basscakes 0 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Hi All I'm headed to Japan for 2 weeks in February for a honeymoon of onsen and snowboarding (me) and skiing (her). We live in Washington State in the US, and we like trees and pow. We rode Rusutsu 2 years ago and loved it. We're going to be traveling between Nagano, Niigata, and Akita to explore onsen and skiing along the way. We're looking for recommendations for more out of the way skiing/riding experiences similar to the vibe at Rusutsu in the Nagano and Niigata areas. No crowds, short lines, and chill management that is ok with crazy gaijin hitting the trees to get the freshies. Ideally situated somewhere with immediate apres-ski onsen action is a bonus. Nozawa Onsen seems like an obvious jumping off point, but there are so many hills to choose from, we're hoping to find something more obscure. For those familiar with the Northwest, we hate Whistler (expensive, touristy, congested) and we love Mt Baker (cheap, burly, uncrowded) if that's any calibration. Thanks for taking the time to read this, any help is appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Nozawa is a good choice. Do you have a route planned so far or is it all in the open still? Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Close to Nozawa as well is Madarao which has some "official" tree runs that are getting some decent reviews. Go midweek to avoid all the kids! http://www.snowjapan.com/e/spotlight/madarao-kogen.html Link to post Share on other sites
basscakes 0 Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: SKI Hi Nozawa is a good choice. Do you have a route planned so far or is it all in the open still? Our route is fairly wide open. Our other goal is to stay in some classic ryokan and hit some remote onsen (tozawa kogen is exciting in this regard), so I've been planning a general journey from Osaka all the way up to Akita. But what spots to hit on the way? I turn to the experts on these forums! Link to post Share on other sites
basscakes 0 Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: iiyamadude Close to Nozawa as well is Madarao which has some "official" tree runs that are getting some decent reviews. Go midweek to avoid all the kids! http://www.snowjapan.com/e/spotlight/madarao-kogen.html Whoa this place looks very cool. I like the Hillman Adventures backcountry tour option as well. Thanks for this hint. Link to post Share on other sites
SantaCruz 0 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 NorthwestShred, welcome to SJ! I'm in Seattle and hitting Niseko in Feb, super stoked about it It'll be my first time riding in Japan, so I don't have much in the way of suggestions. But it sounds like a great trip! Link to post Share on other sites
basscakes 0 Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: SantaCruz NorthwestShred, welcome to SJ! I'm in Seattle and hitting Niseko in Feb, super stoked about it It'll be my first time riding in Japan, so I don't have much in the way of suggestions. But it sounds like a great trip! Hey right on man. Btw I highly suggest Rusutsu if you're at Niseko. There are no lines end endless awesome tree runs and chill management. It's a Baker-size mountain, not a lot of acreage, but what is there is quality. Have a great time! Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Best tree runs in Japan in no order: Rusutsu Niseko Nozawa Shiga Cortina Happo Goryu/47 Have heard great things about Myoko, Appi, and a few others. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Yep, you can definitely add Myoko to that list. All resorts there except Akakura Onsen have great tree runs. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: Black Mountain Yep, you can definitely add Myoko to that list. All resorts there except Akakura Onsen have great tree runs. My mate took tons of pics there and the trees at Akakura looked steep and well spaced. Am I wrong about that? Was it Seki? Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Seki has slightly tighter tree runs and slightly steeper as well... that said, the last time I was there was terrible because we hadn't had a good dump of snow the day before. It's a really tiny place unless you go hiking... compared to Akakan, Ikenotaira and Suginohara I can't really recommend it. My favourite is Akakan followed by Suginohara and Ikenotaira. Seki Onsen is always boasting of tons of snow... I think it's safe to say that the claims on their website are not independently verified, if you catch my drift. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Good to know, thank you for that information! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Dunno about tree runs, being that the trees get all frozen into monsters, BUT I'm sure you'd enjoy Zao Onsen, the riding is meant to be awesome and the village is an onsen village Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 my opinion only - you won't do as much offpiste in Honshu. Some resorts don't permit it. MyokoKogen may offer the best practical choices. Out of boundry is very risky - it is the Alps and requires either local knowledge or a guide, and the right equipment. Checkout some of the guiding services around Happo. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 which Happo? One, Two, Three or upto 47? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Dunno about tree runs, being that the trees get all frozen into monsters, BUT I'm sure you'd enjoy Zao Onsen, the riding is meant to be awesome and the village is an onsen village I reckon I'd cack among those monsters Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Originally Posted By: thursday Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Dunno about tree runs, being that the trees get all frozen into monsters, BUT I'm sure you'd enjoy Zao Onsen, the riding is meant to be awesome and the village is an onsen village I reckon I'd cack among those monsters especially if it gets dark and you get stuck in the trees when the monsters come alive... Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 It's the honeymoon, they won't be out night skiing. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 they will be in night horizontal skiing. Link to post Share on other sites
MrSingh 0 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Akakura Onsen might not have good tree runs, but Akakura Kanko (next to Akakura Onsen) has a bunch of good tree runs at the top. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I'm going to give Madarao a go this season and will report. Perhaps Kagura deserves a mention as well. I know a few good trees there. Link to post Share on other sites
beowulf 1 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver Dunno about tree runs, being that the trees get all frozen into monsters, BUT I'm sure you'd enjoy Zao Onsen, the riding is meant to be awesome and the village is an onsen village I think Zao would be a very good place to visit, but from Osaka going through Nagano and then Niigata it is not particularly easy to get to. But once you get there it is not too hard to get to Akita. As long as the OP has a JR Pass then it should not be too difficult. The tree runs at Zao are pretty cool, especially the one right from the top of the mountain. Good fun, but it is not Rusutsu. Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Suginohara - hike up a bit from the top lift. You should stay to skiers right coming down - There's cliffs & stuff to the left. Also check the run down under the chair on your way up. Akakan - check out the trees to skiers left of top chair. Maps: http://myokokogen.net/myoko_ski_trail_maps/index.html Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 yeah those cliffs to the left of suginohara would give you one hell of a surprise!! A little further down though, past the cliffs, you can get under the lift and there is some awesome riding there. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts