 Poster: A snowHead
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If you make it over to Teine, be sure to give me a shout!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Will do 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We've had blizzard conditions since late yesterday afternoon. And its still going. Last night we had strong winds, thunder and lightning, and the snow hasn't stopped. With the wind funnelling between buildings etc, there are some huge snowdrifts in town, the snowplows are working overtime. I had to dig my way out of my apartment this morning as a snowdrift had totally blocked the doorway! In sheltered areas, probably 50/60cm has fallen in the last 12 hours.
Schools, buses, trains etc cancelled in this area.
I'm hoping it'll ease off by this evening, so I can hit the nighta at the local hill!
Last night at the ski hill, just as the wind was picking up. I called it a day after this.
Here's the webcam outside the station in my town
Radar image right now. I live in the central area where the two streams of snow are meeting. It looks to be moving east, towards Sahoro and Tomamu, where I'll be going this weekend!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Raging here too 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Just back from Tomamu and Sahoro, two fairly well known ski hills in the Tokachi area, around 150km east of Sapporo. The region doesn't get as much snow as the areas in the west, but it is consistently colder, so the snow is alot lighter. Also it doesn't get the crowds.
Saturday was Tomamu. There had been maybe 5cm overnight, but higher up on the hill, the snow that had fallen in the week was still fresh and untouched.
Looking up at the highest point of Tomamu once the sun came out in the afternoon
Most of the good powder stashes are in the lightly tree'd slopes accessed by a single chair heading up to just below the summit
Which we lapped, finding different lines and fresh tracks all morning
Until the sun came out and we headed over to the park. I know, I know, why hit the park when there's powder!?? But the park at Tomamu is probably the best in Hokkaido at the moment. And we ride powder most of the time, so it was really fun to hit some big jumps and a well shaped pipe for a change!
Halfpipe to the left, kicker line to the right
I'd definitely recommend Tomamu as an alternative to the more popular Hokkaido resorts. We had alot of fun there, and will be back.
Sunday we headed over the pass to nearby Sahoro. A slightly smaller resort with only a Club Med, and one other hotel at its base. It was soooo quiet. Barely anyone at all on the hill. It hadn't snowed overnight, but we still had untracked powder all day.
Looking up from the base.
Looking out over the Tokachi plains from the top of the Sahoro gondola
Even spots in plain view of the chairlifts were left untouched!
We did have a couple of occasions where ski patrol blew whistles at us when we were riding off piste (no signs preventing us from doing so!) We asked them what the problem was, and they just said that we shouldn't ski off the trails! Hmmmm. So in the afternoon we had to be a little craftier and we found a zone in the trees with lots of pillows and a nice steep pitch. It was like Strawberries at Hanazono, with just us there lapping it.
It was a great weekend, checking out two spots that I hadn't been to before. Next weekend we'll be down in Niseko. Probably will hit Chisen on Saturday and then see how we feel on Sunday after no doubt having a few beers in Hirafu on Saturday night!
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Great post. I've always wondered what Tomamu and Sahoro would be like. How do you think they'd be for guys like me who're too lazy to learn Japanese?
Hint: I did a day trip to Teine in 2008 and language really was an issue when trying to hire skis and get a lift pass. My hand signing was worked overtime that day...
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Back in the land of fire and ice, will definitely be back though as we had a super awesome time. TR to come when I get everything collated.
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| Ordinary_Skiier wrote: |
| Great post. I've always wondered what Tomamu and Sahoro would be like. How do you think they'd be for guys like me who're too lazy to learn Japanese? |
Reckon you should be ok, especially at Sahoro with the Club Med bringing in some overseas visitors. Tomamu I guess caters more to the Japanese tourist, but I'm sure there'd be a few English speakers.
Short video edit from the weekend:
https://vimeo.com/60430619
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Nice skills
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Been warm the past couple of days, +3/4 ish. Looked like it might rain this morning, but luckily it held off. At lunchtime the wind shifted and temperature dropped. Snowed about 20cm through the afternoon.
Would've been a great nighta at the local hill, but am having to head out for dinner with friends for Mrs MagSeven's birthday. Grumble!
Heading down to Niseko tomorrow afternoon. Not sure how Saturday will be, looks like its gonna be very windy so might not get much skiing done. Sunday should be good.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wot, no offpiste bibs at Tomamu? 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Great to see you got the goods yesterday at least.
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You know it makes sense.
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As per Mike Pow's report. Mental weather here. Winter is back. This season really has seen some very strong winds. This weekend was no different. Tons of snow through Friday and Friday night. Strong winds on Saturday morning up at Teine. Most lifts on hold, but we hiked to the summit and scored an incredible run down bowl 1. Run of the season, big fast turns down a really steep open bowl. The summit lift opened later in the afternoon, so we had a few more of the same, although we were pretty knackered at that stage!
Sunday, windy again. Went to Yubari for a Mount Racey session. Loads of snow again, but most lifts on hold. Got a few lines, but mostly just jibbed around in the park making the most of soft landings. Some mates went to Kamui, sounded unreal, it was less windy up there so the gondy opened. Shoulda gone to Kamui!
Looks really unsettled through the week, wind and snow. Hopefully it'll mellow out a bit by next weekend, I'm getting very fed up with closed lifts and wind!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Excellent
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Good to see Hokkaido is still delivering. If it keeps delivering through to 3rd of April I'll be a very happy chappy...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Coming back for more? You never know... last year I definitely had a couple of lift served powder days in April. Fingers crossed for this year. We've certainly got more snow in the forecast from tomorrow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yeah I'll be staying in Hirafu from 29 MAR - 03 APR, Easter Weekend basically, and then overnight in Sapporo before heading off to Nagoya for a wedding.
Hope to pick and choose resorts in the area on a daily basis as conditions dictate, but not sure yet how I can do that without hiring a car. Workload is hindering my research capabilities ATM.
Will probably need some touristy options as well if things are grim snow-wise.
On the car front, does anyone know any good/budget car rental options? I have a valid international license so that's not an issue
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Ordinary_Skiier, I'm not that clued up on car rental. When I've been elsewhere in Japan and I've hired a car, I've used Toyota Rent a Car. English site: http://rent.toyota.co.jp/en/index.html Not too much info on there, but they have English speakers available if you call them. I'm sure there are plenty of other options though.
I went up to Sapporo Teine yesterday. Didn't stay long. The snow was terrible. We'd had rain Monday and sun on Tuesday. Everything off piste was crusty and lumpy. I didn't take any pictures, it wasn't really worth it!
It started to snow around lunchtime though, and then it really closed in last night. Around 15cm was on the ground this morning, and it had drifted alot deeper in places.
Still falling this morning. The roads were mostly free of snow around here yesterday, but it's looking very wintery again now.
Looks like it should continue snowing until the weekend. I'm looking forward to checking out Sapporo Kokusai on Saturday. Kokusai is well known for getting some of the deepest snow in the area (it's just a stone's throw from Kiroro, where so many of MikePow's photos of super deep pow come from.) I haven't been there before, but a mate is a local there, so he's going to show me around.
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Thanks for the link MagSeven, will definitely check it out...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Love Sapporo Kokusai.
Heading there Monday I think.
Enjoy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Good to see it delivered.
Same the other side of the ridge
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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A beautiful morning up at Teine. It started a little grey, but soon the sun was out. A nice amount of fresh snow overnight so the bowls were in great condition. Feels great to still be riding deep pow this late in March!
Looking up at Teine Highland from the access road. The bowls are all underneath and to the lookers right of the pylons at the summit.
I was riding by myself and had my GoPro, so I put together some of the POV footage.
https://vimeo.com/62542519
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 25-03-13 2:36; edited 1 time in total
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Lovely.
That terrain looks great.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hello everyone,Im planning a ski trip to Niseko next year in Jan..not sure to maximase the chances to have and ski the best of powder snow during my stay which week will be the best to be there second week from (10 Jan) of or third week onwards? Any suggestions please.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Maybe the third week would be better as it might be slightly less busy in Niseko itself. Anytime in January you'll most likely have lots of snow. Barring a shocking early season, all the off piste should be skiable by 10th Jan.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| toro wrote: |
| Hello everyone,Im planning a ski trip to Niseko next year in Jan..not sure to maximase the chances to have and ski the best of powder snow during my stay which week will be the best to be there second week from (10 Jan) of or third week onwards? Any suggestions please. |
Not a lot of difference between the second or third week in terms of snowfall in the seven winters I've been keeping records.
Check when Chinese New Year is for 2014.
That makes it busier and more expensive accommodation wise.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hokkaido is all about snow quality, quantity, and consistency in my opinion.
The terrain is comparable to the lower Austrian and German resorts I've skied - a little above treeline skiing, a few open bowls, but mostly tree lined groomed runs and off groomed runs through birch forests and a little conifer.
The pitch is mellow but challenging enough.
Whilst the vertical is in the neighbourhood of 600 m, with negligible lift lines compared with the more popular European resorts you can easily do enough laps in a day to match a good day in Europe.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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MagSeven, sympathy on the sad death of your friend.
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Yeah he was a friend of one of my students who lives in Tokyo.
Sad news.
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Also, I nearly forgot! Ordinary_Skiier, how was your trip last weekend?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We had a bit of new snow fall down to sea level in Central Hokkaido last night. A fair bit more in the Daisetsuzan range, which is set to continue through the weekend. We're oing to do Asahidake on Saturday with a few people, hoping for a nice late season powder day. Looks like the winds will be strong (again!!) on Sunday, but the snow should keep falling through until early next week.
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All the new snow that fell during the week meant we had a great day at Asahidake yesterday. It was like a full on mid winter powder day, with low temperatures and deep dry snow. The visibility was pretty terrible at the top, so we were feeling our way for the first few hundred metres out of the ropeway, but once we hit the trees, it was all good!
Leaving Asahikawa, a sprinkling of snow had fallen overnight
Heading up into the national park, starting to look very wintery
Snow falling lightly at the base of the ropeway
Ross shredding through the trees
POV shot
Could be mid winter
Today, typically for this winter, we've got very high winds, so no skiing. Amazingly, this snow is forecast to continue through the week, so we might get another powder day or two before the end of the season!
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FAQ
