ladbong 0 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hey amigos, Just wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for 1) the best/biggest/coolest terrain parks 2)any good jibs nearby 3)any general advice for a party of 3 but possibly more dirt poor lads keen for about 2-3 weeks of snowboarding and partying on a shoestring budget. Any help appreciated Peace Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 "partying" isn't really the Japanese snow scene. Niseko is prob best for nightlife at a resort then hakuba. Sapporo has a number of resorts within easy reach and is a big city so will have the usual nightlife there, Furano is meant to be ok as well.....just don't expect the scene you get in Europe or Nth America.....dunno about parks. Seems a bit of a waste of money to me, to fly all this way for snowparks...but each to their own Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Yeah man, please don't be one of those people that comes to Japan and completely disrespects the culture and people while getting belligerent every night. Nothing wrong with getting a little tipsy (or for those of you that saw me on New Year's very tipsy) but I have seen a pretty bad trend with the Aussie youth there. Help break that stereotype. Niseko doesn't really have any parks. Hakuba does I guess but you shouldn't be going to Japan for jibs and parks. They are covered with a lot of snow so yes backcountry jibbing is prevalent but if you want parks come to the US. Keystone Breck Park City they are fun but Japan is where it's at for pow. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 As Mitch said, hakuba later in the season has a fairly big park, ishiuchi maruyama has a big halfpipe and gala yuzawa has small area too. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I too fail to understand why you would come to some of the snowiest ski resorts on the planet to hang out in a park. Especially for only a 2-3 week trip. If you're there for a whole season ok sure you might want to mix things up a little when the pow is having a break. Just about any other major ski areas in the world have better parks than anything in Japan, even Australia. Japan, it's all about the powder! (well it is for me anyway ) If parks and nightlife are your thing then go to Whistler or something similar. You'll have a much better time. Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 haha, you guys are nuts. If the dude wants to ride parks, he wants to ride parks And if you want to party, go nuts. Dont go breaking the law and the like and treat the people servicing you with common decency and respect (and learn how to ride the buses without annoying the driver or trying to get your 16 year old kids on at a childs fare). But other than that, have it as large as you like Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 No, no, no, ippy! It's like... if you come/go to Japan you MUST eat sashimi and raw horse. Even if you don't like it. You just must. Otherwise you are just way dumb! Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I just think it's a matter of how best to spend your valuable time and money especially if you haven't got much of either. If you're into nightlife and parks as a major part of your snow holiday experience then Japan just isn't the best place for it. So many better places in Canada and the US. It's not about making out people are dumb but managing their expectations. One of the main factors in not having an enjoyable overseas holiday is not having your expectations met. Ensuring people have realistic expectations of what to expect in Japan is surely the purpose of this whole site? Plus being on a shoestring budget I reckon he can get betters deals in the US currently. With the downturn in the economy over that way there's some really good deals going that I think would more than offset any higher airfare costs. Also currently in Aus we can get better value from the exchange to $US compared to Yen. Wanna party and hit up big world class parks? I'd take Mitch's advice about places like Keystone or Park City. Wanna ski powder and have a different cultural experience then Japan is the place to be. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I too fail to understand blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah. You don't need to succeed in understanding. If people want to come to Japan and enjoy a bit of park while they are here, then so be it. Link to post Share on other sites
mitchpee 10 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I too fail to understand blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah. You don't need to succeed in understanding. If people want to come to Japan and enjoy a bit of park while they are here, then so be it. It's not that we are saying he can't. Obviously he is in control of his own situation. I am recommending places he would have more fun and pertain to his idea of fun as stated in the post. Believe me, park was my background in skiing. I have ridden a lot of it, but I would not go to Japan for it. I figured I'd offer my advice. Take it or leave it, just trying to help maximize the kid's vacation. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 It's not that we are saying he can't. Phew, I bet he's relieved to hear that! I didn't even know that you had commented about it, MitchPee..... Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmer 2 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Whilst I agree that Japan isn't really the best for either parks or partying, you can have a lot of fun doing both there. Niseko's parks really aren't that bad, no they don't compare to the US, but the Hano park has a fast lift, decent halfpipe and fair sized jumps, rails are lacking though. As for partying, Hirafu has a scene comparable to most ski towns, if you are Aussie, and don't mind other drunken Aussies, you will probably love it. I've spent the summer skiing in a resort (hotel really) without a park, and with only 3 bars, so I am looking forward to getting back to Hirafu and hitting some rails (and the bars) almost as much as I am looking forward to the powder! Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I too fail to understand blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah, blah blah, blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah. You don't need to succeed in understanding. If people want to come to Japan and enjoy a bit of park while they are here, then so be it. And if we want to advise there are better options than Japan, then so be it. Are you going to tell the OP that Japan has an awesome apres ski party scene and parks? Of course you've probably been to only a couple of Japanese ski resorts and have never been involved in the ski industry in Japan or elsewhere so your advice is so highly valued on these forums pie-eater Let's face it besides some generally pretty lame comedic interjections you don't have much to offer people on this forum in the way of advice about skiing in Japan. Skiing in Wigan maybe but not Japan. Stick to your pies, at least you appear to have some working knowledge about them. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 "Interjection" time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1K8UDu9mmQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOgTsCkhvik&NR=1 And now, for the "lame nterjection" itself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6jT3Q3gyvs Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Pie fights aside ( ), I'd agree that Niseko or Hakuba would be your best bets in Japan Ladbong, though the US and possibly Canada might be better/cheaper options, so I'd research them too. Have fun! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I say if you want to be a skateboarder stick to the skateboard and leave the snow to those who understand the proper uses of it! Link to post Share on other sites
Zer0star 0 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Best park I have seen is at Alts Bandai in Fukushima. They hold the Burton Nippon Open there every year (except last year it got cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and who knows what will happen next season). Not much for partying but the weekend of the Open is huge and you can drink with the pros. Nango is also very cool and off the radar- http://www.snowjapan.com/e/voice/readrereview3.php?resortName=Aizu%20Kogen%20Nango&prefecture=Fukushima . Saw it in a dvd featuring the biggest jump ever made in Japan. You can see the remains of it near the top of the resort. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 yeah Alts does have a big park....but this year they are shutting down one side of the mountain, I think that was where the superpipe was so i dunnop if they'll have as much this year Link to post Share on other sites
snowboard 0 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 This is what they say on their site 昨年度厩エリアに大集結したパークを再び13コース、10コースのRider's付近に戻します。安定した積雪がある場所に移し出来るだけ早くオープンするのが狙いです。13コースから流れるパークは中級向け、下部はジブアイテムと初級者アイテム。Rider's前はおなじみの道場的なアイテムを造成する予定です。残念ながらパイプは今期中止となっていますが、12月末から3月中旬までハイクオリティーの内容を予定しています。 So they are trying to keep the park at the same size? Link to post Share on other sites
Zer0star 0 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 says there's no half-pipe this year. that must mean no nippon open either. looks like they will try to keep the rest though. Link to post Share on other sites
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