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I'm not sure that there's a need for comparisons. I mean, really, are you going to change anyone's mind? Are you going to have any empirical data t prove one way or the other?

 

IMHO it would be better to just discuss the quality/quantity of snow at a particular resort rather than start a "mine's better than yours" type war.

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So are you getting sorted out, Justin?

I heard that Colorado gets a lot of snow at night when the temperature cools so you can ski lots of light ankle - knee deep in bluebird skis. Niseko's not really like that.

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In my experience, the best days I had in Vail and other Colorado resorts when I spent the 2005/06 winter instructing at Keystone is comparable to the snow I've experienced in the Niseko area over the past two winters.

 

The biggest differences:

 

Not as many bluebird powder days in the Niseko Area (as has been mentioned)

 

Deeper days and more of them. MANY MORE.

 

EDIT

Just saw your other post.

 

Taking Steamboat's moniker of 'champagne snow' as a reference point for comparison, in my experience Steamboat is

a Salmanazar and the Niseko area is a Nebuchadnezzar smile

 

http://www.champagnemagic.com/sizes.htm

 

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Mask and Snorkle is right on some days ger!! groovy

 

You know I would settle for a thin layer of sheet ice over here in Aus at the moment. 4 weeks into ski season and it has only just started with the flurries! Arrgghhh!! I am packing my board in two weeks so it better dump soon! wink

 

As for who is better...where is better...you know the snow comes when it comes, and it is wet or dry, deep or not dependent on things no-one can control and not many of us can predict accurately - although GG does fancy himself as a bit of a seismic prediction god! In our experience the last 2 Janaury's there has been lots of lovely dry powder. Snow every night - knee deep plus turns almost every morning. In April 07 there was plenty of ridable cover, and the odd bit of fresh stuff. I love Niseko. But that does not guarentee that if you go you will have the same kind of conditions. It is likely - but if you are from Colorado - then hang at Vail unless you are keen to try somewhere different.

 

For me...no snow where I am - I HAVE to travel to find some. And while I am going to Zermatt this Janaury, Japan is the place I would go if I wanted the best chance of fantastic snow.

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I have been to both too and Niseko had he better snow when I was there, though Vail's terrain is way out of Niseko's league.

I had one moderately decent powder day in vail (from memory) but it got tracked awfully quick! though that was before the expansion.

 

humidity? maybe in summer but winter it's pretty darn dry -not colorado dry but dry enough.

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Originally Posted By: SG
..... though Vail's terrain is way out of Niseko's league.

Yeah, the piste is lame here. Vail wouldn't be that high on my list for terrain either though.
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errm, I think we're really forgetting one thing. The Japanese resorts are a niche in the big scheme of things. And the Tahoes, Vails, Aspens, Whistlers are the ones setting the standards, snow wise or otherwise.

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Originally Posted By: ger
Originally Posted By: SG
..... though Vail's terrain is way out of Niseko's league.

Yeah, the piste is lame here. Vail wouldn't be that high on my list for terrain either though.


Agreed. Beaver Creek has far better and far easier accessibility to good terrain than Vail IMHO.
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I got good feedback about Beaver Creek too.

 

A friend spent a year at Uni in the USA - and spent a good percentage of that winter at Beaver Creek...we were picking her brain when deciding where to go for this Janaury for something different. Not going to Colorado, but sure hope to soon.

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Yeah, Telluride's number one on my list as far as Colo. resorts but it seems far away and there will probably be three generations of my family traveling together which will slow me down a hell of a lot unfortunately. Might just have to ditch them at a gas station or something. lol I'm gonna check out Beaver Creek on the net. Didn't know it would be so highly recommended. smile

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Originally Posted By: Justin21
Everyone keeps talking about Niseko, but is the snow really that great? I thought a lot of snow in japan was wet because of the humidity? Is this wrong?


Sorry I missed the original question.

Yes, the snow is great.

As temps get lower, the relative humidity drops because the air can't hold the moisture. Cold genarally means drier.

The snow in Niseko is brought to you via the Siberian winds which are bone dry. They pick up the moisture to make the snow from the relatively warm Sea of Japan. All tourist brochures say this. And it it true to some extent.

But the real reason is Cockzilla got fried by Godzilla.
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