Ski-ing in Niseko for a newbie?

[gyoza 0]

Hi everyone

 

I've just joined this forum today and was hoping I could get some advice....

 

Here's the background - we visited Japan last November and absolutely loved it so are planning another trip next April (saving like mad to afford it!).

 

We also wanted to go on ski-ing next year however can't afford 2 separate holidays and that got us thinking about tagging an extra few days at the start of the holiday to fly up to Niseko and do some ski-ing.

 

We are beginners at ski-ing so wanted to know:

 

a) Is end March/beg April a good/bad/ugly time to go ski-ing in Niseko (in particular, Hirafu)? I have looked at the archives for the snow fall in the past but as I said, I'm a novice so it doesn't mean much to me at the moment. We could move our trip forward to a better time however the ski-ing isn't the main focus of the trip therefore these months suit us better.

 

Does the resort cater for beginners (and also intermediate as we may have friends coming along who are ski-ers)?

 

c) What is the nightlife like in Hirafu (bars, restaurants etc) - we're not looking for a mega nightlife but some lively activity would be fun

 

d) Public onsens - I've only ever used onsens attached to the place where I'm staying. The pension we'd be using doesn't have one, so are there other onsen in the vicinity that we could use?

 

Any other advice would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Claire

[Go Native 70]

Hi Claire

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

For snow, end of March will almost always be spring like conditions. I have been here when we had a 40cm dump on the last day of March but that would not be considered normal. Generally there'd still be plenty of snow though. A fair portion of the ski field, namely Hanazono and Higashiyama, close up for the season at the end of the first week of April and in Hirafu night skiing will finish and things like the free shuttle bus cease operation. If you are in and out before 7 April this will not be a problem.

 

Yes the resort caters very well for beginners and intermediates. Some on this forum might say that that's all Niseko caters for (sorry, in-joke)

 

Nightlife at that time will be a little quiet as most of the winter hordes will have left. Still being a little quieter is probably a good thing, it gets pretty busy here mid winter.

 

There's a few public onsens in the village. The pension you are staying at would be able to advise you on where they are. There's very good village maps available (in english).

 

One thing to be aware of though is that if you are down on Honshu there are many great resorts down that way that would only require a short train trip from Tokyo rather than coming all the way up to Hokkaido.

[gyoza 0]

Thanks for your reply!

 

We would be out of Niseko by 4/5th April depending on the dates we fly out so hopefully we wouldn't be affected by lack of shuttle bus etc.

 

We were recommended Niseko by our tour operator due to its long season however as I mentioned before, we are ski-ing novices so are not familiar with other resorts in Japan which suit our needs. Our trip is actually focused on Kyoto and Kyushu so we'd be taking an internal flight from Haneda to Sapporo for ski-ing.

 

Could you recommend resorts on Honshu which would still have good ski-ing in April? This would be the best option I think!

 

Thanks again,

 

Claire

[Go Native 70]

Claire this website is a great resource and has info on just about every ski resort worth going to in Japan. Check out info on the Hakuba region. They have some big mountain down that way which keep good skiing conditions into April. Plenty of others on this site who can give you more info on that region than myself.

[gyoza 0]

Thank you, I'll certainly look at the Hakuba region.

[JA2340 16]

Yeah, welcome, Claire.

 

GN is spot on (as usual) and as a "local" to Niseko (OK an ex-pat Aussie who lives in Niseko) knows exactly where it's at up there.

 

That said, There would be very few resorts where there is NO terrain suitable for beginners/intermediates. It would just be that some have greater proportion of begiinner slopes.

 

As GN said, check out this forum, get into SJ itself (http://www.snowjapan.com/e/index.php) and investigate the various resorts. The listings have quite detailed descriptions of the resort, with a good indication of the proportion of beg/inter/adv runs available.

[thursday 1]

Are you doing LHR>KIX or LHR>NRT?

[Tubby Beaver 209]

If you are basing yourself on Honshu then you could save a lot of money on the flight and do thr resorts on Honshu. Check out the Nagano, Niigata and maybe even Gunma sections of the website and you will find a million different places that cater for all levels of riders. Happy Hunting

[gyoza 0]

Thanks again everyone!

