Early December Ski Trip

[logan 0]

Hey guys,

 

Some friends and I are thinking of visiting Japan for a holiday from the 1st to the 15th of December, however we're not sure if there will be anywhere around with a good snow coverage to go skiing that early in the season.

 

Does anyone have any experience with skiing in early december, and if so where are some good places to go that will have good coverage?

 

thanks

[Slippery Jim 65]

You'd be much better off waiting until January. It's certainly possible to get decent coverage in early December, but the smart money doesn't bet that way. Maybe Asahidake or Kurodake in Hokkaido, more likely the WROD at Naeba or Marunuma. Wait til January.

[TJ OZ 0]

If you have to ski here in Early December then just wait until you can see where it has snowed the most and go there. You will have no problems booking everything a day before you go.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

If I was betting on skiing at that point in the season I would head to Hokkaido for sure. Look at the stats that are archived. Typically Hokkaido has a "better" base at that point whereas Honshu doesnt usually have a proper base until a bit later.

 

As others have said, if you can wait till later then do so.

[Thundercat 60]

Early December, eh? On Honshu I think you should expect machine made snow. Loads of resorts don't even open until the middle of December.

[grungy-gonads 54]

Or late December.

[Thundercat 60]

Yeah, I think most places aim for a mid-December opening but usually open around the last weekend.

[muikabochi 208]

In recent years round here in town, apart from Kagura, places opening up anything like decent areas before Christmas is almost a bonus.

[Go Native 70]

The last 2 years I've skied pretty good snow at Kurodake in the 2nd week of November. By early December up that way it's already got a very good base. Both Kurodake and Asahidake are great for early snow. Most resorts in Hokkaido will have reasonable on-piste cover in the first couple of weeks of December. Except for up high though it will generally not be all that great off-piste until later in December when all the sasa has been covered.

[thursday 1]

some seasons, some people dream

 

Quote:

...that I was skiing the north faces of XXX resort after a 30+ cm snowfall, with skies clearing up, and my good mates with me. I woke up with a smile from ear to ear.

[logan 0]

Thanks for all the info guys.

 

We're actually going to be in Japan from the 1st-15th of December, with the hope for skiing on the last three days of the trip, so it's not really the focus but an added bonus if we can find somewhere to get a couple of days of skiing in. We're all very novice skiers, so even sub-par coverage would be more than adequate for our needs.

[joshnii 2]

Where are you planning on traveling to again?