need help with my hit-list for next season

[alferg 0]

Hi all,

 

I'm from Oz.

 

having been to Niseko twice, I think its time me & my crew checked out some other resorts.

 

Anyone got time to make some recommendations?

 

I like riding steeps & deep, dry powder. Not that excited about terrain parks - I can ride them here in Oz. Niseko was great, but I would like to find something steeper & bigger. Places with cheap accom are good too.

 

I've been doing some homework on this & other sites, & so far I'm thinking we should check out Hakuba, Rusutsu, Niseko(again)& possibly Hakkoda. I also have friends who will be in Nozawa so I'd love to get the low-down on there as well.... and possibly somewhere else in Hokkiado too?

 

Cheers!

[jared 0]

Hakkoda looses out a bit in the steep department.

[alferg 0]

thanks for that jared - i'd hear that.

 

would you say it makes up for it in the powder dept? i noticed the boardtheworld guys went there on one of their tours, & they had plenty of good things to say about it.

 

http://www.boardtheworld.com/trips/trips.php?tripID=21&tripRID=99

[jared 0]

I have had plenty of good times there - the last half of the run back to the ropeway is a bit flat especially for boarders.

Quite different to Niseko. Hakkoda is more of a back country experience while Niseko (and other resorts) are better for fast pow laps.

I reccomend a guide if you are going B/C as often you cant see more than 20cm when your above the tree line so getting completely lost is a strong possibility. The guides use the force to guide you over the invisable mountain top to good spots below the tree line. Also there is the bonus of a bus to pick you up wehen your finished.

If you go stay at Sakayu onsen in one of the cheap rooms its 3000 a night and join the guided tour for a day for 2000 with bus transfers included. If the groups too big it can be a bit slow so ask how many ppl are on the tour before you join. If there was lots of fresh the night before dont join the tour just lap the ropeway to get more vertical in your day - if it hasn't snowed for a couple of days then go on the tour for good freshies.

Book early (we got the last cheap room for new years when we booked in March) but I think thats just a buisy time.

Ahhh the five o'clock town music just started playing, I'm late!!! cya

[alferg 0]

jared, those are some priceless tips mate - thanks muchly!

 

if u ever need any tips about thredbo/perisher blue in oz, let me know

 

so r u living in japan?

[Ocean11 0]

I can't compare Nozawa with Niseko as I haven't been to Hokkers yet, but Nozawa has plenty of powder (more reliably so than Niseko according to people who ought to know). Nozawa is also a big place with a lot of variety and a relaxed policy about riding out of bounds.

 

The top area has some great tree runs, and there's also a lot of fun to be had under the lifts and gondolas all the way down the mountain.

 

Nozawa also has a small town with places to eat, and 12 free onsen to choose from.

[alferg 0]

cheers ocean 11! more excellent info - you guys are great

 

i'd heard about the free onsens better than coughing up AUD$ 15 for one in niseko..

 

how far is nozawa from hakuba? my mate reckons you can get a bus.

[Ocean11 0]

There's some good info to be found in this series of reports.

 

http://www.boardtheworld.com/trips/trips.php?tripID=15&tripRID=30

 

Goddamn bloody Australians giving it all away!

[Fattwins 0]

hakuba is not to be left out. 7 decent resorts in the area. happo for vertical. 47 for steep trees and park, trees if the patrol dont take your ticket away and also a bit pricy. worth it minus the nazi patrol. kashimari but its too spread out. iwatake maybe not your cup of tea but stil big. tsugaike flat but bring a beakon and the true BC can be lapped ud. some cliffs and spines around. norikura its not bad but cortina beside it has ...... just watch the patrol and youll be amazed by the little resort that could and can get you in the asss.

 

ps prices for lodging range from 1500 a night up to 10000 a night everywhere. look on this site and outdoor japan guide for hotels. for a cheaper deal i can tell you the number of a backpackers place. ps the place has nowhere to cook though i think.

[alferg 0]

this stuff is very helpful - thanks again lads!

 

so can anyone tell me how far it is from nozawa to hakuba by bus? is it practical to saty in nozawa & do day trips to the hakuba area resorts?

 

& O11, those board the world articles are what inspired me to go to niseko in the first place - but i promise not to tell any more aussies about japan - honest!

[Fattwins 0]

if you want to do day trips i think day trips from nagano city might be better. ask barok he did a ton last year.

[damian 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by alferg:
thanks muchly!

Thats a new one


Sorry.

I reckon your best bet is to stay somewhere really cheap and chip in with your mates to rent a car. Find somewhere in the Myoko/Arai - Hakuba - Nozawa 'triangle'. Get a bunch of good maps, access to interent for the resort snow dump updates each night and then plan your next day of hits.

I got a feel for what would be possible last season with a crew from this site. A bunch of use from Tokyo arrived on the train train in Nagano in the early morning. Trained it to near Nozzle, got picked up in cars by the two cool SJ-forum chicks (one has left ), hit Nozawa the first day and then Arai the next day after an easy early drive. It was only a two day trip but it showed how easy it is if you are based there and have a car. In theory, and had it been mid season, we could have been there for 2 weeks and picked of resorts at our leasure, day after day.

I wouldn't go to Hakkoda unless you are prepared to get lucky with the weather or have plenty of time up your sleeve. It was the first time I had ever seen powder like it so I certainly remember it as an experience.

Cortina in the Hakuba area left a permanent mark on me. It is a great little pocket of a resort.

47 never left a mark, but I only went there when I was a total beginner anyway. As Ocean said, Goryu makes 47 a little better.

Tsugaike also left a mark, but that was because I went there on my own on a Saturday from Tokyo and had a great day. It dumped all day so I decided to buy a toothbrush and stay the night. The next day was a blast. It was my first confident day riding and the snow was rather deep in parts. I do not know anything about proper BC, but you could easily see the potential that Fattwins eluded to.