 

I followed up with the tour company who said that Hakuba wouldn't be as good as Niseko in April I like to go somewhere with guaranteed good conditions at end of March/beg April as I'd hate to lug my stuff over there and find out the skiing is rubbish! I imagine it's going be risky going late into the season

 

Thursday - initially we were going to fly into KIX, however now that Hokkaido is on the cards, we're thinking to fly in and out of NRT and hang out for a couple of days in Tokyo.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

well without opening the can of worms that is a N v H debate, the mountains in Hakuba are a hell of a lot bigger (and so will retain its snow a little better) and the season is just as long, so it sounds like the tour company has a vested interest in sending you up to Hokkaido. That sais there is still a lot of snow kicking around up there and you will have a good time as well. I've never been up to Hokkaido, so I'm not the most informed here. Its definitely a place I wanna visit, but I'd rather go a little earlier in the season. That time of year will be a gamble wherever you go. The snow will be there just maybe not the famous quality that Japan is gaining a reputation for.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

TB...what kind of first timer runs will be skiable in Habuka?

 

We visited Niseko as first timers during early April (07) and while we absolutely loved it - here is my honest advice as one who has been there before.

 

At that time of year you are rolling the dice for conditions.

The chairlift for the Family Slope was only working on certain days although there was a good snow coverage, which meant going higher up the mountain to slightly steeper terrain - although every chairlift on the mountain is easier to get on and off than the beginners chair (go figure!).

 

Snow - hmm ... one of the best things about learning to ski or board in Japan is the soft soft pow to fall into. In april you will more than likely have rock hard concrete like snow early in the morning, and (pretty good to learn in) slushy snow by lunchtime.

 

These things are much less of a problem for those expereinced in snow sports - they will just go higher up the mountain and ride where the conditions are better and the lifts/runs are open - they are also able to cope with variable conditions...these things will be much more important to you as a first timer.

 

If Hakuba or one of the other Honshu resorts is more highly recommended for late season soft falls and open beginners terrain - I would go there. DESPITE my love for Niseko!

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Most resorts will have a good mix of runs, even higher up the mountain. . I wasn't advocating one over the other, especially since I have never been to Niseko. All I was pointing out is that the Tour operator is probably on some sort of commission for pushing the big N. I'm sure they will have a great time and if they were based in Hokkaido or even Northern Honshu I'd def say to go for it, but they will be in Kyoto. They can save the hassle of a plane journey and go to any of the main resorts on Honshu (not just Hakuba). To say that the season isn't as long on Honshu is a little misleading I think.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

Not sure your point TB - I was agreeing with you.

Was just asking about the beginners terrain at Hakuba.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I don't know about what will be open at Hakuba. but since its one of the biggest and most popular areas in Japan I'm sure you'd find plenty on offer for beginners. Maybe one of the Hakuba crew could give you details.

Honshu has loads of resorts with plenty on offer for beginners. If the conditions were right, there are a good few in Niigata that would suit as well as Nagano.

 

My point was that I think its all a big hassle to get over from Kyushu and Kyoto (passing through or over the Honshu mountains) to get a flight up to Sapporo when they could just get a shink to take them to the Japan Alps which has just as much to offer as Hokkaido

 

Spring skiing doesn't have to be the huge BC lines that a lot of the ppl on here ski/board. The resorst are still open so they have the pisted terrain. Like I said before, its a lottery about the weather anywhere at this time of year, but if you are a beginner, you have very little for comparison so it doesn't really matter. I'd just be happy to actually be on the snow and having a good time!

[thursday 1]

For me, I wouldn't bother with N in April. Spring skiing aint my thing and you'll have no gondola after the first week of April as everything winds down. All you'll be left with would be upper areas of Ace 2. Plus no nightas.

[Go Native 70]

The tour operator will undoubtedly have a commission set up with an accommodation management company in Niseko and to be honest will probably know less about skiing in Japan than you will Claire after checking out this website.

 

Hokkaido is colder than Honshu and spring takes a little longer to reach it's way up here than down south. This said Niseko is a very low altitude resort. The summit of the ski hill is not even as high as Ben Nevis and the base is only a few hundred metres above sea level. Although at similar altitudes it will be warmer on Honshu in early April, many of their resorts are significantly higher and hold the snow equally as well. I'm sure someone else on this forum can advise on what resorts down that way hold the snow the best.

 

I'm not saying don't come to Niseko, it's a great place and you'd have an amazing time. Certainly for English speaking foreigners Niseko is an easy place to come as many of the businesses are foreign owned and a large portion of the Japanese in town speak at least a little English. It also has a wide range of bars and restaurants (most of which will still be open at that time). It's certainly no centre of Japanese cultural though, it's very much an international ski resort but you'll be getting a good cultural fix down in Kyoto. I do believe that in terms of travel time and cost you'd do well to consider resorts on Honshu though.

