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Joetsu Kokusai - Any snowhead been there?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Next March in 2008 I shall have a trip to Hong Kong and am think of taking the advantage of going over to a Japanese resort. (1st time for us)

The Joetsu Kokusai resort seems to do a good deal for about US$1000 inclusive of accommodation, food, ski pass and equipment hire for a week although the terrain does not look all that challenging. The hotel seems nice and the resort is under 2 hours from Tokyo by a bullet train.

Just wonder if any snowhead has been to Japanese resorts and can offer some tips. Equipment hire seems expensive there. The other alternative seems to go north to Hokkaido to popular places like Niseko
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Happo'one and various stations in the Hakuba Valley are your best bet. They are 2 - 4 hrs from Tokyo.
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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?
saikee,
You used to be able to get direct flights between Hong Kong and Hokkaido. With the very large snowfallls that Hokkaido gets and the ability to ski Rusutsu Niseko or Sapporo that would be my option. Sapporo is quite an interesting city in its own right.
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Direct flight between Hong Kong and New Chitose Airport, Sapporo, Hokkaido 3-4 times a week on Cathay Pacific.

2.5 hour bus, train or private transfer between the airport and Hirafu, Niseko.

Contact Claire at the Ski Japan office (the biggest operator in the Niseko area) for more info
E: claire@skijapan.com

And if you need lessons & rentals check out Niseko Base Snowpsorts http://nisekobase.com/

I'm a ski instructor for this company. So ask for Mike Richards (Welsh Mike) if you want to learn how to ski pow / find the best stashes.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
saikee, ... I am hoping to get to ski in Japan next season also - touring/hors piste with helinick of Mountain Tracks. I will PM you the details when I get them as there is quite an 'overview' of Japenese resorts in the preface.
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The touring on and around Tokachidake and Asahidake is excellent.

Furano is not as good as the Niseko area for resort skiing and 'slackcountry' access.

And based on the photograph Mountain Tracks use on their web site they may be outsourcing to these guys

http://www.b-powdertracks.com/indexeng.htm


Some great info here:

http://www.backcountrylogistics.com.au/Locations/Hokkaido/Hokkaido.html


This looks like a good tour

http://www.yamnuska.com/hokkaido_ski.shtml

I've skied all the resort and non-resort stuff in the Niseko area in this itinerary. From December through 'til last Saturday!!

And Mt Yotei still has snow in the crater and a sliver down the front side with my name on it Very Happy
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Hokkaido will give you colder, drier snow. The Japanese alps are notorious for wet heavy snow, due to their proximity to the coast.

I have skied at Yuzawa, which is about 2h from Tokyo, and experienced some quite nasty wet weather there (as well as some good days).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Thanks guys, for the excellent info. Think I have to go there to see/try myself. I am not hoping to get the same Alpine standard but just to sample what it is like there.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
saikee,
From the little I saw you may be pleasantly suprised.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Saikee,

The big difference between Hokkaido (and areas of the US and Canada for that matter) and Europe is that a 1,000m descent in Europe may involve 1 (if you're very lucky) to many (if you're unlucky) types of snow on the descent - ice, wind blown powder, breakable crust, powder of varying consistencies, through to slush - whereas from December through to April I skied the same consistency powder top to bottom for 1,000m.

Does Hokkaido have the alpine grandeur of the Alps? No.

Does it have the quality, quantity and consistency of snow that the Alps has? No. Thank the lord. Very Happy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Mike Pow,

Does this mean in Japan I won't be able to find a mountain railway to take me to the top of slope like I could in Zermatt and eat my James Bond spagetti in the revolving mounatin top restaurant as in Murren?
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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.
Not in the part of Japan that I'm holed up in.

But you will get top notch Japanese food for lunch for a fiver, maybe a sixer. Free water and green tea thrown in.

Peter Hardy wrote a good piece in the Telegraph after his visit this past winter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/travel/2007/02/17/etjapanski117.xml
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