 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
I would welcome any insights into a trip to Niseko in Mid December 2024. Any recommended travel operators or is it best to diy? All seems hideously expensive but have an opportunity to travel out for 10 days to visit daughter who has a job ski instructing out there. Any views gladly welcome.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Ibexman2 wrote: |
Hello,
I would welcome any insights into a trip to Niseko in Mid December 2024. Any recommended travel operators or is it best to diy? All seems hideously expensive but have an opportunity to travel out for 10 days to visit daughter who has a job ski instructing out there. Any views gladly welcome.
Thanks |
Where is she teaching?
Budget?
Will you rent a car?
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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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Interested in this too.
My lad's hoping to be instructing in Japan next winter (25-26) so we'll try and get a visit in too. We're teachers so looks like it will be over Christmas/New Year or Easter.
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DIY is easy and best. But yes, prices have gone a little crazy in recent years. Ten years ago with good planning, you could do it all-in for £1000 (just!), now it's at least double that partly due to flights/Russia issues.
Lots on Fall Line re Japan with tips and stories.
https://www.fall-line.co.uk/?s=japan
I like Cathay, into HK, then CTS (for Niseko).
As no direct UK to Sapporo flights.
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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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| Mike Pow wrote: |
| Ibexman2 wrote: |
Hello,
I would welcome any insights into a trip to Niseko in Mid December 2024. Any recommended travel operators or is it best to diy? All seems hideously expensive but have an opportunity to travel out for 10 days to visit daughter who has a job ski instructing out there. Any views gladly welcome.
Thanks |
Where is she teaching?
Budget? Havent particularly got one but quotes for 3 of us are coming in at £13k. LHR - CTS economy, staying at Always in Niseko B & B, transfers and lift pass.
Will you rent a car? |
Not sure which bit of Niseko she will be in.
Havent particularly got one but quotes for 3 of us are coming in at £13k. LHR - CTS economy, staying at Always in Niseko B & B, transfers and lift pass.
no hire car planned
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| wiigman wrote: |
DIY is easy and best. But yes, prices have gone a little crazy in recent years. Ten years ago with good planning, you could do it all-in for £1000 (just!), now it's at least double that partly due to flights/Russia issues.
Lots on Fall Line re Japan with tips and stories.
https://www.fall-line.co.uk/?s=japan
I like Cathay, into HK, then CTS (for Niseko).
As no direct UK to Sapporo flights. |
many thanks for that.
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Many thanks for that Mike. That's very helpful.
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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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| Ibexman2 wrote: |
Many thanks for that Mike. That's very helpful. |
You're welcome
Lots of companies taking the wee wee at the moment
Buy lift tickets by the day. The weather changes quickly and lifts can close during a storm.
Don't buy all mountain passes for Niseko unless you know you're going to visit all four base areas.
Try to visit nearby resorts.
Moiwa is next door but not linked by lift pass
Rusutsu is 45-60 mins by bus from the Welcome Centre
Kiroro is about 60 mins. You'll need a car
If you go B&B you don't need to worry about breakfast. If you choose an apartment then you can pick breakfast stuff up at Seicomart or Lawsons for around £5 per person per day
Lunch on the mountain will be 2,000 yen max (that's just over £10)
Dinner you're looking at £20-30 per person unless you want to go really fancy
The Local is the place to drink
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With 3 people rent a car. Will save the transfer cost and give you flexibility to ski other areas and go to better, cheaper restaurants outside the tourist spots. Some of the local restaurants 10 mins drive away are great and super cheap. Also will open up cheaper accommodation a few mins drive away.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
| Ibexman2 wrote: |
Many thanks for that Mike. That's very helpful. |
You're welcome
Lots of companies taking the wee wee at the moment
Buy lift tickets by the day. The weather changes quickly and lifts can close during a storm.
Don't buy all mountain passes for Niseko unless you know you're going to visit all four base areas.
Try to visit nearby resorts.
Moiwa is next door but not linked by lift pass
Rusutsu is 45-60 mins by bus from the Welcome Centre
Kiroro is about 60 mins. You'll need a car
If you go B&B you don't need to worry about breakfast. If you choose an apartment then you can pick breakfast stuff up at Seicomart or Lawsons for around £5 per person per day
Lunch on the mountain will be 2,000 yen max (that's just over £10)
Dinner you're looking at £20-30 per person unless you want to go really fancy
The Local is the place to drink |
Thanks Mike, lots to investigate there! May need more than 9 days!
