Mike Pow 52 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Kiroro handles the wind much better than the Niseko United and Moiwa IMHO. I wouldn't bother skiing/riding today. It looks very miserable. Link to post Share on other sites
agillgren 13 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Thanks Mike good to know-- might see you out there this week sometime then Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 UPDATE The rain has turned to snow far earlier than expected. The wind is howling however. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Fingers crossed it dies down soon! Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 it can only get better looks like some more snow is coming Link to post Share on other sites
Whitebear 1 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Can I ask some advice? I've been ro Niseko, Rusutsu, and Moiwa a lot, but never considered Kiroro. Sounds like it is worth the trip. Do you need a guide or someone who knows the place? Can you just duck into trees and be confident of coming out on a run? Any side country? Is it worth , say, a three or four day stay? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Can I ask some advice? I've been ro Niseko, Rusutsu, and Moiwa a lot, but never considered Kiroro. Sounds like it is worth the trip. Do you need a guide or someone who knows the place? No. A lot of the powder is beside the runs and easily accessible. There are even two dedicated powder areas - Powder Line and Powder Zone. But when these areas are tracked out, then skiing with someone who knows the place can make the day far more enjoyable. Can you just duck into trees and be confident of coming out on a run? Yes and no. As in all resorts. Any side country? Loads. Recognised route from the top of the gondola to the summit of Mt. Yoichi-dake. Is it worth , say, a three or four day stay? Definitely. Link to post Share on other sites
Whitebear 1 Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Thanks Mike. I'll put it on the next trip itinerary. Link to post Share on other sites
Dunga 1 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Some of the photos you take Mike are amazing! That last one of Ian looks like you are almost on top of him. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Many thanks Dunga. The last pic was taken on one of the steeper pitches at Kiroro with Ian skiing past me. That's what gives the allusion that I'm towering over him. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 DAY 81 : SUNDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2013 6 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ First day with Mike, Jill, Annabel, Emma, Will and Nathan for Ian and I. The upper lifts in the Niseko United were on wind hold and Annupuri was closed completely so we skied Niseko Village today. It was very good considering the wind and rain that had battered the area in the past 48 hrs. very cold in the biting wind, especially as none of the lower lifts at Niseko Village have covers. DAY 82 : MONDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2013 5 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ As of today 1103 cm (434") has fallen at MQ Day 2 with Mike, Jill, Annabel, Emma, Will and Nathan and today we were joined by Emma's friend Lauren. The snow conditions got better as the day went on and we spent out time skiing Center, Shirakaba and Rinkan and the trees between these runs. DAY 83 : TUESDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2013 21 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The snow started falling in earnest around 8pm yesterday, but within a couple of hours the wind picked up and raged through the night. And unfortunately continued through until after lunchtime today. Day 3 with Mike, Annabel, Emma, Will, Nathan and Lauren. Hanazono was completely closed today, and only the Alpen quad and the gondola were running at Niseko Hirafu. The lift line for the gondola was between 45-60 minutes so we drove over to Niseko Annupuri and spent the morning lapping the quad and skiing boot top powder in the trees. After lunch we dropped into Gate 7 and skied laps of boot top to knee deep powder in the trees and the gully. The wind has died down and there's even sun forecast for tomorrow. The Niseko Resort Area is slowly resetting itself. Hanazono is the call for tomorrow's turns. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Thanks Mike. I'll put it on the next trip itinerary. +1 for the info Mike. Thinking about heading there on Sunday. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 DAY 84 : WEDNESDAY 06 FEBRUARY 2013 9 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ The Niseko Resort Area stopped doing it's impression of Patagonia and with no wind and sunny skies it was time to hit the top lifts and head over to Hanazono. Mike, Annabel, Will, Nathan, Lauren, Ian and I warmed up on Center and Rinkan and then took Parallel across to Hanazono. The groomed runs were smooth with wonderful corduroy and no crunch, and the off-groomed was boot to knee deep light, fast powder. We got untracked in Ten Turns, untracked off Silver Dream and found plenty of light crud and untracked powder on and off Legend of Shinya. After lunch at Hanazono 308 we traversed into The Cuts and had smooth powder back down to the lift. Nathan in The Cuts Lauren in The Cuts Will in The Cuts Annabel in The Cuts Nathan, Annabel, Lauren & Will at the top of Hanazono 3 quad lift "He said open your eyes on 3" A great day with massive improvement in the powder for all. DAY 85 : THURSDAY 07 FEBRUARY 2013 0 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ A cold, clear night but the wind rolled through very quickly this morning closing all lifts above the Center 4 quad lift and Hirafu gondola at Niseko Hirafu. A very average ski experience so we called it quits at mid-day. The heavens opened around 2pm and it's been snowing heavily since. Hopefully the wind has died down up top and tomorrow will be a return to the deep powder that's the norm for early February. In other news, NON-FATAL AVALANCHE ON MT. YOTEI Details are not complete but this is what I've been told. Two seasonal workers from Australia were caught in an avalanche on Mt Yotei yesterday whilst descending from close to the summit ridge line. A large gully slid and caught one skier whilst a second avalanche was triggered and caught the other skier. The skier caught in the secondary avalanche suffered no injuries. However the skier caught in the primary avalanche was carried approx 750 m and came to a stop buried up to the shoulder. He was rescued by his party who were aided by a Japanese firefighter out on the volcano. He was airlifted off Mt Yotei by helicopter and treated in hospital for two broken femurs and a compound fracture of the tibia. The operation last night was a success and the skier is doing well. Link to post Share on other sites