Nozawa was off the day I went there, but it is big and will get a fair bit of my effort this season.

Arai: I have had a bad set of trips to Arai, but would love to be on it when the special conditional zones are open and the snow is good. Arai does hold a special place for me as on my last run there (and last run of the season) I proved that Australians are in fact better snowboarders than Yanks [ ].

[barok 0]

I agree with db on everything except for that last little bit of comedy .

 

Staying in a place like iiyama with yer very own renta-car would be bliss.

 

If I go back and live in Japan, I want to be in Iiyama. The people are very friendly, and the nearby resorts are great, most notably - Nozawa Onsen - In terms of freeriding it kicks the crap out of almost everything else. December is the best time to hit it, because the terrain is covered, but just enought that the actual terrain remains, and you get plenty of natural hits throught the pow. I couldn't believe it when I hit it for the first time.

 

Arai is good if you get there on a good day. Kijimadaira has the steepest slopes in Honshu, (and maybe Japan).

 

But if you can split your time, you would do well to hit up Cortina - It's about 3 hours drive from Iiyama - small resort, with limitless possibilities.

[Fattwins 0]

I guess the cortina secret is getting out.

 

I will buy a tsugaike pass this year just to use the gondola to access the Back Country. The pass is 30000 man at the moment. Never been to nozawa but ive only heard good things. hakuba is far enough for me.

 

When is the trip?

[slow 0]

I'm thinking to go to Tsugaike this winter. Maybe end of December. I haven't skied in the Hakuba area before.

Where is the biggest resort in Hakuba?

[Fattwins 0]

Happone is the biggest. last run of the day can often fell more like a game of pachinko then sking. 47 goryu is maybe the second biggest follwed by iwatake tsugaike and hakuba norikura and cortina have a combi pass if you put tham together its a pretty big resort.

[alferg 0]

damn these are cool tips!

 

im a bit scared about the idea of driving in japan, not understanding japanese at all... sounds tricky! but at least they drive on the same side of the road!

 

Fattwins,

 

looking at heading over mid-jan until mid-feb, was thinking we'd go to hokkaido first (on the assumption that there will more gaijin in niseko during feb, all looking for freshies, & knowing that when i went there in early jan 2000, it was very quiet) for 2 weeks, probably just check out Niseko again & Rusutsu. Then go back to Honshu, set up base in Nozawa or somewhere in the Nagano area, & check out the hills around there.

[zwelgen 0]

Oh thanks db and barok, ya know how to make a gal feel appreicated. shucks

 

I agree with what everyone has said. Id def consider the Nagano-Niigata triangle. You could plan a route, get the train or bus to Nagano and bus out to "do" the Hakuba valley for a while. Lots of places and lots to ride. I have to give Cortina the thumbs up but it is tough to get here if you dont have a ride. Happo on a good day is good, its huge, its got reasonably good lifts. 47/goryu is also worth a day or so, if just to fall in the creek

 

Bus back to Nagano City and bus to Nozawa, def worth a few days (I am extremely biased about Nozawa because it was my stomping ground but it almost never failed to deliver the goods but the park is pretty lame. Great powder, lax about rope ducking and pretty much empty on a weekday) and the village is nice, free superhot onsens and one of the few places with a bit of atmosphere.

 

Arai on the day AFTER a powder dump would be massive but dont expect any budget friendly facilities and take your own grub. Just make sure the conditional zones are open otherwise its not worth it. Myoko has many good things said about it. To get to Myoko/Arai youre going to have to go back to Nagano city and then train out if you dont have a car.

 

Id give the big thumbs up if youre looking for a change from Hokkaido. I had a good time in Hokkaido but unfortunately when we were there the weather wasnt really on our side. I guess the advantage of Nagano is that it doesnt get so much of the strong winds that shut lifts in Niseko.

 

Good luck and a shame Im not there anymore to slide with ya.

[alferg 0]

 Quote:

Great powder, lax about rope ducking and pretty much empty on a weekday

that sounds like the *perfect* recipe for some quality snowboarding

So what sort of distances are we talking between all these places? Where is Iiyama? For that matter, can anyone point me towards a map of the region? I've had a look on the web but cant find anything very useful...

& any tips on a good hotel/hostel?

[Fattwins 0]

from nagano city its ab0out an hours drive to alomst any of the resorts we have been talking about. there are free shuttles to 47. im sure the bus isnt too expensive but if there is a group of you it would be good to check the cost of the bus againist car rental cost. if you cant read japanese cortina can be a bitch to find. huge lone access road best go with someone from this forum.

 

ps can anyone get mapion to link here i sure cant

[Ocean11 0]

Where do you want to link to? Cortina ?

[Fattwins 0]

thanks mapion wouldnt let me link it.

[alferg 0]

thanks for the map. i can see i'll really have to lean on my japanese friends to interpret all this info!

 

& zwelgen, thanks for your tips too. im starting to like the sound of nozawa a lot

 

hope i get to slide with some of you guys while i'm there - always good to hook up with someone who knows the score

[Fattwins 0]

there is just as much in hakuba. the problem is getting people to show you where so you dont fall into creeks or have to walk out.

 

same goes with nozawa try to get someone to help you. remember this too.. nothing is controlled anywhere on the other side of the rope. almost everywhere outside of cortina, Arai and chamont do no avie control. if you have beacons then wear then.

[Ocean11 0]

There may be just as much in Hakuba as at Nozawa, but the patrol in Hakuba expend vastly more effort trying to stop you getting at it. They make you feel like a criminal in Hakuba, whereas in Nozawa, they hardly ever give you any trouble.