gozaimaas 61 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 you just been punkd bro Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 That's genius too! Well done, I say! Link to post Share on other sites
kokodoko 67 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Goryu and 47 are good as well.. Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 If you want to avoid lots of the inevitable nonsense that also goes with those two great places, Blimey cider, there's lots to choose form. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 There sure is. Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 If you only have a week, I would say Niseko. If you have a month/season/lifetime, then I would say hands down Hakuba. Therefore, Hakuba wins my vote Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 That's an interesting assessment Neck - and probably quite accurate. A lot of the people that I know only have a week to two weeks. We will be heading to Niseko (it will have been 2 years since I have been there) at Christmas. 3 members of my family have about 10 days. Another family we are friends with is going the same dates for 8 days (the best they can manage - as he is a specialist doc that can only get away for that Christmas/New Year break). We are quite excited about getting back on the snow with them. PB was last on snow with them in Myoko Kogen and Ufa Russia in Feb/March when the kids (their two and one of ours) were training for and competing in the International Winter Games. The love of exploring new places is not diminished just because there are some easy and familiar places that we like to go for a quick trip. Now that 16yo cub is training year round for his summer sport, the opportunities to sneak away are few and far between - sometimes they are only known with a week or two's notice, and usually just a week in duration. The easiest place for us to get to and settle in quickly, getting the most from our limited time off is Niseko. Unfortunately we also found it tough to get accommodation at such short notice in the past (although were successful a few times). That led to us buying an apartment. It means that if we don't have the time to plan and book a lengthy new adventure to a new location, we can still duck away and get some fabulous snow time - even if it is in dribs and drabs, in small groups, or solo. Going solo is a lot easier when there are people in the village that you know because you have been there a few times before. It's a bit like coming home. Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Yeah mamabear, if I only had a week or two per year to shred then I would choose Niseko. Sure to get the snow and more than enough terrain to keep you entertained for a week or two. I usually manage to get a week there in the season, but didn't manage to get there last season . I missed the place for sure! Hakuba just has more to offer in terms of terrain, pitch, vert and variety. Not as much snowfall as Niseko, but it's a big mountain environment with rideable aspects into June and beyond if you are willing to work hard for your turns. You would be hard pushed to get bored of riding in Hakuba. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I'd have to agree with your assessment. We loved Hakuba, and I would LOVE to do a whole season there to really get to know the place. We often get well more than a week or two a year, but sometimes it is broken up into pieces that small. We're pretty lucky that way. But it has to fit in around the cubs ambitions (at least until he gets a drivers licence) - although we did leave him here to train and play while 4 of us went to France last Christmas/NY as the little cub needed to clock some hours on boardercross ahead of competition. He managed quite well on his own at 15... but I wouldn't want to make a habit of it. Link to post Share on other sites
seemore 66 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 See Hakuba for sure Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) Hmmm, Happo-one does have about 10% more vertical, but Niseko has the steeper max run. No stats to back up the following, but IMHO Niseko has far more skiable terrain than Hakuba Happo-one, but Hakuba's Happo-one's on-piste terrain is more varied and interesting. Shinkansen to Nagano has made the Hakuba region an easier trip (from Tokyo) than getting to Niseko. When it dumps in Hakuba the snow is as good as anywhere, but it doesn't dump as reliably as Niseko. Edited June 4, 2013 by DiGriz Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I think that Hakuba has more extreme off piste terrain than Niseko. To access it you really need to know what you are doing or join a guided tour. That's not saying Niseko's off piste/back country areas are walks in the park.....you really should know what you are doing when u go beyond any boundary but with the way they manage the gates etc it makes that gnarly out of bounds a little more accessible to people. Link to post Share on other sites
sanjo 2 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Is no-one going to mention the 'b' word? Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Which one, bollocks? I like that word. What kind of place you like Blimey cider. Fabulous name by the way. Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hmmm, Happo-one does have about 10% more vertical, but Niseko has the steeper max run. No stats to back up the following, but IMHO Niseko has far more skiable terrain than Hakuba, but Hakuba's on-piste terrain is more varied and interesting. Shinkansen to Nagano has made the Hakuba region an easier trip (from Tokyo) than getting to Niseko. When it dumps in Hakuba the snow is as good as anywhere, but it doesn't dump as reliably as Niseko. Pretty sure Blimey Cider means Hakuba as a resort area, rather than just Happo as a resort If he meant just Happo resort, then Niseko wins my vote. If he meant Hakuba as a resort area, with all the resorts in close proximity to each other, then Hakuba keeps my vote as it dwarfs Niseko and has loads more to offer. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I meant to write Happo-one there. Fixed it. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Is no-one going to mention the 'b' word? OK, what is the b word, apart from or beloved bollocks. Link to post Share on other sites
HighlyTrainedNovaTeacher 2 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Bottom Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 ah got it. Lack of them. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Inability to reach the lower depths of Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 for this one reason alone, I'd deffo choose Hakuba. Not just one place, but all of them. Please go there. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Depends on what you want in terms of your skiing I guess. I hate and I mean really hate skiing on piste and overall I really don't much like ski resorts. And that's why I love Niseko. Huge amounts of easily accessible off piste terrain where you don't have to know a damned thing about avi safety and you'll still be pretty safe. You can spend much of the day skiing mostly off piste and that's the way I like it. For consistency of snow quality I would also choose Niseko and it is a good base to get to Moiwa, Rusutsu and Kiroro. There is far more, far bigger and steeper terrain you can access from Hakuba though. They have real mountains there unlike the hills up around Niseko. Still to really enjoy the amazing terrain of the region you'll require full avi gear and knowledge. All comes back to the sort of experience you're after. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Go Native has the right idea . Niseko is basically a powder free-for-all. Hakuba has more to offer, but to get the best out of it you need a lot more experience. Link to post Share on other sites
Blimey cider 0 Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Thanks folks, all interesting! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 One day I'd like to try out Niseko.......... Link to post Share on other sites
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