Alexander L 80 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 It's stupid money for those with stupid money. I wouldn't pay that for Weiss. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 It's stupid money for those with stupid money. We have a winner Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 i know people that spend 20 to 30 k a season on either helis or cats. They want that type of skiing and service. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 No doubt if not enough people are willing to spend that much on it, they will have to bring their prices down. I reckon they'll probably be ok though. More than a few people with stupid money go to Niseko. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 they'll thrive. I can see those luxury condo owners and their kids filling the slots. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 i know people that spend 20 to 30 k a season on either helis or cats. They want that type of skiing and service. 20-30k a season.....this is 35k once Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Dollars vs Yen I imagine tubby.. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 K Link to post Share on other sites
rider69 18 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Sorry but Cat skiing isnt meant to be for all people. It is priced high for a reason. A good used Cat will be 100000 dollars. Reapairs are not cheap. The experience is limited to certain numbers a day to save the snow. at 6500 yen a pop they were using the Cat more like a lift than a shuttle bus for a small group. Link to post Share on other sites
NisekoWatch 0 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Sounds expensive for what you get. I'm pretty sure there is a guy near Niseko who offers towing via snowmobile to access untouched powder and is only 13k(could be less), apparently much better than cat skiing. Unfortunately I don't know his name / details, but you should be able to book him through your lodge/hotel. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 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. Yeah, I wasn't being clear. A bunch of us actually did this cat tour in 2007 or 2008 (or the year after... bad memory!). We only did a couple of runs though at 2000Y a shot. The terrain is flat enough that it would be slow going in deep snow. 6500Y for a day is a good deal for sure and they probably could have charged more but there is no way I'd pay what they are asking for now. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 You just need to be richer and sillier, BM! Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Not everyone is as poor as you english teachers.... Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 And not all rich people are silly with money. I would imagine. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Don't you know anything Pie-eater. Rich people get that way because of all the stupid decisions they make with their money. It's the key to being rich actually. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Link to post Share on other sites
greg 4 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I saw the price myself a while ago and nearly fell off my seat. Having boarded Weiss when it had lifts running and cat skiing several years later I thought no one will pay that ridiculous amount. Having had time to think about it, i think it will do Ok. There are plenty of people who have the money on holidays who want "the experience". Niseko is far more crowded than it was 10 or even 5 years ago so the miles of untracked powder stories are rare at best. There is also the issue of percieved value, "if that is how much they are charging, thats how much it must be worth". Only time will tell but I believe plenty of cashed up families from China,Honk Kong and Malysia will be using the service. If it succeeds what is signals to me is Niseko really is becoming what a lot of people wanted. A major international resort with all the trappings (and often associated gouging). I'll leave it up to you guys as to whether that is good or bad or neither. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Not mainland China. They've cancelled a lot this year due to the Diao Yu's. And they've been messing up Japanese restaurants and cars in China, even though they're owned/manufactured by Chinese. They're nuts. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 But secretly they have been buying up businesses in Niseko. There's a steak restaurant I heard about for instance. Link to post Share on other sites
Hado 0 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I tried to go to Weiss in late Jan and drove all the way out there to find the operation wasn't running despite it being listed on websites etc. I just wanted to try it. As pointed out already - the terrain isn't very steep when you see it up close (just like it looks from the top of Hanazono) and it might not be worth this sort of money. You would be better off organizing a backcountry tour of one of the other nearby hills like Nitto if you want un-tracked powder. Link to post Share on other sites
greg 4 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 That's interesting, I hadn't considered the Diao yu's to come into things for the average folk until now. Link to post Share on other sites
Hado 0 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I think the Japanese are concerned about large tracks of forest around Niseko being purchased by the Chinese and have changed regulations to prevent it. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 just like a large area in Wales that was blocked. Link to post Share on other sites
anything 6 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 when i walked past this morning the cat's engine was running. perhaps they had their first customers today. tho i havent been past since to see if its actually moved. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 A good used Cat will be 100000 dollars. Reapairs are not cheap. I assume USD. That is not a lot of money. A crappy BMW X5 costs more than that here. And I am quite sure the X5 will die in snow. The cat operators are having a laugh. Link to post Share on other sites
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