Whitebear 1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Lucky to be alive, but the pain must have been incredible. Link to post Share on other sites
Dunga 1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Very lucky. Not to take it off topic, have you ever been caught in a slide Mike? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Thankfully no Dunga. Link to post Share on other sites
panhead_pete 27 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 MIke apologies if you have told us before but what camer are you using as your pics look great. Link to post Share on other sites
SNOWMAGEDDON 0 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Awesome Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Many thanks SNOWMAGGEDON. Cheers panhead_pete. Canon 7D 28-135 mm kit lens B&W F-Pro Polarising Filter Shooting in RAW and using Adobe Camera RAW to process Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 DAY 86 : FRIDAY 08 FEBRUARY 2013 19 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Great morning at Niseko Hanazono with Mike, Jill, Annabel, Will, Emma, Nathan, Lauren, and Ian. No wind, sunshine, boot top to knee deep light powder. Then the wind and snow rolled in and we called it quits mid-afternoon in the anticipation of deeper turns tomorrow. DAY 87 : SATURDAY 09 FEBRUARY 2013 35 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ And the deeper turns arrived. A fabulous day at Niseko Hanazono with Mike, Jill, Annabel, Will, Emma, Nathan, Lauren, and Ian. Nathan on Stairway to Heaven Nathan, Annabel, Jill, Emma, Mike and Will at the top of the Hanazono 1 quad chair Next stop Strawberry Fields Mike Annabel Nathan Emma Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Jill on Stairway to Heaven Then after lunch we headed for The Cuts Emma Will Annabel Mike And to top off a wonderful day we all had a superb dining experience at Maccarina in Makkari. DAY 88 : SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2013 16 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ As of today 1203 cm (474") has fallen at MQ Another great morning at Niseko Hanazono with Mike, Jill, Annabel, Will, Emma, Lauren, and Ian. Then over to Niseko Annupuri for the buffet lunch, followed by Tetse's, Ten Turns, The Cuts, & Waterfall for the last 'run' of their holiday. For dinner we went to Sato in Kutchan. Delicious sashimi, sushi and tempura. This was their first visit to Hokkaido. Hopefully the first of many. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 DAY 89 : MONDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2013 6 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 1 with David, Emma and Carl. A thoroughly professional and enjoyable experience at Rhythm & Beats getting rental equipment and then we were off to Niseko Hanazono to escape the Chinese New Year crowds in Niseko Hirafu. The terrain off the Hanazono 1 quad chair was well tracked but we still found plenty of pockets of powder all morning. We headed over to Boyoso for lunch and spent the afternoon lapping the Hirafu gondola skiing Konayuki and Miharashi. Boot to knee deep powder all day. DAY 90 : TUESDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2013 19 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 2 with David, Emma and Carl. With plenty of snow at MQ and more coming down Niseko Moiwa was the destination du jour. There were a few moments of sunshine but it snowed most of the day. With hardly anyone on the hill it was practically untracked all day with waist deep powder and face shots on the menu. And we gorged. In other news, Update on the Mt Yotei avalanche incident on Wednesday 06 February 2013 It turns out that the young man caught in the slide is Kristian Ventura from Australia. Also turns out that he didn't have adequate and appropriate insurance to cover the cost of an injury and rescue sustained in a non-patrolled environment. So he's stuck in hospital recovering and trying to get the funds to get home. A Message From Kristian http://www.mycause.com.au/page/56191 Never been a better time to check that your ski insurance policy covers you for all eventualities. Link to post Share on other sites
blu 3 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I noticed one very fat K2 powder ski in the ski valet at the Hilton. I was told someone had to get rescued out of one of the back bowls at a cost of about $4,000. Unhurt, but buried & lost the other ski. Someone might find it in spring. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 DAY 91 : WEDNESDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2013 6 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 3 with David, Emma & Carl. With no top up overnight and the sun shining, today's destination was Rusutsu. David, Emma & Carl's holiday is being organised by Ben Harding and today Ben shuttled us back up the East Mt access road to the East Mt gondola base after we dropped off skier's left of the gondola. RUSUTSU ROAD SHOTS Emma David Carl Ian Carl on the track back to Ben and the van Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 After lunch at the Rusutsu Tower we skied Mt. Isola for a couple of runs. Carl, Emma & David at the top of Mt. Isola with Lake Toya and the Pacific Ocean in the background Emma, Carl and David at the top of Mt. Isola with Mt. Yotei in the background And then it was back to the untracked. Emma David Carl showing how it's done in the powder. He could ski before he got to Fantasy Island. Now he can ski deep, Hokkaido powder. Not bad for a 10-year old! DAY 92 : THURSDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2013 16 cm in the past 24hrs at MQ Day 4 with David, Emma, Carl & Ian. Deep snow all over Niseko Annupuri and Niseko Village with minimal lift lines and face shots all day. Snowing hard all morning but after lunch the wind kicked in and the powder got a little slabby. But there were still face shots to be had in the trees right through until 4pm Link to post Share on other sites
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