tripler 0 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 This is a friendly little resort with one 2 man chairlift, which moves damn fast for the benefit of the local ski team who make up 95% of the punters. I was the only boarder and only gaijin. A cafeteria offers the usual Japanese fare. The resort is accessed by a right turn off the main road coming into Nozawa Onsen. Stats Vertical: 200 meters Steepest run: 40 degrees Tree runs: yes Gondola: no Lift ticket: 2200 yen Hokuryuko Onsen's unfettered awesomeness is not at first apparent. First you think, "Like, hey dude, this is just a one horse town." But then you get off the chairlift, bear left, round a few corners, you arrive at the bottom of the slope with another long slope in front of you. And you think, "Hey, dude, why wasn't there a sign saying we gotta hike up the hill to get out of here?" You start walking up, when a voice calls from what looks like a derelict wooden shack. An old geezer comes out, speaking in an unknown language, not using any English words at all. He holds up a metal contraption and points at a wire hanging from a pulley 3 feet above the ground. A little further up the hill the wire sags and is buried in snow. Suddenly - like a flash - you realise this is the long lost nutcracker of ancient times!, as mentioned in New Zealand ski mythology. Then you're like, "Hey, dude, this is freakin' awesome!" The old geezer explains something (you wonder if he might be speaking an early version of Mayan used by the Aztecs in 2000 BC) and attaches one end of the metal thing to the wire and hands you the other end, a handle on a chain, flips a switch and the wire starts moving. Geronimo! Here's a video of the nutcracker, and a few pics below. The nutcracker of Maori legend A friendly little resort A blue plaque cellotaped to the wall acknowledges MacGyver's visit to the resort (note 20-year-old tractor engine donated by local farmer) A ladder, tractor engine and some mature bamboo - and bam! you've got a ski lift. Niseko you can suck on on my pudenda, this is where's it's at bro! Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 That place looks like da bomb! I actually thought it was just some private slope or something. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 haha!! I like the vid! Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Gnarly Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Cracking vid. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Cheers Tripler Seemore Link to post Share on other sites
Mintyjulep 0 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Nice to see a nutcracker in Japan! I think we saw that place on our way in to Noz - Might have to check it out next time! Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Cheeky vid!!! Link to post Share on other sites
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