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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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| BobinCH wrote: |
| With 3 people rent a car. Will save the transfer cost and give you flexibility to ski other areas and go to better, cheaper restaurants outside the tourist spots. Some of the local restaurants 10 mins drive away are great and super cheap. Also will open up cheaper accommodation a few mins drive away. |
Many thanks, very helpful info.
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| wiigman wrote: |
DIY is easy and best. But yes, prices have gone a little crazy in recent years. Ten years ago with good planning, you could do it all-in for £1000 (just!), now it's at least double that partly due to flights/Russia issues.
Lots on Fall Line re Japan with tips and stories.
https://www.fall-line.co.uk/?s=japan
I like Cathay, into HK, then CTS (for Niseko).
As no direct UK to Sapporo flights. |
+1
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You know it makes sense.
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First time in Niseko Moiwa in 2018 is ski capsule (they have family only facilieties as well) was eur 30 per night including breakfast. Moiwa is at one extreme side of the main area but you can still access Annupuri area or take a free ski bus to Hirafu etc. Best onsen options in the whole of Niseko imho.
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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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| BobinCH wrote: |
| With 3 people rent a car. Will save the transfer cost and give you flexibility to ski other areas and go to better, cheaper restaurants outside the tourist spots. Some of the local restaurants 10 mins drive away are great and super cheap. Also will open up cheaper accommodation a few mins drive away. |
+1. Even travelling alone hired a car for the above reasons. The whole experience was much richer because of that. The only downside - see below
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Poster: A snowHead
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And Mike knows this better than me but I believe mid Dec is quite early for Hokkaido as the sasa grass (and creeks if you ski off piste) take a while to fill in. If you can push it back even a couple of weeks or so you’ll have better chances of full cover / resort opening
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@BobinCH, +1 on that.
Mike (boss on this, as so much time spent there) may disagree, but after Christmas/1 Jan is much safer IMHO. 11 years of this schedule, and only one bad year and that was not awful...
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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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@mooney058, any joy on Hokk trip this time/Jan '25? We can only ask/try 
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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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| wiigman wrote: |
@BobinCH, +1 on that.
Mike (boss on this, as so much time spent there) may disagree, but after Christmas/1 Jan is much safer IMHO. 11 years of this schedule, and only one bad year and that was not awful... |
Agreed
You can get lucky with heavy, early snow and less people in mid-December
Rusutsu, Kiroro and Sapporo Kokusai tend to be better early season
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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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Many thanks all. Rethinking the dates now! May have to be late in the season - late March/early April.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ibexman2 wrote: |
| Many thanks all. Rethinking the dates now! May have to be late in the season - late March/early April. |
Well you'll have the whole place to yourself...it will be 90pct empty, lots of the bars and restaurants might be closed.
If you are lucky some powder, otherwise piste skiing.
I'd still go, but at that time maybe turn it partially into a Japan tourism thing and go to some city/sights/cultural stuff because the best skiing (powder) is pretty unlikely
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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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| Ibexman2 wrote: |
| Many thanks all. Rethinking the dates now! May have to be late in the season - late March/early April. |
That’s really late for Hokkaido.
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| abc wrote: |
| Ibexman2 wrote: |
| Many thanks all. Rethinking the dates now! May have to be late in the season - late March/early April. |
That’s really late for Hokkaido. |
Really late for regular powder, but there's always the chance of a storm cycle rolling through
Latest powder I've had - 10cm over night - was 06 May 2022
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwekpoyMboO/?img_index=1
But still plenty of great skiing to be had in and around the Niseko Resort Area
If you do decide to go head North first then finish up with cherry blossom watching in and around Tokyo
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It would be more a cultural experience & sightseeing trip with a bit of skiing mixed in kind of trip.
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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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Is your daughter based in Niseko? If I had full flexibility I would ski in Honshu, for example in Hakuba Valley this late in the season. It is more central so more to do beside skiing (snow monkeys, Matsumoto castle and cherry blossoms area easy day trips from Hakuba), and the higher altitude often means there are better conditions to be found that late season.
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FAQ
fingers crosses for the following season of 25/26.
