ILoveZao 8 Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Beautiful weather Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Fantastic. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Brill. Stunning images from that place. Link to post Share on other sites
Karnidge 2 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Love the night shots. Is it easy to get decent photos up there at night? Link to post Share on other sites
nzweebs 0 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Mad photo's, stunning stuff Link to post Share on other sites
best skier in hakuba 5 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Superb. Thanks ILoveZao Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I'm very jealous. But I thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Stunning. What a place. Everyone - you need to visit Zao. You really do. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Questions: 1) Looking at past reviews, it seems there have in the past been issues with getting reservations on the ropeway going to the top (snow-monsters area). Is this still true? Does one need reservations, and is there any way to make them before going there? I have searched through the web sites for the ski area and the ropeway, and haven't noticed any mention of reservations. 2) Any recommendations on where to park, rent equipment, and sign up for lessons? For efficiency (only have a weekend), it looks like parking near the Zao Ropeway Sanroku-sen base area offers the easiest access to areas I want to access (snow monsters and Yokokura no Kabe). Is it easy to get parking there, if arriving mid-late morning on a Saturday in peak season? Rentals and snowboard school near there? Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Wow indeed. Sugoi. Metabo, I'm no expert on Zao but I'll lave a go re: my experiences. The Ropeway thing --- it all seemed a bit haphazard one time I was there. But the way to get round it was to get to the mid-station of the Ropeway using the lifts at the resort rather than the Ropeway. The Ropeway going up isn't too big and so when the place is busy the queues seems really really long. So get the lift by the Ropeway, then another 2 lifts and you get get up to the mid-station. That's where the Gondola goes up to the top. That was really really busy too but in the end I think we waited about 20 minutes or so. But it's definitely the way to do it I thought. Bit of a bottleneck going up to the top there. There's only the Gondola, no other lifts go up there so you don't have much choice. Of course if you are tres-gnarly, you might want to walk it. Or jog. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 We parked at our hotel and so that was sorted. Parking in Zao looks limited. esp. if you arrive mid morning Saturday, I don't know. There seemed to be the obligatory dudes with flashing red sticks though so surely they would tell you where to go. Sorry I can't help on that. At the base of the Ropeway I'm pretty sure I saw rental and a ski school, but not 100% on that. The base of the Ropeway that goes up to the summit gondola seems a good place for you to be, in terms of location, for going up and also Yokokura. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I would definitely advise people to try and be in Zao on a weekday if at all possible, which obviously often isn't possible. That bottleneck Ropeway seems to be a real issue on weekends but not on weekdays. And other lifts weren't mad busy waits either it's just that top thing. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Just want to add to the Ropeway thing --- even when there was a 1.5+ hour waiting time for the ropeway, we got on the lifts up to that mid station no problems at all - there were no queues there at all in fact the lift was pretty empty. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thanks for the info, muika. Did you have to get reservations for the upper leg, or was it just a queue-up? Gnarly I'm not. Weekdays are out of the question for me, so have to do it the hard way. Also too late to get any reasonable accomodations in town if I want to be there in time for the snow-monsters, so will be staying down in Yamagata city, and parking wherever the red-stick dudes send me. Thanks for the confirmation of what area to aim for, and for the suggestion of taking the chair lifts to the mid-station. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 No reservations for the upper leg as far as I could tell. The 2 queues (the one from people getting off the Ropeway and the one from people skiing in from the slope) both enter the Gondola building together. Not exactly sure how they organise that but it looked like they were squeezing them both in at the same time. Tons of tourists going up as well of course without any skis or boards. I'd definitely get the lifts up to the mid station if I were you. Much much more enjoyable! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Metabo, I'd approach the village on Route 14. Once you hit the main road, just turn right and the Ropeway is there. Again, really not sure about parking as that car park at the base there is fairly small. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resort_map.php?resortNo=82 Have fun, and show me the pics!! Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Originally Posted By: muikabochi Metabo, I'd approach the village on Route 14. Once you hit the main road, just turn right and the Ropeway is there. Again, really not sure about parking as that car park at the base there is fairly small. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resort_map.php?resortNo=82 Have fun, and show me the pics!! Thanks again, muika, and I will! Will be heading up there two weeks from today -- thanks to last week's Giveaway, I might add. Thanks guys! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I hope you get 30cm the night before, and then clear blue skies on the day! I'm still feeling that need to go back, though nothing planned or anything. Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Some more images after a period of having some clearer skies Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Parking is a bit of an issue in Zao as you have no doubt found out. You will even find it difficult to find details on their webiste - it's not one of the things they can "boast about"! There's no huge great big car parks for thousands of cars, more small ones scattered about. I'm pretty certain that the base of the ropeway mid-morning Saturday will have any spaces. You might want to try the Kurohima parking, not usually "as busy" and at the base of a run. Turn right when you get to the village and follow the road up once you get to the mai Good luck and have fun! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Riding above the clouds on that last one. Love it when that happens Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Which lift is that in the first of the latest photos ILoveZao? Link to post Share on other sites
ILoveZao 8 Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Heres some more night shots Link to post Share on other sites
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