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Won a ticket to White World (thank you SJ!) and am thinking to go this weekend with NECK as the forecast is for more snow there than Hakuba!?

 

My question is.... Do they open the resort on big snow days? Do lifts eventually open if they have to spend time clearing, or is the day a write off? Did they open this last weekend with the big snow?

 

I live 2hrs away, so it would suck fairly hard if we got there and it was a no go....

 

Thanks for any info!

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I went early this Sunday and didn't encounter any problems. They were also open on Saturday while the big snow was falling. There was only one closed lift and I got the feeling it is always closed. I might head up there on Sunday for another go. Maybe I'll see you up there! Not all that many foreigners. We are amazingly easy to spot :lol:

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Uh-oh! We shall have to be ninja-like if we stand out that bad! Full face balaclavas and mirrored lenses..... Hahahaha!

 

Great to hear they open even when it's pounding down! Good to know!

 

You didn't experience any ice from the last mild/rain period we had a week or so ago did you? Cortina on SUN had massive exposed ice patches where the wind had scoured the fresh snow off!? T'was not a pretty sight...

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Cool! Hopefully with the extra snow this weekend, that ice will get buried...

 

Thanks for the info btw!

 

Pretty keen to get in and check out White World as the aerial photos on google show some potentially nice tree runs!

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I think if it isn't bottomless it will be close ;) I really liked the trees between run 15 and 16. Nice lines to be had and no walking out. You can hit them from almost any angle from the connecting course between the top of the lift next to course 16 and the top of the next lift over. The only trap I came across was a fallen tree at the bottom of the first gully. If you ride it wrong, you could get stuck. Stick close together the first time you hit it just in case. With the extra snow it may be hard to see. Are you bringing snowshoes?

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Runs 15 & 16 are over the back, so only saw them on Google Earth...

I've been drooling at this pic...

I wasn't planning on taking my snowshoes... If the terrain isn't steep enough, I'll usually just move on to somewhere that is... Unless there's a decent BC line of course?!

 

whiteworldoze_map.jpg

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That is a nice pic! The only trees I hit on the front side were just beside run 7 which is the 40 degree slope. From the lift I went just past the run and dropped a couple of really nice powder lines. Due to the steepness and the trees they were a bit scary but fun. There seemed to be some danger if you don't cut back to the run soon enough so of course, be careful. The area between course 7 and 5 is bigger than it looks in this pic. I wanted to try it but the bottom of the gully seems to be a little flat and it was late in the day and I didn't bring my snowshoes. I was also alone which is never the safest. The valley below the gondola looked a bit sketcky but beautiful. I also noticed some people walking up to the peak and riding down a BC line followed by a closed run on the backside.. Looked really fun. If I had my snowshoes I probably would have tried to tag along. That said I was there from 8:30 to 3:30 and wasn't bored for a second!

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Won a ticket to White World (thank you SJ!) and am thinking to go this weekend with NECK as the forecast is for more snow there than Hakuba!?

 

My question is.... Do they open the resort on big snow days? Do lifts eventually open if they have to spend time clearing, or is the day a write off? Did they open this last weekend with the big snow?

 

I live 2hrs away, so it would suck fairly hard if we got there and it was a no go....

 

Thanks for any info!

 

I don't know when you were planning on driving over but the snow forecast is for more snow than last weekend. I think the expressways will probably close tonight and the other highways will probably be crazy. I might recomend staying local this weekend and coming later. If you do come over be careful :)

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Hmmm... We were planning on going Sunday.

If the highway is open, we'll definitely go as conditions will be perfect! If not, I'll have to have a re-think... I live near R144, so I could just drive that.... I love driving on snow so that's not a problem, it's just a time issue -can't be doing with driving any more than 2.5hrs...

 

I'll keep my eyes peeled to the IC info website, and keep those fingers crossed!

Cheers for the heads up anyway!

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Bushiman,

 

Your picture is freaking me out. That is one spooky snow demon indeed.

 

Anyway, hope you have a safe drive and get some snow this weekend.

 

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am moving from Niigata to Tokyo next month and I am looking for closeish snow options.

