lastrocker 5 Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hi there, i'll land in Niseko on february, and i'm doing all my homeworks already... checking near places for daily trips and stuff. I was planning to go to Weiss for one or two days of cat skiing, being a dirty cheap bargain, i read on the web it's like 6500yen, but today on Niseko Tourism's facebook i found out a new society acquired the resort and the daily price raised insanely at 35000yen!! I'm sure they have a hella lot better services and stuff, but it's still 5/6 times the old price. Can some of you confirm that? Do you know if there's any other cheap cat skiing operation out there? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 What you read is correct. Brand new cat, new operation run by NAC. Link to post Share on other sites
anything 6 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 afaik, that's about an average price for cat skiing in niseko tho other companies have less numbers (eg: max 5 instead of 12) and more than one guide & photographer Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 so what's new or how do they justify the huge increase in price? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Brand new cat. Charging what the market will pay. Link to post Share on other sites
PaulH 1 Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 The price isn't really that different from what you pay in the States. Went in Canada last year and I think they charged us around $500 per person for the day. Link to post Share on other sites
Method 0 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I wouldn't bother, weiss is flat and boring. On a nice day you can see it from high up on the hanazono side of mt niseko-annupuri and you will see what I mean. Link to post Share on other sites
lastrocker 5 Posted December 16, 2012 Author Share Posted December 16, 2012 I wouldn't bother, weiss is flat and boring. On a nice day you can see it from high up on the hanazono side of mt niseko-annupuri and you will see what I mean. well, i was fashinated by the bargain price, but at 35000yen i can deff live without it Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I wouldn't bother, weiss is flat and boring. On a nice day you can see it from high up on the hanazono side of mt niseko-annupuri and you will see what I mean. Some good gullies and steeper pitches too. But the reason to do a day catskiing at Weiss is to have the views, the sense of space, and to ski 'think free' slopes covered in powder all day. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 You can buy nearly 3 Mt Granview season passes for 35000 yen! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 That price for Weiss is just silly :thumbsdown: Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 So not worth the market price? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 So not worth the market price? If the cat sits idle all winter, then yes. If it's booked from the end of December through to mid-February, then no. Only time will tell. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I'm not asking from their point of view though, Mike, I mean from the customers POV. You guys are bound to know roughly what terrain they'd be using.....is it worth the 35k? Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Its the equivalent to a night's stay in the Alpen or two really great meals of wagyu steak fo two with good wine. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I know what I'd be spending 35k on. Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 As mike said only time will tell but 6500 was way too cheap Cats are expensive both to buy and maintain. 35000 seems about the norm for cat sking. Your first day in a cat and you wont hit any really great slopes. The guides will not trust your word at all. So for a one day cat I think it isnt priced badly. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Well for 35k Id be wanting the goods Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 The price isn't really that different from what you pay in the States. Went in Canada last year and I think they charged us around $500 per person for the day. Right, coz cat skiing in the Rockie mountains is pretty comparable to cat skiing at Niseko Weiss... Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'm not asking from their point of view though, Mike, I mean from the customers POV. You guys are bound to know roughly what terrain they'd be using.....is it worth the 35k? For much less than 35,000 yen per person customers can experience better terrain and comparable, if not better, snow by going with a 'guiding' outfit based in the Niseko Resort Area. What you can't guarantee is that no one else will be sharing that terrain and snow. For many customers, the scarcity and exclusivity of the product more than justifies the price. Otherwise the various cat and heli-ski operations around the world would have gone the way of the dinosaur years ago. An isolated example, but an example nonetheless, I had a customer who skied the Niseko Resort Area for a week last February, then went to Canada to heli-ski with CMH for a week, then came back to Niseko for a week. The best terrain and snow was in Niseko not heliskiing. And at a fraction of the price. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 The price isn't really that different from what you pay in the States. Went in Canada last year and I think they charged us around $500 per person for the day. Right, coz cat skiing in the Rockie mountains is pretty comparable to cat skiing at Niseko Weiss... For some cat skiing operations yes. For example, Monarch Snowcats in Colorado. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 ...but they only charge $275US for the day... not $500 or ¥35,000($420US). It's also $1300 more expensive to rent the cat. The terrain looks quite different too. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 ...but they only charge $275US for the day... not $500 or ¥35,000($420US). It's also $1300 more expensive to rent the cat. The terrain looks quite different too. Thought we were discussing terrain not cost. Having skied both, they're more similar than they are different. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Well cost is related to the price since what we're talking about is worth Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Cat Sking was once cheap it isnt anymore. Youll never be taken to the goods on a one day tour if the guide doesnt know you. Link to post Share on other sites
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