jblesener 1 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Saturday: Took the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagano, local train to Myoko Kogen, and a taxi to the pension in Akakura Onsen because we didn't want to wait for the bus (2300 JPY if you're wondering). It was warm and sunny when we got there. We got to see the peak for a bit before it clouded over, but I didn't take any pictures of it . We stayed on the Akakura Onsen side for this day. Sunday: It started to get colder, causing the sun-softened snow lower down to ice up in the morning. This was made up for by the fact that it was now dumping new snow. We made our way up to the higher parts of Akakura Kanko for most of the day to take advantage of the better snow and steeper slopes. No pics as visibility was too low and I was too busy getting after it! Monday: It continued to pour down in the morning but cleared up later in the afternoon, along with the crowds. It seems like everyone took an early train out so it was almost like having the resort to ourselves after lunch. The snow off piste was ridiculously deep in many spots; I tried to clear a low angle bit with some speed but just ended up tunneling back for 20 minutes. Pros: Lots of snow. Something for every level of rider. Cool little town, very walkable. Not very crowded. Cons: Lots of walking/skating, from the top of lifts, between Onsen/Kanko, between lifts. The mitigating factor here was that almost none of it was uphill. One of the most confusing lift/trail layouts I've ever seen. Accomodation: I don't remember the name, it was a pension about 5 minutes walk from the Akakura Onsen base at skiers left. Dinner was pretty good there, it was a combo of nabe, sashimi, tempura/kareage. Breakfast was ok if you like the Japanese style, grumble grumble. The rotenburo was a bit of an adventure; it required a walk across the (snow-covered) street and parking lot to a little shed without electricity, flashlight required at night. Link to post Share on other sites
loaf of bread 0 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Nice. Good to hear that Myoko has been royally dumped on. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Originally Posted By: Armadillo I'm a sucker for tree canyons. I can just hear the quiet. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 That one in particular reminds me of a run at Joetsu Kokusai in Niigata. Spitting image it is. Link to post Share on other sites
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