Thundercat 60 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Of course, thanks again to SJ for the tickets to a new place for us. I'd actually never even heard of this resort area before I saw the giveaway contest. We also had a really nice drive to this resort going through an area of Japan that I hadn't been to before north of Kofu. We even passed a couple of little resorts on the way that we may check out next season. I'm not sure if Ippy's review lowered my expectations so far that it was impossible to have a bad time or the fact that I hadn't been on the snow for almost three weeks but my wife and I had a pretty good time here. First of all, Sugadaira isn't a resort per se but more of a resort area. The area is a cluster of small resorts that are hardly even physically connected (Only Pine Beak 1 & 2 and Taro & Davos). If you try to hit all the areas you'll end up frustrated and wasting a bunch of time. It's definitely best to stay in one or two of the areas and roam around than trying to navigate the roads if you are driving or the shuttles if you don't have a car. (Standing at the top of Pine Beak 1 looking across at Hare, the nearest on the left, and Taro/Davos slightly further away. The snowcat goes to the top of the snowier peak on the left in the distance) It was a pretty warm day and the snow was soft and almost slushy. We mostly played around in the Pine Beak 1 area and within half a day we had easily hit up all the runs and park at the bottom of the hill. We also had a great kebab at the bottom of the hill for lunch. Yummy! Over at the Davos side of the resort area things were very different. The snow was definitely patchier and stickier than the Pine Beak side and visibility was almost nothing. The courses are super wide and we couldn't find anything too interesting but that might have been because of the fog (or not if you ask ippy). As well, the snowcats were finished for the season which was too bad because the terrain above Davos looked interesting and the run back into the resort looked long and fun. Sugadaira definitely had a kind of charm for me. I'm not really sure what it was but I can definitely see the appeal. It's a beginner (or blossoming intermediate) area that would be great for families. I kind of liked the slower pace of the place and the local vibe. It wasn't a pretentious place and everyone there was having a good time. I also get the feeling that there aren't really any powder hounds about so after a good dump you'd probably be able to lap up the snow run after run. Would I go back? If I were in the area and looking for a relaxing day, I think so. I'd really like to see what this place had to offer when the conditions weren't so springy. Link to post Share on other sites
Mick Rich 78 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Interesting report BM - thanks for posting! Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Great read. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites
ippy 66 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Heeeeeeeyyy!!! my review was pretty fair. Only the end part was me being mean. Nice report, cute pics as well! But yeah: 1. You need a car. 2. You need to decide where you really want to be, and where youre willing to go to if you get bored or run out of stuff to do. You dont wanna be hopping about too much. 3. Pine beak is more interesting than Taravos and comes "close" to a rounded resort with variable lines. But Taravos is more fun for a beginner group. 4. All of its pretty fekkin short though. 5. HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MEEEE!!!!!! RAAARRR!!! 6. Snow cat looks more fun when you can see the video. Itd be worth it just the once. Also hiking is a definite option. 7. All obvious lines were tracked on pow day. (i was there on a pow day) except over at pine beak 2 which was my favorite place... Davos gets pretty much blasted by the wind. Pine beak is more sheltered which honestly accounted for about a 30cm difference in freshies on the day. 8. I fekkin hate that place! 9. But despite my best attempts to convince the world otherwise, im possibly not the center of the universe. I can begrudgingly accept that so long as you pay attention to points 1 to 4 youll probably do alright there. 10. There is no ten 11. These amps go to 11. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Nice report, cute pics as well! Another one, just for ippy! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks. Definitely want to give it a go. Link to post Share on other sites
r45 4 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Interesting to hear another view on this place. Next winter I'm going to check out a number of places in that area. How long a drive is it from Nagano city, about? Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Nice report, cute pics as well! Another one, just for ippy! Aw, you look so shy, BM! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks for the review . Always nice to hear about new places. I have never been there before and soundd like worth a look sometime. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Interesting to hear another view on this place. Next winter I'm going to check out a number of places in that area. How long a drive is it from Nagano city, about? Not sure about time but it's not too far away. There is another resort near there that I'm going to check out next year called Kazawa. From the road it looked like it had the goods. Thanks for the review . Always nice to hear about new places. I have never been there before and soundd like worth a look sometime. I think it would be a great place to go for you and your daughter. As I said, I think it's a great family place. Did I mention the kebabs were yummy? Link to post Share on other sites
JellyBelly 1 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Black Mountain - thanks. So is it kind of like a Shiga Kogen kind of place, ie. different resorts known as one and sharing the lift ticket? Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Yes, but it is like Shiga Kogen's infant baby brother. One ticket gets you on any of the ski-jo but there aren't nearly as many places as Shiga Kogen and the hills are a lot smaller. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Enjoyed reading that after seeing ippy's account. Wonder what the snow quality is like peak season up there. It does get crazy cold I heard. Link to post Share on other sites
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