, depends on what you're looking for. Tazawako is about an hour past Shizukuishi, and beats them all IMO, but its a 3 hour drive from my house... Diversity - keeps you from getting bored... Link to post Share on other sites
METAL 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Ray how far away are you from these places? Link to post Share on other sites
napalibum 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 I can't think of one thing that makes Appi noteworthy. While an all around great mountain, I think your time would be best spent at Hachimantai Forest. Crazy deep powder, numerous mini bowls, 50 times less crowded, and definitely something you'll only find in Tohoku. That's just my opinion. If you prefer varied groomed slopes with nice facilities Appi is a good choice. If you prefer freedom and powder, hit Hachimantai Forest. PS. Not Hachimantai Resort...big difference! Link to post Share on other sites
RayInJapan 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Metal - Misawa is about an 75 minute drive at summer highway speeds...takes me about 2 hours in the winter if the roads are snowy/wet... Drew - I have these preseason passes for HF that me and 5 other people can use to get 1/2 off on day passes, and 1/2 off for the hotel too...I think I can use them for 6 times...shoot me an email sometime, theres a couple of guys at work that like the forrest too so we'll be going a lot I think... Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Ray - nice to see you back! I think that little snow yesterday took us out of our dens up here I'm going to try to be subjective about this. Honestly, I don't like Appi or Shizukuishi or Tazawako or Amihari or Shimokura for that matter (riding-wise - very beautiful areas though). Just let me say, those would not be my choices of where to go in the region. Hachimantai Forest is by far the best of the lot and I would go there everytime if I could. I don't want to give the wrong impression, though - they are all fun in their own way, just not what I would chose if given a choice. Appi is a great destination resort for Japan. It has all of the amenities that one could hope for. Although not done in the classic North American or European apre ski style, Appi has it's own uniqueness. There is fun to be had if one knows where to look. The weekends can be a bit crowded with Sundays being insane. If you are a strong intermediate skier/boarder, you should be able to find enough there to keep you occupied for a couple of days. It's big by Japanese standards (I guess ??) but isn't hard to ski out in a day or so. One thing I really do like about the Appi area is the 'mountain' feel in the area around the ski hill. The pensions and B&B's in the area give me that same winter feeling that I got back in Oregon and Tahoe. They did it very nicely. It's too bad they had to put up the purple and yellow highrises at the resort though. Here is one thing you should look into. A good way to experience the entire Morioka ski area is to stay at the Hachimantai Royal Hotel. From here you have access to something like 10 ski areas. The hotel is great. They have packages with dinner, onsen and breakfast included plus transportation. Transport to some of the resorts may be extra, but it is definately worth checking out. Enjoy your time up in the north! Link to post Share on other sites
oo 1 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Nice helpful posts there, cheers mates. Nice to see you back Ray. Link to post Share on other sites
jared 0 Posted December 7, 2003 Share Posted December 7, 2003 Japanese friend: "Why do you like Geto so much, it's always snowing there? Appi is much better." Link to post Share on other sites
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