Go Native 70 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Originally Posted By: yamabushi Now, can you guys understand that I get a bit flabbergasted when people claim that this place is flat? I mean the gondola will save you a good amount of walking, but the direct trails going down from the gondola is not Hakkoda. People claim the Niseko area is flat as well. They too just don't know where to go Link to post Share on other sites
yamabushi 3 Posted December 10, 2010 Author Share Posted December 10, 2010 Hey, I already had a few posts dissapear. I'm trying to keep the language squeaky clean for a while Link to post Share on other sites
nippontiger 8 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 I'd forgotton about the word "flabbergasted", Im going to start using it from now on! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 it's a horrendous word. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Looking good Yamabushi! I'll be heading up there in mid-March by the looks of it. Work is finished on the 10th of March this year so I'll have a week before heading back to Canada and Jamaica for a visit. C'mon lotto I need help! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 Niseko looking good. One full day of that stuff and the lifts can start. Link to post Share on other sites
yamabushi 3 Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 Today's pic, what I hoped Hakkoda would look like right now: This is worse than quitting smoking. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 So good to see photos of Hakkoda. It´s rare... I reckon you can make a Hakkoda thread ! We´ll all love it! Magic word is Please Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 It is nice to actually see some pics of the place, I've heard how the powder is so great before but I've never seen any pics until now. If you have more, and you have the time, I'd love to see em. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 +1 for some more photos Link to post Share on other sites
sand 17 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 +2 for some more photos, come winter I wish I had a car, making getting to such places far easier Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Originally Posted By: yamabushi Some people do, some don't. I think it is about 50/50. I used to wear one when I had a long board (172cm). That thing was a pig to turn but oh boy, could it float. Then again some don't carry beacons, shovels, probes, or other safety gear that common sense would dictate (I usually carry a claw, which is a handle-less shovel and a higher quality probe to make a faster search). Heck, I'm guilty of going up thinking I would stick close by and ventured into the yonder, with nothing but the snowboard I'm beginning to clean up more pics. Here is another Hakkoda shot. Yamabushi, we need to go ride this exact spot. I see a cliff that I want to hit Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 +4 Link to post Share on other sites
kaiser soce 0 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Yamabushi, Have you heard any news of a new high speed ferry running between Hakodate and Aomori due to go into operation in September? I found some info on blogs but nothing official. Link to post Share on other sites
yamabushi 3 Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 Originally Posted By: Soft Landings Yamabushi, Have you heard any news of a new high speed ferry running between Hakodate and Aomori due to go into operation in September? I found some info on blogs but nothing official. I have taken the one from Hachinohe to Hakodate. That one works best for me because it travels overnight, arriving to hakodate around 7:00am. I did this to go to the Sapporo ice fest, and there are buses that will take you straight to Niseko. I would imagine that now with the bullet train going straight into Aomori that it would work best for some folks to go from there. Here is today's teaser shot. On the early winter you may not see the sun (or much else) for weeks at a time. Then one day it shows up and you are greeted with a winter wonderland. This is outside of the gondola. The first mountain on the left is where the bowl is. The other two have well defined craters. On the valley between the last mountains there is a cabin. Some time in March I'll be gone for a week to play in Asahidake and kurodake. Once I know the dates I'll let you folks know. Other than that time, every other weekend I'll be in hakkoda Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Looks like a place I want to go with my camera too! Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 12, 2010 Share Posted December 12, 2010 Reckon I might take the ferry from Hakodate sometime this season and give Hakkoda a go. It looks great. I'll let you know if I'm heading down yamabushi and hopefully we can hook up? Link to post Share on other sites
yamabushi 3 Posted December 13, 2010 Author Share Posted December 13, 2010 Originally Posted By: Go Native Reckon I might take the ferry from Hakodate sometime this season and give Hakkoda a go. It looks great. I'll let you know if I'm heading down yamabushi and hopefully we can hook up? If I'm here, I'm game. Heck, if you can make it on a ferry to Aomori by 7:30am, I'll pick you up and have you on the gondola by 9:00am. If you come on a later ferry you are gonna have to take the bus and meet up at the mountain (45~60 min trip). I am happy to get up earlier to help a fellow BC guy, but it would drive me insane to sit around knowing that the good powder is being eaten up. If you are staying I can recommend good spots on the mountain. February should be wide open, and on March anytime outside of my trip to Asahidake/Kurodake. Speaking about that trip; If I swing by Niseko, would you show me around Here is today's picture, dropping into the crater of the middle volcano. In reality it is a short drop with a pain in the ass climb back up, but well worth the photo. The guy didn't bail; the deeeeeeeep powder just makes it look that way Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 I'm sat here in a depressingly wet Kawasaki just drooling at these photos - more of the same please! Link to post Share on other sites
kaiser soce 0 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Originally Posted By: Go Native Reckon I might take the ferry from Hakodate sometime this season and give Hakkoda a go. It looks great. I'll let you know if I'm heading down yamabushi and hopefully we can hook up? I'm thinking of doing the same thing! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Me three Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Let's chat when you get here Mike Link to post Share on other sites
yamabushi 3 Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 They may open Hakkoda this Saturday! Yesterday it had 35cm base, I'm hopping it will hit at least 80cm by Saturday morning. Not enough to go crazy but enough to get the season going The next picture didn't resample well. I'll reupload later. Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan 178 Posted December 14, 2010 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted December 14, 2010 yamabushi, just in case you didn't know.... if you upload with the longest side at 750 pixels, the photo is not resized by the system and the best quality. Really nice photos, thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
Jynxx 4 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Good to hear that! Have fun out there We (now) have about 70cm @1800m on our local mountain. Knee deep powder is at least hassle free, and suits me to a tee. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts