 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
| mooney058 wrote: |
@Gored, Fight Club rules
Edit:  |
Yes, I read lots of places get booked up quickly with repeat bookers.
Hotel I am eyeing up have availability for the same week this year. Just wondered when I should just start searching from.
Any travel plans are just pie in the sky atm, as I need to wait for BA reward flights.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Wednesday 11 January 2023
0cm New Snow
Intermittent sunshine
The snowpack firmed up and was spongy but still plenty of faces letting you in waist deep at Kiroro
Thursday 12 January 2023
0cm New Snow
Bluebird and cold
Day off skis taking photos
Lots of people skiing the backbowl of The Peak, Moiwa and touring above Goshiki Onsen
Boot top powder
Warmed up during the day to above freezing
Friday 13 January 2023
0cm New Snow
Above freezing temps and greybird from around 10am
Avalanche fatality on Mt Yotei
Guided European group of 11
One female skier skied the wrong aspect against the guide's wishes and was caught in an avalanche
They dug her out but she was DOA at hospital
Light rain in the evening for a couple of hours
Saturday 14 January 2023
0cm New Snow
Pistes are firm but fine, off-piste waiting for a top up
It's in a freeze-thaw cycle
Snow on the way
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Hokkaido query no. 2:
Just spotted the following on the Gov.uk website:
As part of travelling to Japan, you must submit information to the Japanese authorities before you fly. For arrivals on or after 14 November, MySOS will no longer be used and you must use the Visit Japan Web site for pre-flight procedures.
Is that correct? The odd thing is we haven't been notified to do anything by Skilas, the guiding company we are using  Two weeks on Saturday until we depart...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Remote snow update:
Now well below freezing, 20cm reported for Sunday morning from Snowjapan website. Snowing as I type on the webcam.
Forecast looks pretty promising.
I'm traveling tomorrow. The Japanese Embassy staff in Dublin pointed me at the 'Visit Japan' website. Quite easy to navigate, three main sections/forms to fill out, upload images of Covid Vax Certs etc. All very standard fare and once submitted I received QR codes for immigration and customs immediately with 'pre-registration completion' within 24hrs. I turned the webpage into an app on my phone (there's a how to guide on the site) which was very handy so now have all the relevant info to hand. They do recommend screen shoting to save the QR codes and approval for offline access.
Hope you have a good trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's great @rogg - much obliged and quite reassuring to a technophobe like me that it sounds quite straightforward.
EDIT re. previous post: Skilas have also now confirmed that we do need to provide the info. in advance.
| Quote: |
| Hope you have a good trip |
Cheers - and do keep us posted on yours.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just landed in Tokyo all that visit Japan qr codes worked well as well as the covid proof of vacination part (no qr codes for that)
There was however an hour's queue to get through immigration.
All our ski gera now sent to niseko so we can have a couple unencumbered days in Tokyo and kyoto
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I should have mentioned that not everyone used the app. There were still people filling in paper immigration slips and custom declarations. There was a separate channel for those who hadn't done the online covid check.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| mountainaddict wrote: |
Hokkaido query no. 2:
Just spotted the following on the Gov.uk website:
As part of travelling to Japan, you must submit information to the Japanese authorities before you fly. For arrivals on or after 14 November, MySOS will no longer be used and you must use the Visit Japan Web site for pre-flight procedures.
Is that correct? The odd thing is we haven't been notified to do anything by Skilas, the guiding company we are using Two weeks on Saturday until we depart... |
Yes
I got caught out with it on my arrival
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Sunday 15 January 2023
0cm New Snow
Pistes are firm but fine, off-piste waiting for a top up
It's in a freeze-thaw cycle
Snow on the way
Monday 16 January 2023
15cm New Snow
Very firm base with 15-40cm of featherlight dust on top
Very enjoyable day at Grand Hirafu
Tuesday 17 January 2023
11cm New Snow
Hardly felt the base today at Kiroro
Face shots for fun with some of the lightest snow I've ever skied
-15 C at the top of the gondola might have had something to do with it 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CniADmjhcFN/
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Tue 17-01-23 22:52; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Question for the Japan trains experts, I'm planning on travelling from Tokyo to Myoko on Saturday morning and just went to buy my tickets from the JR station near where I am staying for work and they wouldn't sell me a Nagano - Myoko Kogen ticket. Googled it now and it's not a JR service which explains why they couldn't sell me a ticket and I can't use my Suica card. My problem is that I have a very tight connection in Nagano or I will miss the start of my day with Dancing Snow so I don't want to be queueing to buy a ticket. Is there a machine to buy from quickly, or can I buy on the train (I presume not) or buy in advance in Tokyo?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rambotion wrote: |
| Question for the Japan trains experts, I'm planning on travelling from Tokyo to Myoko on Saturday morning and just went to buy my tickets from the JR station near where I am staying for work and they wouldn't sell me a Nagano - Myoko Kogen ticket. Googled it now and it's not a JR service which explains why they couldn't sell me a ticket and I can't use my Suica card. My problem is that I have a very tight connection in Nagano or I will miss the start of my day with Dancing Snow so I don't want to be queueing to buy a ticket. Is there a machine to buy from quickly, or can I buy on the train (I presume not) or buy in advance in Tokyo? |
I imagine you'll be able to buy a ticket pretty quickly from a machine at Nagano once you get to the Shinano line part of the station.
Or - it looks like you can buy your ticket online here - https://www.liner-yoyaku.shinanorailway.co.jp/en/home/index
Worst case scenario if you're in a real rush, jump on the train without a ticket and then buy one from the conductor on board the train, or on arrival at Myoko Kogen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| mountainaddict wrote: |
Would an airbag be advisable for our forthcoming trip to Hokkaido (with guiding company Skilas)? If so, are they easily available for hire around Sapporo? Don't think I've seen any mention on the Skilas website... |
Unless you're asking him to take you anywhere specific that's potentially dangerous (like hiking up mount yotei), I wouldn't say an airbag is needed for Skilas's trips. Although I had one anyway because I took it out with me. He'll be taking you into lift accessed areas, not particularly steep, mostly in the trees, sometimes with a few small bootpacks here and there. I think Silas himself is quite risk-averse in terms of avalanche terrain, he wasn't keen to take us far from the resorts or into isolated areas, and wasn't keen on ski touring.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Thanks @musehead. That information is greatly appreciated. It sounds like just the sort of trip we're after
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Similar experience to JohnE on arrival. Unfortunate luggage delay on the boardbags. They’re arriving in resort in two days. Sam the baggage liaison man very good and efficient. Rental boards for a couple of days and bills to BA.
Forecast looks epic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
2023 is on for me. Seems much more info on OZ ski forum than here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@mountainaddict,
I thought it was fight club rules?
ski.com.au
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@mountainaddict, on the subject of entry requirements, the JNTO put together some great information which makes things a lot clearer. We've added it to our website together with a summary of procedures below: https://japanskiexperience.com/news-and-articles/japan-travel-guidance/
Regarding avalanche risks, usually snow conditions in Hokkaido are pretty stable because of consistently cold conditions, but this season has seen a few more warm days than usual and freeze thaw has made things less predictable (and not only on the mountain). So worth taking a bit of extra care!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@rogg, keep the reports coming.
Sitting at home looking at a pile of packed bags waiting impatiently for Thursday to arrive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Waxed up my 124s for the first time in 4/5 years after mate in Niseko saying "...there IS too much snow..."
Flying Wednesday with snorkel
The stoke is high....
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Everyone's timing is impeccable
Great storm cycle brewing
LAST TIME I WILL WRITE THIS
But please if you're traveling half way across the world, paying thousands of pounds for the experience and the resort you find yourself in is semi-closed (Niseko today) but a resort less than an hour away is practically fully open with the same snow (I'm talking about Rusutsu) please don't bleat when you get back home and post on here that the snow was poo-poo / lifts were closed
Don't want to be a c**t, but that is the nature of this area's microclimate
Think beyond Niseko
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sun 22-01-23 5:55; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm flying out on Wednesday, getting to Hokkaido Thursday 26th.
I still have to decide if I should head straight to Furano, or to Sapporo/Otaru area (or even Niseko).
Any thoughts from anyone in the know on the best snow right now etc? I do want to go to Furano at some point during the trip, so it will either be Furano first or the mountains to the SW of Sapporo first!
@Mike Pow, Do you typically check the various official resort websites or Facebook etc to find out if/how many lifts are opening? Of course, it would be advantageous to have this info 1-2 hours before the lifts open if planning to drive to a different area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Mike Pow wrote: |
Everyone's timing is impeccable
Great storm cycle brewing
LAST TIME I WILL WRITE THIS
But please if you're traveling half way across the world, paying thousands of pounds for the experience and the resort you find yourself in is semi-closed (Niseko today) but a resort less than an hour a away is practically fully open with the same snow (I'm talking about Rusutsu) please don't bleat when you get back home and post on here that the snow was poo-poo / lifts were closed
Don't want to be a c**t, but that is the nature of this area's microclimate
Think beyond Niseko |
Thank you for the insight but have skins and Landcruser and hope against hope won't be sitting on an overnight to Hakuba or rattling north to yomp up some windblown spot in Daisetsuzan but mainly I am hoping that chances are there won't be the rock slalom that skiing in the southern European Alps has been thus far this year.
So daddy KEEP OFF THE STOKE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| musehead wrote: |
I'm flying out on Wednesday, getting to Hokkaido Thursday 26th.
I still have to decide if I should head straight to Furano, or to Sapporo/Otaru area (or even Niseko).
Any thoughts from anyone in the know on the best snow right now etc? I do want to go to Furano at some point during the trip, so it will either be Furano first or the mountains to the SW of Sapporo first!
@Mike Pow, Do you typically check the various official resort websites or Facebook etc to find out if/how many lifts are opening? Of course, it would be advantageous to have this info 1-2 hours before the lifts open if planning to drive to a different area. |
Best snow is in SW Hokkaido at the moment
I check everything
Snow-forecast.com for freezing level; wind speed & direction; and general precipitation trend
Resort websites and social media
Talking with people in the bars at night to see if they went somewhere different from me that day
Most of the weather info is available by 7:30
Lifts not until the resorts open, between 8:30 and 9:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Super Steezy wrote: |
| Mike Pow wrote: |
Everyone's timing is impeccable
Great storm cycle brewing
LAST TIME I WILL WRITE THIS
But please if you're traveling half way across the world, paying thousands of pounds for the experience and the resort you find yourself in is semi-closed (Niseko today) but a resort less than an hour a away is practically fully open with the same snow (I'm talking about Rusutsu) please don't bleat when you get back home and post on here that the snow was poo-poo / lifts were closed
Don't want to be a c**t, but that is the nature of this area's microclimate
Think beyond Niseko |
Thank you for the insight but have skins and Landcruser and hope against hope won't be sitting on an overnight to Hakuba or rattling north to yomp up some windblown spot in Daisetsuzan but mainly I am hoping that chances are there won't be the rock slalom that skiing in the southern European Alps has been thus far this year.
So daddy KEEP OFF THE STOKE! |
Conditions are excellent on Hokkaido
You'll be fine
There are some funky layers in the backcountry, so please be careful
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 January 2023
No new snow
Bluebird
Hard crust forming
Friday 20 January 2023
15cm New Snow
Bluebird
One turn soft, the next down to the crust
Hiked the Peak
Good turns in the backbowls
Saturday 21 January 2023
10cm New Snow
Raging storm
Most lifts closed
Crunch slowly disappearing
Sunday 22 January 2023
9cm New Snow
Crazy busy to get from the car parks to the Mountain Centre at Kiroro
Deserted in the trees
Knee deep creamy powder
Face shots on the steeper sections
No crunch
Dumping as I type at 2pm
The week ahead looks great
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
So it’s not really stopped snowing since my last report, cold light dry snow. Pretty much all the lifts I could see opened right off the bat. People getting face shots and happy faces everywhere. Visibility ranged from poor to good considering the snow. The trees were completely reset and thigh deep at least. My god this place is sooooo good. Forecast is for……….. snow. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@Mike Pow, is right - for anyone heading out to Hokkaido, snow won't be a problem and if a trip to Niseko coincides with an epic, lift closing storm, Rusutsu is usually the answer!
Powder stashes are deep and light in Niseko at the moment:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Also, if anyone's heading out soon these links might help. Includes entry procedure, Niseko restaurant guide etc. If anything is missing that you'd like to see, give us a shout!
https://linktr.ee/japanskiexperience
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Planning a trip to Hokkaido next winter, I’ll be travelling with the Brother in law who I’d say is an intermediate skier with little to no experience of powder. To make the most out of the trip for both of us, I’ve been looking at Furano Snow Tours, looks like they organise groups / guiding for varied standards. Does anyone have any experience of them or able to recommend anything else? Seeing the flights beginning to come online now so eager to book ASAP, Furano Snow Tours tell me their dates will be available from March / April. Looking at mid-late January and planning a week taking in Tokyo and Kyoto afterwards. Any tips or advice gratefully received.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Another great day. Bluebird morning with no wind. Hiked to the park from the pizza box lift and had to cross tracks five times for the full length of the alpine. Just super soft light pow all the way down, I’m blissed out.
