Jump to content

Access to Hanzono/Hirafu from Annupuri for Freshies


Recommended Posts

Hi All,

 

I am staying at Annapuri for 8 days late January. Can I get over to Hirafu, Niseko Village and Hanzono early enough if I take the first Annapuri Gondola, to make fresh tracks in Strawberry fields, Miharashi, Superstition etc.? It looks like I can traverse across from the top of jumbo pair 4, but can't be sure as I have never been....

 

Or do I need to get the bus to these before the lifts open if I want to make untracked powder runs?

 

Cheers,

Tom

Link to post
Share on other sites

Early enough? I don't think so, unless all at Hirafu got poisoned the night before and failed to wake up.

 

Also, I seem to recall that the Annupuri lifts start later. But I could be wrong.

 

The top is connected. It's a fun way to reach the other areas.

 

And for the bus, if you don't have a UNITED pass you will need to pay for the bus ride (500 per way).

Link to post
Share on other sites

And if the top lifts are closed for wind you can't connect at all.

 

From what i remember there's no bus from Annupuri that goes to Hirafu/Hanazono early enough to catch the first chair. At least there's no bus from Hanazono to Annupuri at that time.

About difference of time operation of lifts, in peak season Hirafu runs the early operating lifts, they open 30 minutes earlier than normal for something like 600yen or so, even if you have the united pass or season pass.

Link to post
Share on other sites

i'm personally not obsessed by untracked (i admit it's a hella lot nicer to have no tracks in front of you tho), but in Niseko if you don't go early you won't find any real pow at all, it got completely tracked down quick.

 

Annupuri gets tracked down quick too, not as Hirafu of course. When gate 2 is open it's the place to be tho, the second back bowl is one of my fav runs in Niseko

Link to post
Share on other sites

i'm personally not obsessed by untracked (i admit it's a hella lot nicer to have no tracks in front of you tho), but in Niseko if you don't go early you won't find any real pow at all, it got completely tracked down quick.

 

Annupuri gets tracked down quick too, not as Hirafu of course. When gate 2 is open it's the place to be tho, the second back bowl is one of my fav runs in Niseko

 

Plenty of untracked in Niseko United post lunch if you know where to go.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm always curious about comments like that.

 

"If you know where to go".

 

So, don't want to share in public?

If not, then why mention that in public?

 

An honest question.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Plenty of untracked in Niseko United post lunch if you know where to go.

 

I spent just one month in Niseko, which is pretty much nothing compare to the time you spent there over the years, but i had the luck to ride very often with some local, and with local i mean japanese people who moved in Niseko twenty years ago. At times we found freshies even at 4pm, but "plenty" is a completely different kingdom. Secret stashes mean nothing for an ordinary skier who spend 8 days in Annupuri.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Most people are looking for the marquee runs close to the lifts with wide open spaces and long vertical.

 

Not surprisingly these areas get tracked out quite quickly.

 

For example, Super Course, Rinkan, Konayuki.

 

If you're able to ski / board tighter trees and happy to lap shorter pitches you can ski untracked lines for most of the day

 

For example, far skiers left of Miharashi

 

the trees between Miharashi (the run) and Konayuki.

 

Dropping below Holiday and taking the river traverse back to the gondola

Link to post
Share on other sites

Exactly.

 

You don't have to go far to find it.

 

You just have to be able to ski / board it. And want to ski the shorter lines.

 

Whilst the locusts are in Strawberry fields I'm skiing Blueberry, Shinya, off the corner of Silver Dream etc, etc

Link to post
Share on other sites

To get back to the OP, yes if you're adept at traversing you can get from the top of the Annupuri Jumbo lift all the way over past the top of the hooded triple and access Miharashi/Hanazono.

Why you would want to do that is an entirely different question, to which I've no answer.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Mike, i'm sorry but i have to disagree. Super Course doesn't get tracked out quite quickly, it gets tracked out immediately, in 3 runs from first chair it's done. The runs that you named usually stay decent for longer time (i still can't understand why the area around Miharashi ridge keeps some good patch for so long), but untracked is another realm... they just keep some patch where you can have one or two good turns in a row.

Same with blueberries, sure it's fun to ride and i went there even after lunch when coming off the gate 5 runs, still fun to ride, but i wouldn't call it untracked.

Except for when it's very deep, and it's still fun even after some locust attack, for me if it's more than some track, it's done. I'm old, i'm probably becoming snob, but my Japanese friends were a lot worse then me, some morning they decided to go back home at second run just because there were a couple of tracks in front of them. Backcountry purist who love completely virgin snow. I'm moving toward them, that's why i'll skin a lot more times this year

Link to post
Share on other sites

Fair enough.

 

Unless you're first in there are always going to be tracks.

 

Crossing tracks and hitting untracked diamonds keeps me more than happy.

 

And then there's the factor of what you ski on.

 

I ski on a narrower platform (173cm skis with a profile of 112-79-106) compared with most which allows me to ski different lines and have a more immersive experience in the powder.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies guys.

 

I'm not a powder snob by any means......a few lines in front of me won't bother me at all. Hey, even if I'm not finding much fresh stuff it will be a hell of a lot better than I am used to here in Aus. I am just trying to prepare myself for the best possibility of freshies when its been dumping down over night :-) I have learned from surfing that carefully picking your spot to go out (or board in this case) can be the difference between a great day and a fantastic day!!!!

 

I will probably spend most of my mornings making the most of Annupuri and then head over to the other areas once the fresh stuff is starting to get really tracked. It sounds like if I want to give fresh lines a crack at Strawberries then I can get the first bus over to Hirafu. I looked at the timetable, and I can get there at 8.20 or so ready for (one of) the first lifts.

 

Cheers all!

Link to post
Share on other sites

8.20 is perfect timing for first lift, they open at 8:30, no early operation in Hanazono. A couple of runs at Strawberries, 3 runs off gate 5 going on a further ridge on each run, or off gate 2 if it's open, hitting Blueberries on the way back to the lifts, and it will be 1:00pm, you'll have crossed just a few tracks on the last run, and you'll have such a big smile on your face you could even call it a day!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

uh, last info, just keep in mind that for a complete run, from when you take the first chair till you're in line at the first chair again, off gate 5 you need 40 minutes, off the peak gate one hour. While in Annupuri you need two lifts and a 5 min hike to get off gate 2 and you reach directly the lift base at the bottom of the run... So more laps in Annupuri

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've never had any problem skiing fresh lines most days, all day at Niseko. It's just a matter of starting in the right places and knowing how to move around the mountain to avoid the crowds as they migrate out from Hirafu. I almost never start my day in Hirafu that's for sure. There's so many lines around the mountain that few people know about. Hell even after 8 whole seasons there I was still learning some new ones in my last season. If you struggle to get fresh lines in Niseko you just don't know the mountain well. And I'm very thankful you don't! :p

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...