 

Gunma Boarder, thanks for the information so far.

 

I have a related question, where do you think holds good conditions later in the season. I was planning some snow jaunts from my new home in Tokyo around late March. Where do you think is more likely to have OK quality around that time? White World or Kawaba?

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Bushiman,

 

Your picture is freaking me out. That is one spooky snow demon indeed.

 

Anyway, hope you have a safe drive and get some snow this weekend.

 

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am moving from Niigata to Tokyo next month and I am looking for closeish snow options.

 

Gunma Boarder, thanks for the information so far.

 

I have a related question, where do you think holds good conditions later in the season. I was planning some snow jaunts from my new home in Tokyo around late March. Where do you think is more likely to have OK quality around that time? White World or Kawaba?

 

Kawaba is higher and gets more snow than White World Oze Iwakura so I would go with Kawaba. I think late in the season Kawaba and Kagura in Yuzawa are probably your best bets from Tokyo. I have never been but the elevation of Marunuma Kogen might also make it a good late season option. Only problem is it is kind of a long drive (Why I have never been). I think I would go with White World Oze Iwakura more midseason.

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It's not that much further than White World really...

 

I guess it's not (google maps says 48 min to Iwakura and 56 to Marunuma from Numata IC). You could probably take a little off those times because looking at the course, I don't think they are taking the new tunnel into consideration. The drive up the 120 has always felt kind of long to me in summer but I guess I was over estimating it. Maybe I should check out Marunuma late season this year :lol: Kawaba says 28 min which is also overestimated it is definitely the closest. Kagura says about 40 min and even Yuzawa Kogen even says 35 min.

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Thanks everyone. I had never heard of Marunuma before. Looks the goods for late season. All depends on the generosity of the snow gods. They have been somewhat frugal with their blessings this season..

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Bushiman,

 

Your picture is freaking me out. That is one spooky snow demon indeed.

Hahahaha! Thanks! I used boot-polish to outline the facial features, and the snowman himself was well over 2m tall so pretty scary!

 

Anyway, I'm definitely not the chap to ask about jaunts from Tokyo -I've only ever lived in Nagano Prefecture, and the resorts here would be at least 3.5hrs from Tokyo... Gunma is probably your best bet, plus Yuzawa in Niigata.

 

Good luck!

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Bushiman,

 

Your picture is freaking me out. That is one spooky snow demon indeed.

 

Anyway, hope you have a safe drive and get some snow this weekend.

 

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am moving from Niigata to Tokyo next month and I am looking for closeish snow options.

 

Gunma Boarder, thanks for the information so far.

 

I have a related question, where do you think holds good conditions later in the season. I was planning some snow jaunts from my new home in Tokyo around late March. Where do you think is more likely to have OK quality around that time? White World or Kawaba?

 

u-tan, from Tokyo the best bet in Kagura in Yuzawa......its the next IC up from Minakami and there is even a back road that leads you down through Naeba first. Gunma isn't bad but Kagura is best.......late season, early season.....pretty much all season :D I like Gunma but the good resorts are quite far from the IC and a bit of a pain to get to, so that makes the Yuzawa area much better and the best terrain on offer IMO is Kagura.

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Sorry for the thread hijack Bushiman.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone, I will be living in kind of central Tokyo so I won't have a car. I will be using trains or one day bus tours etc.

 

I have been to Kagura once, early this season. The mountain is awesome but the wait for the gondola and sometimes for the lifts was less awesome. I was told that was because hardly anywhere else was open then so all of the early season snow fiends were there.

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If you are using trains then Kagura and the Yuzawa area becomes even more of the top choice. Gunma resorts by train and bus are a waste of time. They always get you in about 10-11am in the morning. The shink to Yuzawa can get you into most Yuzawa resorts for first or second lift.

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How is the drive on the 120 from the Numata IC to Oze? Is it as harrowing and vertical as the drive to Kawaba can be? I was surprised at the drive up to Kawaba last year in rather benign spring conditions, and I'm not sure I'd attempt it in poor conditions even with the snow tires I recently had fitted. We went to Houdaigi a few weekends ago - nice compact little resort, and the drive wasn't bad at all.

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