A few laps of gate 5, Strawberry Fields then back to hirafu where a muscle went ping around 2:30.
I’m running out of superlatives, so just add your own.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@ChrisP3, see tokyo and kyoto first to shed the jet lag. I've just done that and they were wonderful. We dumped all our ski equipment with yamato at haneda airport to be shipped to our hotel in advance freeing us with only carry on luggage for our tour. We used the shinkansen between tokyo and kyoto.
There is plenty of beginner/intermediate skiing in niseko ( we are there at the moment) as well as powder fields. Compared to Europe the powder is easier. Even I can manage it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@ChrisP3, I went to Niseko for 5 days then used Furano snow tours when I was an intermediate snowboarder and really enjoyed it. I'd done about 5 weeks snowboarding at the time and little to no powder. I can't deny having the odd tantrum after getting stuck in deep snow
Ken at Furano snow tour is great, he'll take good care of your and ensure the terrain is appropriate. His new lodgings look great but weren't quite ready when we were there. He speaks Japanese and English, took us to whereever the powder was in the van and then sometimes to an onsen on the way home. Would highly recommend going back and keep considering it myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ChrisP3 wrote: |
| Planning a trip to Hokkaido next winter, I’ll be travelling with the Brother in law who I’d say is an intermediate skier with little to no experience of powder. To make the most out of the trip for both of us, I’ve been looking at Furano Snow Tours, looks like they organise groups / guiding for varied standards. Does anyone have any experience of them or able to recommend anything else? Seeing the flights beginning to come online now so eager to book ASAP, Furano Snow Tours tell me their dates will be available from March / April. Looking at mid-late January and planning a week taking in Tokyo and Kyoto afterwards. Any tips or advice gratefully received. |
We went with Black Diamond Tours a few years back - imagine it'll be similar.
We went where the snow was - sometimes an hour drive would make a huge difference in amount of snow fallen and we often wouldn't know where we we going until breakfast time. Definitely very focussed around chasing powder. If your BIL hasn't done much off piste / powder then I would be honest with yourselves about whether this is the right trip for you / him. Whilst we got to ski the deepest, lightest powder I've ever experienced, I'd not say the skiing was easy. Sometimes very deep snow, not great visibility (it snows a lot!) and shorter pitches with lots of trees. And creek exits - lots of those! Narrow little undulating trails through the trees where it's tricky to control speed and very tight at times. It's not big, wide open spaces with consistent gradient and sunny weather - although you do get those days of course.
I'm sure that Furano Snow Tours will do a great job of putting similar groups together (our group of 10-12ish was usually split into two - strong and very strong skiers / boarders!), but if I'd spent a fortune to travel to Japan to ski powder then I'd be decidedly hacked off to be in a group with an intermediate who'd never skied powder before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes I'll add whilst I had a great time I think I'd have enjoyed it more had I had more powder experience (although not always so easy to get if you don't get lucky with the conditions).
We had Furano Snow Tours as a private guide for a few days so weren't annoying anyone by not being up to some experts standards.
We got a decent deal some back in 2018 when flights were seemingly more reasonable etc so didn't mind spending the extra cash over a Europe trip but would think twice now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
A general query, if I may, for the Japan travel experts.
We land in Tokyo on Sun 5th Feb and have 95 mins before our onward flight to Sapporo.
Despite a single booking with Lufthansa from Manchester to Sapporo, they have been unable to add our ski bag to the Tokyo > Sapporo flight with ANA. We will therefore need to collect the bag and check it in with ANA in Tokyo 
Does that, and the need to clear immigration, mean we will have any chance of making the connection to Sapporo? We have completed the online travel, covid etc documentation on Visit Japan Web, so that will hopefully save a bit of time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great advice, thanks all. Hadn’t considered doing Tokyo / Kyoto first bit certainly makes sense from the jet lag perspective. I hope an option such as Furano Snow Tours will allow us both to make the most out of the week which will need us to be in separate groups to match our differing experience and ability. I don’t think he’d get much enjoyment from digging and hiking out of deep powder so hoping for a group for him that’s more likely to stick to the pistes and perhaps ease into the powder experience with a bit of the easily accessed stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