[Fattwins 0]

Look at these place and see if they fit into your travel route

 

Shiga kogen

Hakuba

Kagura

[Tubby Beaver 209]

 Originally Posted By: Go Native

The tour operator will undoubtedly have a commission set up with an accommodation management company in Niseko and to be honest will probably know less about skiing in Japan than you will Claire after checking out this website.

Hokkaido is colder than Honshu and spring takes a little longer to reach it's way up here than down south. This said Niseko is a very low altitude resort. The summit of the ski hill is not even as high as Ben Nevis and the base is only a few hundred metres above sea level. Although at similar altitudes it will be warmer on Honshu in early April, many of their resorts are significantly higher and hold the snow equally as well. I'm sure someone else on this forum can advise on what resorts down that way hold the snow the best.

I'm not saying don't come to Niseko, it's a great place and you'd have an amazing time. Certainly for English speaking foreigners Niseko is an easy place to come as many of the businesses are foreign owned and a large portion of the Japanese in town speak at least a little English. It also has a wide range of bars and restaurants (most of which will still be open at that time). It's certainly no centre of Japanese cultural though, it's very much an international ski resort but you'll be getting a good cultural fix down in Kyoto. I do believe that in terms of travel time and cost you'd do well to consider resorts on Honshu though.

wow, really!! That said, it does get just a tad more snow than Ben Nevis!

I also would like to add that I didn't say NOT to go, just that the tour operator may have been given conflicting advice. I just think that for someone based in western and central Honshu, its easier to get to adequate resorts without the added hassle of a flight up north.

Have a trawl through the site and make up your own mind. Wherever you go should be fine

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I think everyone is giving Claire the same advice. The only thing that I will chime in with again - is Claire is BRAND NEW to this, so she is going to need access to English speaking instructors, gentle slopes and preferably a softer (rather than harder) place to fall.

 

My very first time on a snowboard (or even in snow) was in Niseko in April - but I got lucky ... although getting an instructor was hard (they had all left for the season!) we managed 2 lessons with a guy with a fantastic sense of humor, all but one day we had softish surfaces from a small layer of powder one day, to slushies other days - just one lesson was on the dreaded (for the learner) ice. But in reality - those conditions were as good as any I have found in the high season in Aus (to this point).

 

However if it were me ... doing the travel route you are doing ... I would be looking to something on Honshu.

[Mike Pow 52]

Been teaching many beginners (adult and children) and intermediates this month in Grand Hirafu.

 

PROS

Great soft groomed conditions

Very quiet pistes

Sunshine

No problem getting dinner reservations

If you rent a vehicle then it's easy to get around this part of the island and see a bit more that the Niseko area

 

CONS

Not a great deal of beginner terrain available

Big jump from beginner to intermediate terrain (but that is more to do with Spring arriving earlier this winter)

 

 

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Claire,

 

Kyushu is beautiful. I love it! Shikoku too Theyre both prolly the least traveled by tourists too. Where are you thinking of going in Kyushu? If youre on Honshu already why not just save time by going to a resort around Nagano/Niigata? Very accessable and it (might) save you some time if youre leaving from Kyoto at that point.... Will snow be any better up in Hokkaido vs. Honshu, who knows. It varies year by year. Hope you have a great trip

[gyoza 0]

Wow! You've given me lots to think about....

 

I agree that given our route that a Honshu resort is better suited to us - it would save us 2 full days travel - Tokyo > Sapporo > Niseko, then Niseko > Sapporo > Kyoto).

 

I suppose I have to consider what is more important - the skiing or the time of our visit. We chose April as it gives us a good amount of time to save up plus we are interested in cherry blossom viewing.

 

I've been looking on this site at Shiga Kogen, Hakuba (Hakuba 47 and Goryu) and Kagura - all seem good. Any thoughts on these resorts at all?

 

Creek Boy - we'll be stopping off in Kyoto, Nagasaki, Unzen, Kagoshima and Yakushima

[SnowJapan 178]

Hi Claire and welcome to the forums.

 

You can find lots of information about those places on these forums, using the search

 

http://www.snowjapanforums.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/search

 

You can also look through the Resort Reviews section for more opinions

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/voice/review.php

 

Good luck

[gyoza 0]

Thanks SJ - that reviews link is really useful

[Fattwins 0]

Since you are a lower level skier find which place fits your travel route and go there. nightlife wont be great but the food will be good. once you choose a place people can point you to some good eateries.